Chapter 24: Meeting Gabriel

It was no surprise that Gabriel had beaten them to the row house, and Nathan and Allie were glad to see him standing in the doorway. The Brookfield Mountie was just drying his hands on their kitchen towel that he had draped over his shoulder when Allie dropped the poles, came running up the steps, and into his waiting arms.

"Uncle Gabe!"

"I missed you, Kiddo." He spoke into her hair, "You need to quit growing."

Allie giggled, "You say that every time."

"I mean it every time!" he said with a laugh.

"Spoken like a true short guy." Nathan teased receiving the anticipated eye roll from Gabriel. Nathan set all of the fishing stuff down as he eyed his best friend, anticipating his response.

"I'm practically…" Gabriel started before Nathan bear hugged his brother-in-arms snuffing out the argument. Looking over Nathan's shoulder, he finally got a good look at Allie—who although smiling, still had red puffy eyes and tear-stains down her cheeks. "Allie? What happened?!" Gabriel asked, breaking free from Nathan and turning to comfort the girl. "Is it a boy? I'll find him…I'll…"

"Stand down, Uncle Gabe," Nathan teased. "It's not a boy. She and I just talked about it on the way here. Just some stuff we're working through."

"Did your mean old dad ground you?" Gabriel asked, putting his arm around his mischievously smiling niece who was shaking her head no. "I could take care of him for you. He doesn't scare me."

Nathan rolled his eyes. "After all we've been through, and you side with Allie."

"Of course! She's easier to keep in line than you." Gabriel and Allie smirked at each other scrunching their noses. He reached out playfully and tapped her nose with a stage whisper, "She keeps her nose clean like her Uncle Gabe."

Nathan rolled his eyes with a huff, accepting his defeat. "Well then, Winner, why don't you set the table and start the cornbread. I've gotta go clean the fish. C'mon, Gabe. Make yourself useful."

Gabriel's mouth opened in protest, "I am useful….just not in the kitchen." He winked at Allie. "Does that make you the Winner?"

"Yep. I out-fished Dad again. He's got to clean them."

"Atta girl." Gabriel squeezed her shoulder before following Nathan through the house and out the back door.

—-

The Grant row house was filled with the delectable aromas of cornbread baking, beans simmering on the stove, and potatoes boiling. Allie was thinly slicing cabbage when she was interrupted by a knock at the door. Placing her knife on the cutting board, she hustled over to the door and opened it.

"Mrs. Thornton! Oh….you're…early! Hi, Jack!" Allie stumbled over her words in surprise as she let her teacher and her son in the front door.

"Sorry…we're a bit early. When I told Jack where we were going, he was eager to get out the door." Elizabeth explained, stepping into the living room. She smiled at the girl before complimenting, "It smells great in here, Allie. Can I help you with anything? I brought some green beans…"

Elizabeth trailed off at the sound of laughter coming in the back door. What she wasn't expecting was the sight of two handsome men. One was an olive toned muscular Mountie holding a bowl of freshly filleted fish. The other was her own tall drink of water with his back pressed up against the opening door—with fish remnants and water soaked into his now nearly transparent henley, clinging to his chiseled abdomen.

"N'atan!" Jack shouted with delight. "I come your house!" Nathan's head snapped around—recognizing the young boy's voice and the implications that the boy's mother was also nearby. "Hi….Buddy…" Nathan smiled at the boy nervously and looked down quickly at his soaked shirt.

The room went silent, and Elizabeth's mouth went completely dry, though it hung open slightly. Allie cleared her throat, and Elizabeth finished her previous sentence though she couldn't tear her eyes off of Nathan, "uh…the green beans…they're Jack's favorite."

"Elizabeth! Uh…you're early." Nathan sputtered, "I mean. Hi." Gabriel handed him the bowl of fish with a coy smile, and Nathan nearly tried to hide behind it.

Recovering first, Gabriel stuck a hand out to greet Elizabeth while Nathan crept silently up the stairs. "Mrs. Thornton, I presume? It's an honor to meet you M'aam. My name is Gabriel Kinslow, and I served with your husband in the Northern Territories. He was a great man." Though Gabriel had a few wet spots on his own henley, it seemed Nathan did the majority of the prep work.

Elizabeth's open mouth upturned to a warm smile. "Please, call me Elizabeth. This is my son Jack." She smiled down at the little boy perched on her hip.

"Nice to meet you, Jack! You look so much like your Daddy, Little Man." He held out a hand to Jack who very seriously shook it.

"You knowed my Daddy?" Jack whispered in wonder.

"I did. And I have some stories I could tell you about him… if it's ok with your mama."

"We would love that, Constable Kinslow. Thank you."

"Please call me Gabriel…although I'm usually Gabe to these two knuckleheads it seems."

"Heyyy!" Allie huffed. "This knucklehead is fixing your supper. I'll have you know."

"Nuk-hed" Jack giggled.

Gabriel's eyes went wide, "Oh. Sorry!" He whispered to Elizabeth, his face suddenly filled with regret.

"Don't worry, Gabriel. He picks up plenty of new vocabulary from his Uncle Bill unfortunately." She teased him dryly with a wink.

"Allie is there anything that I can help with, Sweetheart?" She set Jack down to play with the blocks Nathan had in a box left on the floor in the living room.

