Hi #Hearties, It's been awhile, my apologies. I was suffering with a bout of writer's block, also a bit of discouragement... and while we're on that subject, I understand not everyone is going to like my stories, and I respect that and I encourage constructive criticism, it helps me become a better writer, but there is no need for rude comments, like the one I received on one of my other stories a couple of months ago. The review has since been removed. If you like my stories, great! I hope you continue to enjoy them, if not, that's okay too, but please don't be rude about it. Thank you! And without further ado, here's chapter twenty-three...

Previously...

Jack hung up the phone. "Looks like Aly is sleeping over."

Elizabeth stood, "Well I should get going, so you can get her settled."

"You know," Jack stood next to her. "It's pretty late, you could stay here."

"I wouldn't want to impose."

"Elizabeth, you wouldn't be imposing." Jack countered. "I want you stay."

"I have nothing to sleep in and I need a shower." Elizabeth protested.

"You can shower here." Jack opposed. "And I have a pair of sweats or boxers and an old t-shirt you can sleep in."

"Suppose I said yes," Elizabeth questioned further, where would I sleep?

"This is a three-bedroom condo." Jack explained. "There's plenty of room. You're out of excuses now." He took her hand and gently kissed her knuckles. "Please?"

"Oh alright," Elizabeth conceded.

"Yay!" Jack wrapped his arms around her waist pulling her close and giving her tender kiss.

"Just let me send a text to Rosie so she doesn't send out a search party."

"I'll find you something to sleep in."

…

Half an hour later, Elizabeth walked out of the bathroom in the clothes Jack had let her borrow to find Jack seated on the sofa. "I carried Aly to her room while you were in the shower."

"Where's Rip?" Elizabeth wondered joining Jack on the sofa?"

"In his bed in my room." Jack answered. "All that lazy thing does is eat and sleep." He chuckled.

Elizabeth shivered.

"Are you cold?" He asked

"A little."

Jack grabbed the blanket off the back of the sofa and wrapped it around her, pulling her close. "Better?"

"Mmhmm," She nodded with a yawn. She rested her head against him.

"You know Elizabeth this is nice," He whispered. "I could get used to this."

He was answered by silence.

"Elizabeth?" He observed Elizabeth sound asleep in his arms. He sighed and smiled. He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Yes, I could definitely get used to this."

Continued...

Elizabeth woke up a little disoriented. She looked around the unfamiliar room. She wasn't quite sure where she was and couldn't remember how she'd gotten there. She glanced at her attire. She smiled at the oversized shirt and sweatpants she was wearing. Then it came back to her. She had stayed at Jack's because she was exhausted, and Jack had insisted that she sleep over at his place since it was so late.

The sudden smell of pancakes and bacon cooking caused her stomach to grumble. She was starving. She crawled out of bed and made her way to the kitchen. She walked into the kitchen to find Jack standing at the stove wearing a frilly pink apron. She couldn't help the giggle that escaped her lips.

Startled by the unexpected but pleasant sound, Jack whirled around to observe Elizabeth staring at him with a hand covering her mouth. "What's so funny?" He asked.

"Nice apron." Elizabeth chuckled.

"You like it?" Jack asked as he slowly approached her.

"It's you baby." Elizabeth grinned.

"I'm glad you approve." Jack wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close. "Hi," he greeted, before his lips met hers.

"Hey yourself."

"How did you sleep?" Jack asked.

"Great." Elizabeth remarked, "But I don't remember going to bed."

"You fell asleep on the couch," Jack explained, "And I carried you to bed."

"I'm sorry," Elizabeth apologized. "I seem to always fall asleep on you and you have to carry me to bed."

"I don't mind." Jack replied. "I'll take any excuse to have you in my arms."

"Just so you know," Elizabeth wrapped her arms around his neck, "You don't need an excuse." She leaned toward him and captured his lips with her own. "I love you, Jack Thornton."

"I love you too, Elizabeth Thatcher." Jack replied. He kissed her once more.

Suddenly the smoke alarm started blaring. Jack and Elizabeth both turned toward the stove to notice the frying pan rolling with smoke.

"Oh Jack!" Elizabeth exclaimed, as they both ran toward the stove. "Your breakfast is burnt."

Jack quickly reached to shut the eye of the stove off, before whirling around and playfully shaking his finger at Elizabeth. "This is all your fault; you know that right?"

"How is this my fault?" Elizabeth defended.

"You're distracting." Jack explained. "I can't think straight when you're around. I get easily sidetracked."

