It had been two days since Elizabeth's parents had arrived in Hope Valley. Elizabeth certainly hadn't expected their visit, but she definitely didn't expect them to linger beyond a day. She thought she had made it clear that she wasn't leaving, but maybe they still thought they could persuade Julie.

"That was another wonderful meal. Thank you, Abigail,"

"You're welcome, Grace. I'm glad you enjoyed it. I know it's much simpler than back in Hamilton..."

"Nonsense!" Grace interrupted. "Your cooking can rival anyone back home. It's simply divine."

"Well, thank you. That's a big compliment coming from you," Abigail smiled.

"Yes, my wife is correct, Abigail. It is outstanding," Mr Thatcher offered.

In the back of the cafe, Julie washed lunch dishes, trying to avoid her parents as much as possible. Suddenly, the door opened and Tom stepped through.

"Oh, Tom, you're back. I missed you so."

"I can't stay, I just wanted to let you know I was back in town. We've got two wagons full of supplies to unload, so we'll be hard at it for the next few hours."

"Tom, my parents are here," Julie said quietly.

"Here, here? In Hope Valley?" Tom's eyes widened.

"In Hope Valley and in Abigail's cafe. They're having lunch as we speak."

"What are they doing in Hope Valley?" Tom asked, surprised.

"Well, father came to convince us to return home. But mother came to try to convince him otherwise."

Tom looked confused.

"So, your mother doesn't want you to go back home?"

"Well, of course she wants me to," Julie replied. "But she understands that we've made our own decisions. She understands that we've both made a life away from Hamilton."

"Do you miss home, Julie?"

"Well, yes," Julie admitted. "But you're my home now, Tom. Wherever you are - that's where I want to be, too."

Tom embraced his wife and kissed her forehead.

"I'm sorry I have to go, but..."

"Go. Go. You have work to do. We can talk later this evening."

Abigail came to the back of the cafe just as Tom was walking out the door.

"Was that Tom?" she asked.

"Yes, they just arrived back into town. He wanted to stop by and let me know. They have a lot of supplies to unload, so he couldn't stay."

"Did you tell him about your parents?" Abigail questioned.

"I did. I told him we would talk to them later this evening."

Abigail patted Julie's shoulder.

"Well, at least you have Tom here with you."

"I hope for Elizabeth's sake that Jack comes home soon, too."

...

"Alright, children, settle down. We're almost done today, but there's one last thing..."

Elizabeth stopped short as she turned around and saw the church doors opening. The sight in front of her was the sweetest sight her eyes had seen in weeks.

"Jack?" she whispered, breathless.

"Constable Thornton!" all the children cheered. They seemed as excited to have him back in town as Elizabeth. They all crowded around him. The girls hugged him and told him how glad they were to see him. They boys nodded and smiled, telling him the same in their own way.

"Children, I'm sure Constable Thornton is very tired from his long journey. Perhaps we can celebrate his return later?" she laughed at the happy children.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, Miss Thatcher. I ..."

"It's alright, Constable. We were just finishing."

She turned her attention back to the children, mustering all the focus she could manage for the next few seconds.

"Class dismissed. We'll pick up here tomorrow."

The children quickly grabbed their books and headed out the door, some smiling knowingly at the Constable and their teacher.

"I really didn't mean to interrupt," Jack said as all the children were scrambling out the door. He walked further down the aisle and grew closer to Elizabeth.

"I just arrived back, and I couldn't wait another minute..."

Before he could even finish his sentence, Elizabeth rushed to him and wrapped her arms around him. She didn't care if it was proper behavior or not. She had missed Jack terribly and she was so relieved to see him and touch him again.

Jack, after overcoming his initial surprise at Elizabeth's bold behavior, hugged her back with equal intensity. When they finally broke away, he brought his hand to her cheek and kissed her gently.

"I missed you, Elizabeth," he said softly.

"Not half as much as I missed you," she replied.

They just stood there for several minutes, taking in the sight of each other. Then Elizabeth remembered what awaited her back at Abigail's.

"Jack, my parents..."

"Elizabeth, I..."

They both spoke at the same time.

"I'm sorry, Jack, what did you want to say?" Elizabeth asked.

"No, no, you said something about your parents?" Jack replied.

"I wrote to them about Julie and Tom. The response I received back was harsher than you can even imagine. My father demanded that both of us return home and that Julie would be sent away to live with an aunt..."

"What?" Jack asked, anger beginning to surface.

"Of course, neither Julie and I had any intention of doing such. But then, a few days ago, they just appear here in Hope Valley. No word of their coming. Apparently, mother doesn't feel the same way as father. It's all such a mess," Elizabeth sighed, placing her hands over her face.

