"Are those lethal papers"?

Charles Kensington looked up, and then down when he noticed the young boy standing in front the couch in Abigail Stanton's sitting room. She had offered him the space to do his work during the slow day. He just didn't realize that the space came with children.

"Why do you ask", Charles inquired.

"Uncle Lee wants to sell my new daddy his land, and said that he need lethal papers to do it the right way".

Charles chuckled, he had never met a child quite as perceptive as this one.

"Yes, these are legal papers. I'm Charles, by the way", he said.

"I'm Michael. I'm staying with Auntie Abigail until mommy and my new daddy get back".

"Who is your mommy".

"She's the teacher", he said proudly. Charles blanched at the declaration. It couldn't be.

"A-and what is your mommy's name"?

"Mrs. Grant", Michael said as he munched on one of the plated cookies. He wasn't much concerned with Charles' questions, the cookies were far more important.

Charles on the other hand was very concerned indeed. He knew that Hope Valley only had one teacher, and that that one teacher was Elizabeth. So, she had been married, this must be her son. That, at least, explained the young boy's intelligence. He was about to continue his interrogation when the door opened and Elizabeth and Jack walked in, laughing.

"Hi Charles", Elizabeth said, scooping up Michael, jubilant at seeing his mommy, "what are you working on"?

Charles was about to say when he noticed Jack making a cut-off gesture. Sensing that discretion was the better part of valor, he made up an excuse of generic legal jargon. Then Elizabeth noticed Jack's shadow, and the motion he had done, and looked at him.

"Are you two hiding something from me"?

Both men protested the statement. Michael crossed his arms, very disinterested with the topic of discussion. He just wanted to go home and nap. Thankfully the adults didn't spend much time talking as he, Jack, and Elizabeth soon left Charles to his work.

Walking down the road to the tow houses, as Michael nodded off in her arms, Elizabeth looked at Jack, who was keeping his eyes directly on the road.

"So", she asked, shifting her sleeping son to her other shoulder, "what was that gesture back there"?

"Wh-what gesture", he asked, giving her a side glance.

She returned his glare with one of her own whilst making the same gesture he had made.

Jack was an intelligent man in his own right, and knew when the game was up, as it was in this case.

"It's a surprise", he said, offering to take Michael from her, hoisting him into his embrace as Elizabeth helped guide her son into Jack's arms, smiling as he snuggled into the warm body.

"A surprise"?!

"Yes, Mrs. Grant, a surprise".

Elizabeth blushed, wandering what it could be. She smiled as she thought about Charles. He had changed so much in the intervening years. He seemed the same, but she could sense something there, something he was purposefully keeping from her. It wasn't anything about her parents, she knew that he would have told her immediately. No, it was something else.

1 WEEK LATER

Jack Thornton removed his weathered campaign hat as he stood before his new CO in the HQ of Fort Clay. He wasn't happy to be here, but he had his orders, and he intended on following them to the letter. He thought back to earlier that week when he last looked at Elizabeth. The pain was all to real, promising to return didn't help, it was a promise that Nathan kept in death.

"At ease, Sargent Thornton", the CO said. Franklin Wellman was a stocky man, once on the front lines, now life behind the desk had made him rather lethargic and apathetic, "you are here to train new recruits, here are your manuals", Jack took the bundle of thick pamphlets, "you will have a partner, you can find him in the conference room across from the mess hall. That's all".

Saluting the CO Jack donned his hat and walked out into the crisp Autumn air. It was a beautiful day, but it was made grim by the absence of Elizabeth.

The conference room was small, compared to others he had seen, but it would suit his purposes. He saw a man with his back to Jack. His brown hair was parted on the left side and, as he stood straight, Jack noticed he had a missing arm. When he turned Jack saw the biggest smile grow across the man's face.

"Jack"?

"Doug"?