"Well if that's the way you feel," Elizabeth teased, "I'll just leave." She turned on her heels.

"Not so fast." Jack grabbed her arm, pulling her to him. "You are most definitely a welcome distraction." He kissed her lips. "I'll take you over pancakes any day."

Elizabeth's cheeks turned a soft pink. "Well I was kinda wanting those pancakes." She teased.

"More than this?" Jack asked. His grip tightened around her. He kissed her firmly and passionately, his tongue exploring the inside of her mouth.

Elizabeth pulled away breathless. "I'll have to think about that." She sighed.

Jack's lips found Elizabeth's once more. He grabbed her hips and lifted her onto the counter behind them. Without breaking the kids, he managed to move between her legs, which were dangling from the counter.

"Uncle Jack!" Aly exclaimed, as she entered the room several seconds later.

Jack and Elizabeth quickly broke apart.

"Were you and Auntie Beth kissing?"

Before either one could answer there was a knock on the door. Elizabeth jumped from the counter as Jack went to answer the door. "Good morning, Stace," Jack greeted his cousin.

"Good morning." Stacey stepped through the door. "I believe you have something of mine."

"Munchkin," Jack called, "Your mom's here."

"Jack are you alright?" Stacey followed Jack into the kitchen.

"I'm fine." Jack answered. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"It's just that you look a little…" Stacey paused when she acknowledged Elizabeth in the kitchen.

"A little what?" Jack asked.

"A little flushed" Stacey glanced at Elizabeth? "You both do. Did I interrupt something?"

"Uncle Jack and Auntie Beth were kissing." Aly blurted out.

Elizabeth felt the heat rushing to her cheeks. "I really should be going." She rushed past Stacey out of the kitchen. She hurried outside to her car, after making a quick detour to the guest bedroom to gather her belongings.

"Elizabeth," Jack called out to her before she could reach her car.

Elizabeth kept going, pretending she didn't even hear him.

"Elizabeth," Jack called again, increasing his strides. He caught up with her by the time she reached her car, and grabbed her arm, whirling her around to face him. "Where are you going?"

"Oh my gosh!" Elizabeth exclaimed, "That was so embarrassing. How will I ever face them again?"

"Elizabeth, sweetheart," Jack consoled. "It's alright."

"What will Stacey and Aly think of me now?"

"Elizabeth," Jack assured, "I promise they won't think any less of you, especially Aly. She loves her Auntie Beth, and Stacey knows how I feel about you. I'm not going to apologize for kissing you, even if we get caught." He leaned toward her to give her one more kiss.

"That's sweet of you." Elizabeth blushed.

"It's the truth." Jack remarked. He kissed her once more backing her against the car.

"Well truth or not I really should be going." Elizabeth replied breathlessly.

"I thought you wanted pancakes," Jack replied.

"I did," Elizabeth responded, "But the last time I checked they were burnt to a crisp."

"We can make more you know." Jack gently stroked her arm.

"And wait for them to burn too since I'm such a distraction?" Elizabeth teased.

"It's worth the risk."

"As tempting as that offer is. I really should go. Go spend time Aly and Stacey before they leave."

"If you insist," Jack replied reluctantly. He opened the car door for her and waited for her to climb inside.

"Tell Stacey and Aly goodbye for me."

"I will. Love you."

"Love you too."

Jack closed the car door and watched Elizabeth back out of his driveway he waved until she was out of sight before returning inside the house.

"Is Elizabeth alright?" Stacey asked, when Jack walked back in the kitchen.

"Yeah," Jack answered, "She just had to leave."

"Okay," Stacey replied, "It just seemed she was a little upset."

"Why would she be upset?" Jack inquired.

"I wonder," Stacey teased. She began making kissy faces towards Jack.

Jack rolled his eyes. "I'm going to tell you what I told Elizabeth just now. I'm not going to apologize for kissing her."

"Who's asking you to apologize?" Stacey asked. "But I did notice the burned pancakes. I'm sure that kiss had some to do with that."

"Well," Jack chuckled, "Not that particular kiss, but yeah."

"I thought so." Stacey laughed. "I've had some pancake burning kisses myself."

"With my best friend of all people." Jack teased.

"You can't help who you fall in love with." Stacey defended. You falling for Aly's teacher proves that."

"Well in my defense, I was already in love with her before she was Aly's teacher. I just didn't know it yet."

"Well, I remember when you told me you saw her at Outback when Aly and I first arrived in town." Stacey recalled. "You looked like you'd seen a ghost when you saw her and you thought she was with someone else, who turned out to be her cousin."

