A/N THIS WAS ANOTHER S7 EP 7 REWRITE ISSUE THAT I WANTED TO ADDRESS, AND THAT WAS THE APPEARANCE THAT MOLLY AND FLORENCE WERE OKAY WITH ELIZABETH GOING AND WHY WOULDN'T SHE HAVE SOUGHT THEM OUT. PLUS I WANTED TO EXPLORE THE COAL VALLEY BOND BETWEEN THE THREE OF THEM IN THE ABSENCE OF ABIGAIL AND TEASE A LITTLE ABOUT THE FUTURE ROMANCE BETWEEN NED AND FLORENCE. I HOPE YOU ENJOY IT. THERE MAY BE MORE BEFORE THE MONTH IS THROUGH BUT FOR NOW, THAT MY WRITER'S BLOCK IS GONE, I NEED TO GET BACK TO MY STORIES, STARTING WITH COMPLETING JOURNEY.

Elizabeth picked up the apple from her desk and placed it in her basket, thinking of the person who had given it to her. Her heart raced whenever she thought of him, and butterflies danced in her stomach, making her breathless. She knew what they meant because only one other person made her feel them, and it wasn't the Saloon owner that had issued the invitation for an overnight.

She was torn because while she knew it would be improper, a piece of her was really tempted to go. With a sigh, she locked up the church and headed to town to welcome Clara and Jesse back from their honeymoon. She knew that she needed to give Lucas an answer, but she also knew she wasn't ready to answer.

As expected, Rosemary was excited for her and encouraged her to go. But something held her back. Usually, Rosemary would have been a great source of advice, but she wasn't as secure in following what Rosemary had said. If anything, her advice was beginning to make her lean more toward refusing. Elizabeth wished that Abigail was there so she could talk it over with her. Abigail had never steered her wrong, and though she loved Rosemary and considered her one of her best friends, Clara being the other.

She needed an older woman's advice, but who could she trust? Her thoughts were interrupted by the voice of Florence and Molly talking as they entered Bill's office. With a smile, she knew just who she needed and practically ran to Bill's office. She knew that he was away so that they could talk in privacy.

Molly was straightening Bill's desk while Florence sat in his chair talking to her when she walked in.

"Elizabeth," the two women smiled.

"What brings you here? I'm afraid Bill is doing rounds since Nathan's out of town." Molly said, coming over to hug her.

"Uh….I have a problem, and I wanted to talk to the two of you for some advice. Is this a bad time?"

The two women looked at each other in surprise and then smiled as they assured her that it wasn't and that they would be happy to advise her. They knew how hard Abigail's absence had been on Elizabeth, so they felt honored by her request.

"Not at all, Elizabeth," Florence said as Molly urged her to the sitting area and locked the door so they wouldn't be interrupted.

Elizabeth explained about Lucas coming to the school and his invitation. They listened attentively, not saying anything but occasionally exchanging knowing glances. Finally finished, Elizabeth turned to address Florence.

"I talked to Rosemary, and she thinks it would be harmless, and if I want to go, I should go. But it isn't that simple in my mind. Florence, I still remember how you were very strict about what was proper and were the first to speak out if something wasn't right. It took me quite a while to earn your trust. But Abigail told me that once I earned it, you would be the first to have my back, and I have found that to be true. I need to talk with someone who has children and won't hesitate to speak the truth no matter what. I would rather consider possible repercussions before they happen than deal with the aftermath later."

"That's very wise, Elizabeth, and very telling," Molly said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Molly, I feel the same way about you, so I am asking for your thoughts too, and don't feel like you have to spare my feelings. I truly want to know your thoughts."

Florence reached for Elizabeth's hand. "First, I want to assure you that what is said won't leave this room. I agree with Molly that your wanting our opinion says a lot about your misgivings. Now I don't have anything against Lucas. However, I really don't think it was even proper for him to approach you since you are not courting, right?" Florence asked.

"No, we are not,"

"You as a teacher have a higher moral standard, so even if you were courting, it wouldn't be proper behavior for a teacher. Think of what kind of message it would give your students. It wouldn't have mattered even if it had been Jack asking, and if you had gone with him, we would probably be looking at your dismissal. Remember, you almost lost your credentials over a mistaken letter.