Jack gently took her hands into his and removed them from her face. He held them close to his chest and pulled her in to him.

"It will be alright, Elizabeth. We will get through this together."

After all they had been through - all the trials and struggles - Elizabeth knew without a doubt that he was right. She knew that they would get through this. Together.

...

Elizabeth and Jack walked to Abigail's arm-in-arm. As they walked, Jack's mind raced. His plan for how his homecoming would go was very different than reality allowed. He had grand ideas about what would happened when he first saw Elizabeth, but all that was derailed by news of her parents' arrival in Hope Valley. He sighed, thinking of yet another missed opportunity. However, this time he was not as defeated as the last. This time he knew that Elizabeth's heart was in the same place as his. This was just a momentary set back.

"Is everything alright?" Elizabeth asked, worried when she heard Jack's sigh.

"I'm just happy to be home," he smiled.

Elizabeth squeezed his arm and smiled as they headed into Abigail's.

There, Abigail was sitting having coffee with Charlotte. Abigail smiled brightly when the couple walked through the door, and she greeted Jack with a hug.

"I am so glad you're back. Not as glad as Elizabeth, I'm sure," she smiled. "But still very happy."

"Did you miss us that much?" Jack teased Elizabeth.

"Maybe a little," she grinned.

"Lizzie, did Jack tell you how hard he made us ride on the way back. I don't know if I'll be able to ride again for weeks, I'm so sore. Nothing would stop him from rushing back to you."

"Mom!" Jack chided.

"Now don't start that sass," Charlotte replied.

"So, maybe you missed me a little, too?" Elizabeth teased Jack.

"Well, I left Hope Valley without a constable," he stammered. "I had to make sure everyone in town was safe."

Elizabeth grinned.

"And now that I've delivered you safely to Abigail's, I need to get over to the jail..."

"Running off so soon?" Charlotte asked, with a teasing smile.

"I...I'll see you later, Elizabeth.." Jack stuttered, rushing for the door.

"Um hmm," Elizabeth nodded, smiling. She had never quite seen Jack so flushed before. It made her heart flutter a little.

"I was just telling Charlotte that Tom was back. He stopped in to tell Julie earlier, but had to get back to help unload the wagons," Abigail told Elizabeth.

"That's good news," Elizabeth replied. She was glad everyone was back safe and sound in Hope Valley, but now with her family here - it all seemed overwhelming.

Charlotte noticed a sense of gloom in Elizabeth and had a pretty good idea what was causing it. She wasn't sure how to broach the subject, but after many days had passed with nothing to do but talk and ride, she felt that she had gained a good deal of insight into this woman who would probably be her daughter-in-law soon enough.

"Elizabeth, Abigail told me that your parents had arrived," Charlotte began as she poured Elizabeth a cup of coffee.

Elizabeth eagerly accepted the cup and sat down, sighing out loud.

"Did she mention why they were here?" Elizabeth asked, taking a sip out of her cup.

Abigail and Charlotte exchanged knowing looks.

"She might have said they were unhappy about Julie's...situation."

"Charlotte, please don't take their response as a criticism of your sons, but our life...their life...they just expected a different sort of life for us. I think they'd finally begun to accept my decision to leave all that behind for Hope Valley, but Julie running away...well, that was just too much for my father. I think he hoped to convince us to return to Hamilton with him."

"Lizzie, I may have grown up very different than you, but trust me, I understand why your parents feel the way they do."

"You do?" Elizabeth asked, confused that Charlotte would seem to take her parents' side.

"Of course. All parents want what's best for their children. This isn't the life I would have chosen for Jack. But there comes a point when we realize we can not control our children and their decisions in life. Up until you left home, your parents haven't had to face that truth. Now that they do - it's bound to be difficult for them. Shoot, I never thought a girl like you would fit with my Jack. But I got to know you, Lizzie. And your kind and loving heart, your determination and strong will - that's just the kind of woman Jack needs."

"Thank you, Charlotte. That means a lot to me."

Charlotte smiled and pulled her chair closer to Elizabeth. She took Elizabeth's hands into hers.

Elizabeth was so surprised by the gesture, she was speechless.

"Lizzie, I know I just showed up here and put myself right in the middle of your life. But you took me in. You've never complained, and have been nothing but kind to me. You even insisted on Jack coming back to Aberdeen with me. I know it hasn't been easy for you to have me here, but you have been more than welcoming. Even the notion of me living here hasn't run you off. Jack is a lucky man, and I'm glad he has you."

Elizabeth smiled and her heart swelled. Charlotte Thornton was definitely cut from different cloth than Elizabeth, but Elizabeth knew how much she loved Jack and how much Jack loved her. Having Charlotte's "blessing" was important. Elizabeth knew they would find away to forge a new life together in Hope Valley.