"The same thing she thought about you and me." Jack chuckled at the memory. "And for the record, you know I have always been you and Michael's biggest supporter but you gotta admit, I did walk in on several compromising moments between the two of you."

"Oh my gosh Jack, do you remember the time…"

"If you don't mind," Jack interrupted playfully holding up his hand, "I don't need any reminders."

Suddenly, Stacey became sullen.

"Aw, Stace," Jack put an arm around her shoulder, "What's wrong?"

"I miss him," She cried.

"I know you do," Jack consoled, "I miss him too."

"It's been five years." Stacey sobbed. "And sometimes it still feels like yesterday."

"I know what you mean." Jack sighed. "Did you know Michael came to me when he was going to propose to you?"

"What?" Stacey exclaimed.

"He swore me to secrecy." Jack explained. "But I think it's safe to tell you now. He loved you so much. You have no idea how much he wanted to marry you, but he almost didn't even ask because he was worried you'd turn him down."

"What?" Stacey uttered. "Why did he think that?"

"He told me you were always worried about him being a firefighter and how dangerous it could be."

"I would have never turned him down." Stacey assured. "My time with him wasn't very long, but I wouldn't trade my time with him for anything. He gave me the best gift possible; he gave me Aly. She wouldn't be here if it weren't for Michael."

"That munchkin sure is a great kid." Jack concurred.

"My concern is Aly was only three when Michael was killed. She doesn't remember him. She's getting older and it's not easy raising her alone. But Michael sure loved her. She had him wrapped around her finger the moment she was born."

"Do you think you'll ever want to get married again?" Jack asked.

Stacey firmly shook her head. "I always thought I'd be raising my daughter with her father, the idea of raising her with someone else is… unthinkable."

"I can only imagine," Jack admitted, "But for the record you never have to raise Aly alone. You've got me, and I couldn't love that little girl more if she were my own."

"That's why you're her godfather," Stacey replied, "And Aly loves her Uncle Jack. She headed toward the living room where Aly was sitting on the sofa watching tv. "You ready to go sweet pea?"

Aly stood from the couch.

"Tell Uncle Jack bye." Stacey instructed.

"Bye Uncle Jack." Aly jumped into Jack's arms.

"Bye Munchkin." Jack returned Aly to the floor and watched as she grabbed her mother's hand and the two of them walked out the door.

Elizabeth arrived at her apartment and threw herself on the sofa.

"Elizabeth Thatcher," Rosie called.

Elizabeth jumped clearly startled.

"What do you mean staying out all night?" Rosie teased.

Elizabeth blushed. "I…"

"What do you have to say for yourself?"

"Nothing happened." Elizabeth defended.

"You expect me to believe that?"

"I promise, nothing happened."

"Mmhmm," Rosie countered. "You were out all night with that handsome detective, and you mean to tell me that nothing happened?"

"I fell asleep on his sofa," Elizabeth explained, "And he carried me to bed."

Rosie gasped.

"Relax." Elizabeth sighed. "I slept in the guest bedroom… alone!" She emphasized.

"Fine." Rosie mocked annoyance. "Don't tell me how his kisses made you go weak in the knees."

Elizabeth felt the heat in her cheeks rising. She buried her face in her hands.

"I knew it." Rosie boasted. "Tell me everything."

"It was just a few kisses this morning." Elizabeth confessed. "Jack was making pancakes and.. well they burned and set the smoke alarm off. Then Aly walked in and caught us."

"Juicy!" Rosie replied. "And you told me nothing happened."

"Well that was all that happened." Elizabeth clarified. "You know I'm not ready for anything beyond that."

"I know," Rosie responded. "You know I admire you and your decision; I also know how much you love Jack, despite the fact that you haven't known him very long."

"It's been four months," Elizabeth confirmed. "It still surprises me how quickly I fell for him, especially after everything that happened with Charles."

"Well you've got yourself a keeper." Rosie agreed. "Jack is great."

"I think so too." Elizabeth giggled. "Speaking of great men, how is Lee? Have you set a wedding date yet?"

"Not yet," Rosie answered. "When we do, you'll be the first to know."

"I better be." Elizabeth replied.

Later that evening, Elizabeth was relaxing, writing in her journal, when a text came through.

Jack: I miss u

Elizabeth: U saw me earlier this morning lol

J: Can't help it I still miss u. Do u miss me?

E: Maybe a little

J: U wanna go out for ice cream?