"Tell me, Elizabeth, do you think Jack would have asked you to do that?" Molly asked.

"No, he wouldn't. He always protected me and was discrete, even when he kissed me most of the time."

"That should tell you something." Florence said, then added slyly, "Do you think it would be a request Nathan would make of you?"

Elizabeth's eyes widened, and she blushed. "Relax, Elizabeth, everyone knows how the constable and Lucas brought flowers to you and how he has been in love with you practically since the beginning," Molly said with a laugh.

"It's also obvious that you have feelings for him but struggle with them." Florence said, "So how do you think he would perceive your going to Union City on a date with Lucas?"

"Oh! But we would only be going as friends, and it wouldn't be a date."

"Oh, sweetheart! You may have that in your mind, but trust me, he sees it as something else." Molly explained gently.

"I haven't wanted to say anything, but I feel that you should know Lucas baits Nathan frequently and tries to one-up him whenever you are around. When you are not, he always tries to taunt him." Florence said.

"If you go to Union City with him, well…." Molly said. "The townspeople will think you are courting."

"Can you see yourself married to a saloon owner and gambler?" Florence asked. "He has only been to church twice since he arrived and relishes the lifestyle he lives. If you can't see yourself married to him, then I think you need to clarify that to him."

Elizabeth knew that Florence was correct. There was no way she would ever consider Lucas a suitable match for her or a potential father for her son. But in the next moment, she could see that Nathan fit there quite easily though she wasn't ready to move on. She knew she had her answer, and unlike Rosemary's advice, theirs left her at peace with her decision, which also settled things in her heart.

"Thank you both for listening to me," Elizabeth said as she hugged both women. "I'm going to tell him no and also let him know in no uncertain terms that friendship is all I will offer. It appears I also need to chat with Nathan when he returns so he doesn't have to deal with Lucas baiting him. How could I have not seen this until now?"

"I think that it's because you are still grieving Jack's loss and dealing with motherhood and also dealing with Abigail being gone too; you haven't had her influence since she left a few months after you gave birth to your son, sweetheart," Molly said.

"It's been several years since we lost our husbands, and we still struggle to move on. Everyone moves through their grief differently and on their own timetable. While you may not be ready to move forward to another relationship a few months later, you might find you are. I know one man willing to wait however long you need and won't push you for anything. Maybe open yourself up to possibilities for now and explore a friendship and see where it takes you." Florence said.

Something in her tone alerted Elizabeth. "You sound like you are speaking from experience, Florence."

It was Florence's turn to blush. "Well, I'm finding that I like Ned and may be developing feelings for him."

"Oh Florence, how wonderful," Elizabeth said. "I think the two of you would be great together."

Before anything else could be said, Bill appeared at the door and began knocking, and they could hear him fumbling with his keys.

Elizabeth jumped and let him in. "Elizabeth! I'm glad you're here because I wanted to discuss your conversation with Bouchard. By the way, what are you doing here?"

"Well, I wanted to talk to Molly and Florence about Lucas. Let them fill you in while I decline his offer and get home to my son." Elizabeth said, kissing him on the cheek before she left.

The next day Lucas, still smarting from Elizabeth's declining both his invitation and any possibility of a courtship, spotted Nathan getting off the stage. Though Elizabeth hadn't said anything, he knew the blame for her rejection could be laid at Nathan's feet. Smirking, he knew just what to do. A few hours later, he saw Nathan locking up the office. Lucas saw an opportunity to exact a little revenge and let slip his purpose for seeking Elizabeth out the day before.

Rather than be upset, Nathan smiled and said, "Yeah, Elizabeth told me about that when we had dinner earlier with the children at her house. She also told me that the two of you were only friends and not to let you get under my skin anymore."

Lucas couldn't say anything as he stared at Nathan and let the words sink in. "Just before she told me she wanted to go slow and explore our mutual feelings," Nathan continued. "Have a good night, Lucas." Then Nathan walked away whistling, feeling that all was as it should be and right in his world.