Thank you to everyone reading and reviewing my story! I have had many nice comments and I appreciate them all.

This story was intended to only be a few chapters when I began, but it has taken on a life of its own and grown longer than I planned. It is starting to wrap up now with a few chapters left.

Chapter 10

"Jack..." Elizabeth stood there in disbelief, suddenly needing to take the seat Lucas had offered her earlier. "You knew Jack?" she questioned as if somehow his response would be different than the astonishing statement he had just declared. Her wandering gaze went back to the man in front of her whose tear-filled eyes had spilled over. No wonder he had such a difficult time verbalizing these particular words. How in the world could he process his feelings regarding this?

How could she?

"Elizabeth... I know this is a shock..." As he watched her reaction he grew concerned and drew closer, bending down in front of her and taking her hand. "Are you alright?"

When the words finally began to sink in, Elizabeth stared at the handsome man in front of her with tear-stained cheeks. He had gone through so much in the last 24 hours and was trying to put the pieces of his mind back together, but exactly like the man she fell in love with, he was worried about her. No declaration could change the way she felt about him, but she had to know all of it, no matter how hard it would be. Elizabeth would push her trepidation aside for Lucas' sake. She would deal with the outcome later.

Reaching up her other hand, she gently brushed the tears from his face. "I'm so sorry, Lucas. For all you have gone through in the last day, or rather, the last several years. Can we talk about the rest? About how you knew Jack? Or do you need a break?"

He lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed the back of it before releasing it and standing again. "I think the remainder of it will be easy, comparatively speaking..." She noticed that he did seem much calmer now that he had told her about Jack, although there was a sadness in his eyes that was understandable given the amount of loss he had experienced.

Elizabeth watched as Lucas paced for a moment before speaking again. "I had lived in the States for a time when I made my decision to come back to Canada. My life was spent moving from one thing to another and I needed some direction. After some soul-searching and speaking to my parents, I concluded that I wanted to be in law enforcement. It wasn't an abrupt decision as I had thought about it many times over the years, but the time was right. That's when I joined the Royal Canadian Mounted Police."

He paused and looked at her stunned face. "You were a Mountie?"

A slight snicker was his response. "Are you surprised?"

"I'm not sure what I am. Please continue." Elizabeth couldn't believe this turn of events and had to hear more.

"As soon as I joined, I felt I had found my place in life, as all the pieces fell into place. I had a purpose, and I had brothers- something that had been lacking in my upbringing as an only child. Russell was one of the first people that I became close to. He was outgoing and funny; we joined about the same time and became good friends. I can share my adventures with him later, but I want to jump to when I met Jack." She heard his voice tremble as he said her late husband's name and hoped this wasn't too hard on him to talk about.

"I would love to hear it but take your time."

"When Russell and I were transferred to another location, Jack was the first person to greet us. It was an instant connection and the three of us worked well together. I didn't have facial hair then, and my commanding officers liked to send me out undercover, as I looked much younger than I was. The name that we came up with for me to use was Eugene Hawkins, and many times people in my unit would call me Gene."

"So, did you go to the Northern Territories?"

"Yes. It was a... difficult time for everyone."

There was a silence that followed as Elizabeth pondered. What did she want to know? What questions should she ask, and how hard would it be for Lucas to talk about his relationship with Jack now that he remembered it?

"Lucas... I know things are still a little muddled but... is there anything specific you want to discuss? About Jack or Russell?"

"As you say, things are still cloudy, but I am remembering more and more as time goes on. I recall one day Jack came back from being here in Hope Valley and took me to the calendar on the wall. He was quite excited and very happy as he showed me the day that he proposed..." Pausing to see her reaction, Lucas saw tears forming in her eyes. This had to be as difficult for her as it was for him. "Russell and I spent the evening listening to him describe in detail exactly how he did it..."