E: Hmm sounds tempting.

J: Please I'll pick u up. We can share a banana split.

E: U drive a hard bargain

J: U know u want to.

E: Ok ok sounds lovely. I'll c u when u get here.

Elizabeth threw her phone on her bed and jumped up she ran to the bathroom and freshened up. She put on a simple pair of jeans and a T-shirt and threw her hair in a French braid. The second she was ready. There was a knock on the door. Elizabeth opened the door to see Jack standing on the other side, handsome as ever. "That was quick."

"Oh, that," Jack chuckled. "I have a little confession to make."

"I'm listening."

"I was sitting in my car, right outside when I texted you."

"Are you stalking me detective?"

"Of course not," Jack defended, "I was just very optimistic you'd accept my invitation." He leaned in to kiss her. "Shall we?"

"We shall," Elizabeth accepted Jack's outstretched hand and the two of them walked to his car in companionable silence.

After sharing a delicious banana split at the dairy barn. Jack took Elizabeth on a moonlit walk by the lake.

"Did I tell you how beautiful you look tonight?" Jack squeezed her hand.

"Hardly," Elizabeth countered. "I just threw these clothes on when you invited me out for ice cream."

"How many times do I have to tell you? You're always beautiful."

Elizabeth blushed.

They stopped on the dock and leaned over the leaned over the railing. They watched the moon dancing over the water.

"Beautiful view isn't it?" Elizabeth remarked.

"Absolutely." Jack slipped a finger beneath her chin, turning her head to face him. "The most beautiful view I've ever seen." He claimed her lips with his own.

Forty-five minutes later, Jack returned Elizabeth to safely to her apartment. "Goodnight sweetheart." He whispered before giving her a gentle kiss. "Will I see you tomorrow?"

"I hope so."

Three weeks later…

"I've been meaning to ask, what does Aly want for her birthday?" Elizabeth asked, while on the phone with Jack.

"Anything with a rainbow or a unicorn," Jack answered, "And you've got a friend for life. You don't have to get her anything though. She'll just be happy her Auntie Beth is there."

"I'm not going to her party without getting her a gift." Elizabeth insisted.

"Alright, if it's that important to you, I'll take you shopping. We can pick something out together."

"Okay."

"What are you doing tomorrow?" Jack asked.

"Going shopping with you, I hope?"

"It's a date."

The next morning, Jack picked Elizabeth up at her apartment to take her to the mall.

"This will be perfect for Aly." Elizabeth remarked, when she saw a pair of printed leggings with unicorns and rainbows all over them, and a matching shirt with a unicorn staring at a rainbow, with the words 'Follow your dreams.' across the front."

"Well let's get it," Jack agreed. "She will love it."

After Aly's gift was paid for, Jack and Elizabeth decided to eat lunch at the mall food court. While they ate, they watched the many children playing at the nearby play area. Jack observed intently as Elizabeth watched all the children playing with a smile on her face. He adored how her face lit up when she was in the presence of children. She loved children. It was quite obvious. That was one of the many reasons she made an excellent teacher.

Five minutes later, Elizabeth saw one of the children, a girl who appeared to be about five or six, fall down. A boy who appeared to be about ten or eleven crouched down beside her soon after. "Oh, my goodness!." She exclaimed. When it appeared that no one was coming to the young children's aid, Elizabeth decided to intervene. She rushed to the two of them. "Are you alright sweetheart?" She asked, helping little girl up.

"I skinned my knee." The girl cried.

"Oh no! Let me see." Elizabeth scooped the girl in her arms and carried her to the table where she and Jack were sitting, with the little boy close behind. She set the girl on the table and sure enough there, was a scrape along the girl's knee. "Let's see what we have here." Elizabeth dug into her purse and pulled out a small cosmetic bag. From the cosmetic bag, she retrieved Disney princess bandage and a tube of antibiotic cream. She applied the cream to the wound, and gently covered it with the bandage. "There good as new."

The girl smiled up at her.

"What's your name?" Elizabeth asked.

"Bryson," The boy answered, "And this is my sister Katie."

"Very nice to meet you." Elizabeth acknowledged. "I'm Ms. Thatcher, and this is Mr. Thornton."

Jack smiled.

"Where are your parents?" Elizabeth asked.

"It's just our mom." Bryson explained. "She asked me to watch Katie while she went to change our baby sister's diaper."

"Well you are a great big brother." Elizabeth patted Bryson on the knee. "Katie is very lucky to have you."

