Hey You

Did you make it home?

'Cause I would

Like to meet you soon

I miss you

And on days like this

I need you

More than just the wind, just the wind

-The Relay Company "Silhouettes"

Ally stood at the window, eyes shielded as she looked out into the night. On the table behind her lay her schoolbook where she had abandoned it. She couldn't seem to concentrate on her homework and as soon as Mrs. Thorton had taken Little Jack upstairs, Ally had given up trying.

All she saw outside the little row house though was empty streets. Hope Valley was quiet. However, Ally hoped that she could conjure up a person on horseback coming into town just by watching.

"Anything interesting out there?"

Mrs. Thorton's soft question cause Ally to jump as she turned from the window. "Not really," she admitted.

"Hoping to see your Uncle?" Elizabeth asked as she retook her own seat at the table.

"He's been gone five days now," Ally said as she returned slowly toward the table. "I was hoping he would be back by now."

"I'm sure you're Uncle was hoping to be back by now too," Elizabeth told her. "Sometimes things take longer than one plans," she added, in her mind hearing Jack say those words to her. They didn't stop her from worrying back then and she had a feeling they wouldn't stop the girl sitting at the table with her now.

"But what if he doesn't come back?" Ally asked. "What happens to me? The only family I have is my Grandma but I wouldn't be sure how I'd get to her place. Even if I did, I don't think Grandma would be able to look after me, even if she wanted to. She has a lady who comes and helps her with a lot of things."

"Ally, I'm sure your Uncle has made plans for that if anything ever happened. He would make sure you're looked after no matter what. Nor would you be on your own. The Mountie Headquarters would make sure you got safely wherever you needed to go and there is always me. I'd do whatever was needed to make sure you were taken care of."

"The longest Uncle Nathan has ever been away was when he went to the Northern Territories a couple years back. He wrote when he could. Since he came back, he's never been gone more than three days. Guess I got use to him not being far away."

Elizabeth reached out and laid a hand on Ally's hand. "I'm sure things are fine, and either he'll be home soon or we'll at least hear from him. I know its hard, but try not to worry."

Ally nodded and looked down at her books. She knew she would never be able to concentrate on it.

Reaching out, Elizabeth closed the book. "Just this once, I can let you slide if your homework isn't done tomorrow. Why don't you get ready for bed and then I'll come up and read to you. I use to love hearing a story read to me when I was your age. There was something comforting about it."

Ally nodded. Getting to her feet she headed upstairs, leaving her books where they lay.