"Thank you for sharing that with me," Elizabeth said after clearing her throat. The tears had never fallen, but Lucas knew it was a struggle to keep them within their boundaries. All of this was difficult to grasp- for both of them.

"He invited us to the wedding; of course, we were on assignment and unable to come. But he returned happier than I had ever seen." Lucas paused and looked at the ceiling, inhaling deeply.

"The last time I saw Jack, he... uh... was headed out with the recruits, a few days before Russell and I went to the States... He said, 'I'll see you later, Gene,' as he left. Our accident happened in October, shortly before the landslide, so he never knew about Russell. And I... never knew about Jack." He shook his head as he was aware of how confusing it sounded since he had known about Thornton's death for the last four years- but not as his friend Jack. "After the car accident and my amnesia, I had to find a way to ground myself since the medical professionals wouldn't let anyone tell me anything about my missing time. The last thing I remembered was living in New Orleans and so that is where I headed. I met Janette shortly after I arrived, and you know the rest of that story."

Elizabeth was unable to speak for a time and simply nodded her head. The fact that her late husband and future husband had been friends in another life was overwhelming. She would have to deliberate about it more when she got home.

This was a lot.

"Lucas, this has been very taxing on you, so I am going to go home and let you rest, but I will be back in the morning. I'm glad you are staying here tonight." Elizabeth stood and walked over, wrapping her arms around him, and feeling him reciprocate. As she stood there, all seemed exactly as it had been before yesterday when everything changed, and yet she had to wonder if anything would ever be normal again.

When she stepped back, Lucas gazed into her eyes momentarily before kissing her forehead. "Goodnight," he said solemnly as he saw her turn for the door. "Elizabeth.." he called, causing her to turn around and make eye contact. What she saw there was concern and confusion without either of them saying a word. Forcing a smile on her face more for his benefit than her own, she walked back to him, her eyes never leaving his.

"This changes nothing."

The words were comforting to his tired mind and weary soul as he returned a smile that didn't quite reach his dimples. Elizabeth reached up and touched his cheek, then left the room with Lucas standing there and watching her go.

Soon after, Carson entered.

"You look worn out, Lucas."

"I guess I am," he replied, going back to the examining table.

"Let me check your vitals and then we can chat, if you feel like it, that is."

Looking over at the door Elizabeth had recently exited, Lucas exhaled. "I think I would like that."

###

Stopping by Rosemary's for only a moment, Elizabeth asked if her friend would be able to keep Jack overnight, and, receiving a yes, she headed to her house after saying goodnight to her son. Rosemary had been sensitive enough not to ask any questions, knowing that Elizabeth would share when she was ready.

As she entered, she looked around before closing the door. Letting out a loud sigh, she walked to her desk and sat down, lowered her head, and let the tears fall- not exactly sure why she was crying at first. Shortly, she was spent and reached for a handkerchief to mop her face and thought about her feelings.

If someone had been a witness to the conversation between her and Lucas, they would believe that Elizabeth was weeping over her late husband Jack. They would think that perhaps, her grief had returned afresh because of Lucas' revelation.

And they would be wrong.

Of course, hearing the news that the two men knew each other and, in fact, were great friends, came as a shock that brought accompanying emotions along with it, but Elizabeth had come to terms with her grief some time ago. She would always love and miss her first husband, but she was completely in love with Lucas Bouchard now. Jack had been her first love and would permanently have a place in her heart, but Lucas was her lifetime. Her forever. Their feelings for each other were deep and strong. So, no, she wasn't crying for Jack this evening, but for what her fiancé was dealing with. The resilient man she fell in love with was suffering, through no fault of his own, and Elizabeth had to figure out how to aid in his healing.

But first, she needed some nourishment.

After making and eating a quick meal, Elizabeth returned to her desk and sat down.

Pulling out a drawer, she retrieved a box that she hadn't looked at in a long while. Smiling as she took a deep breath, Elizabeth opened it up and spent some time in the past, hoping to find some answers for the future.