"There you two are." A woman carrying a baby on her hip approached the table. "You aren't disrupting this nice couple are you?"

"No mommy." Katie informed her. She lifted her leg to show her mother the bandage Elizabeth had placed over her scrape. "I fell down and Ms., Ms.," She turned to face Elizabeth. "What was your name again?"

"Ms. Thatcher." Elizabeth chuckled.

"Ms. Thatcher," Katie continued, "Gave me a bandage."

"Well that was very nice of her." The children's mother replied. "Did you say thank you?"

"Thank you Ms. Thatcher." Katie surprised Elizabeth by wrapping in her arms around her neck in a hug.

"You're very welcome, sweetheart." Elizabeth answered. "I'm a schoolteacher so I'm always prepared for minor accident such as these."

"Thanks so much." The mother smiled. "I'm Linda Vincent and this is my daughter, Jolie," she referred to the baby in her arms. "And you've already met Bryson and Katie."

"My pleasure." I'm Elizabeth Thatcher and this is my boyfriend Jack Thornton. He's a detective with the police department."

"My children were in great hands then." Linda proclaimed. "It's nice to meet you both. It isn't easy raising three children alone. Alan, my husband was killed in a car accident a few months ago. It's hard being three places as once, so I'll take all the help I can get. How can I ever repay you for taking care of my children?"

"Not necessary." Elizabeth replied. "I was just in the right place at the right time." She began playing peekaboo with Baby Jolie causing the infant to squeal with delight."

Jack was silently watching Elizabeth interact with the three children who had just unexpectedly entered their lives. She's going to be an excellent mother. He thought to himself. It suddenly dawned on him what he needed to do. He stood up. "Hey Elizabeth." He whispered, getting her attention away from Jolie, who she was now holding in her lap. "While we're here I just remembered something I needed to pick up."

"Oh, do you need me to come with you?" Elizabeth moved to returned Jolie back to her mother.

"No, no," Jack declined. "You can stay and keep playing with the kids. I won't be long."

"Okay, if you're sure."

"I'm sure," Jack leaned over to kiss her cheek, "I'll be right back. Ms. Vincent it was nice to meet you."

"Thanks, nice to meet you too and you can call me Linda."

Jack nodded as he turned to leave.

That was weird Elizabeth thought to herself. He's never acted like that before. She quickly brushed off Jack's strange behavior and continued playing with Jolie.

Jack rushed to the other side of the mall. He hoped that Linda didn't think he was being rude. He thought she was nice, and her children were adorable and the perfect distraction to get Elizabeth to stay right where she was. He didn't want her to see what he was doing. He was picking out a special surprise for her. He knew what he wanted. They were still relatively new in their relationship, but he'd known what he wanted for a long time. And after seeing Elizabeth interact with those children earlier confirmed what he already knew. He loved her and knew exactly what he wanted. He hoped she wanted the same thing. He took a deep breath before he entered Amethyst jewelers, the mall jewelry store.

Twenty minutes later, Jack returned to the table at the food court. He found Elizabeth sitting alone at the table. He patted his pocket, where the small package was hidden, to make sure it was still there, and Elizabeth wouldn't see it before he was ready to present it to her. "Hey," He greeted. He leaned forward and kissed her cheek.

"Hey where'd you go?" She asked with a smile.

"Just something I had to take care of." He answered. "Did Linda and the kids leave?"

"Yeah, she's taking the kids to their grandmother's. "She told me that even after her husband's death, she and her mother-in-law are closer than ever."

"That's nice." Jack smiled. "Are you ready to go?"

"Definitely," Elizabeth stood up and the two of them headed out the door."

Once in the car, Elizabeth's curiosity got the best of her. Jack had told her he had to pick something up, but when he'd returned she didn't see any packages or anything out of the ordinary, except the fact that he was being very secretive. "Okay, Jack!" She exclaimed "The suspense is killing me. Where did you go when you left me in the food court?"

Jack chuckled and glanced sideways at her. "Wouldn't you like to know."

To be continued

Last chapter I mentioned that included a scene from season one and rewrote it to make it fit in with this story, I neglected to mention that it may or may not have been a Jack and Elizabeth moment, my apologies for that. If you'll remember, in the season one finale when Elizabeth received a job offer to go teach back east, and the children thought she might leave, they made her a giant card and signed it, I tried to recreate that moment in this story, when Elizabeth's students thought it was her last day as their teacher, then she got a chance to teach them one more year.

Thanks for reading... encouraging reviews are always welcome!