"Sure, Mrs. Thornton. Are you ok with breading the fish or would you rather make the dressing for the coleslaw?" Based on the immediate scrunched nose and disgusted face her teacher made at the mention of raw fish, Allie laughed and pushed the dressing recipe over to her teacher.

Allie turned around in a quick circle scanning the table and stovetop. "Hey Uncle Gabe…where is the fish?"

Gabriel scanned the room as well before he slyly grinned and pointed at the stairs. "I think we may have ourselves a fish smuggler."

Allie laughed, shaking her head. "I'll go get it." She turned and ran up the stairs, leaving Gabriel and Elizabeth alone in the kitchen together—who were both obviously amused at the missing fish.

Armed with measuring spoons, a kitchen knife, and a cutting board, Elizabeth measured out her dressing ingredients as she easily made small talk with Gabriel—who donned a kitchen towel over his shoulder and washed the dishes in the sink.

Allie returned a few minutes later with the fish, and joined the conversation. "You've got him all discombobulated Mrs. Thornton," she said with a grin.

"Me?! What did I do?" Elizabeth's free hand found her hip in protest, while her other paused from chopping the carrots thinly.

"It's true. He can hardly think straight around you," Gabriel added, winking knowingly at Allie.

As if summoned, Nathan—wet-headed and freshly changed—sheepishly descended the stairs and approached Elizabeth to properly greet her this time.

She set down her knife and turned to him with pink-tinged cheeks, barely able to meet his eyes. "Sorry we were early," she whispered. "I never even considered that you'd be…"

He laughed uncomfortably and dipped his head, looking adorably vulnerable. "I didn't realize you were here…I uh…would have changed my shirt."

Elizabeth's eyes sparkled as she took his hand. "I don't know…the fish really suits you." She squeezed his hand and smiled big, echoing his words from her flour incident with Jack a month before.

His eyes narrowed playfully at her. "Really?"

Her lips upturned in a smile. "No. I'm not really into fish guts…I like you much better like this."

That made him laugh. He quickly pecked her cheek, and headed over to Jack on the floor—briefly ruffling his hair. Nathan then headed towards the stove with a lop-sided grin.

As he passed his best-friend at the sink, Gabriel hoarsely whispered, "What did you do? Take a bath up there?"

Nathan quietly chuckled, "Sort of. Allie said I smelled like fish." He said with a shrug.

Gabriel could hardly contain his amusement—his shaking shoulders and reddening face giving his struggle away.

Nathan shot him a glaring look of warning to keep his comments to himself. Placing the skillets on the stove, he melted some lard in the pans and turned up the heat. Just as the grease got to popping, Allie delivered the bowl of battered raw fish.

Elizabeth was just tossing together the coleslaw when she looked up to see the well-oiled machine that was Allie, Gabriel, and Nathan. They had obviously made this meal dozens of times. Like a synchronized dance, Gabriel had the table set, and Allie was delivering side dishes to the table. Nathan loaded the last of the fish onto a plate that Gabriel picked up and set on the table.

After washing his hands quickly and wiping them on a dish towel, Nathan called over to Jack who was more than willing to abandon his blocks to sit near his Mountie. Nathan pulled out chairs for both Elizabeth and Jack.

"Oh, that's clever," she complimented, pointing to the stack of books piled together and tied to the chair with a long winter scarf.

"Just an old trick my mom used to do when Allie would visit," he said with a smile, letting Elizabeth sit and pushing in her chair.

Jack seemed equally enthralled with the booster, and sat almost regally on the books between his mother and Allie.

Once everyone was settled at the table, Nathan said grace—thankful for friends that were more like family and for the trout they had caught. Allie cleared her throat, causing Nathan to also thank the Lord for Allie's fishing skill.

With a chorus of amens and one loud 'MEN' from the littlest among them, the table fell silent as the food was passed and sampled. Allie and Nathan watched Elizabeth and Jack discreetly, waiting for their reaction to their fish.

Jack wasted no time and grabbed a fistful of fried fish, quickly filling his mouth. "I wike Awie's fish! You wike it, Mama?"

Elizabeth had been noticeably tasting all of her sides first, and seemed alarmed to be called out by her son. "Oh…I…haven't tried it yet," she spoke softly. She scanned her plate for the smallest piece, skewered it on her fork, and slowly, carefully, took the daintiest possible bite.

All eyes were on Elizabeth as she carefully chewed and swallowed with an unreadable expression on her face. Her eyes rimmed with tears, but didn't fall. "It's just like I remembered. It's wonderful."

Allie and Nathan glanced curiously at each other. "So…you like it?" Nathan asked cautiously.

Elizabeth sniffled, suddenly self-aware. "Yes. I'm sorry. It just brought back a lot of memories. I haven't had freshly caught fish since…Jack." She smiled sadly and wiped her mouth with a napkin. "Thank you. Both of you."

Nathan gave her a watery smile in return and reached over to clasp her hand in his in support. "I'm sorry. I didn't know." He whispered.

"That's probably because I didn't tell you. I hadn't even thought about it until I saw it on my plate. It's wonderful…really." She squeezed his hand in reassurance.

Gabriel and Allie smiled sympathetically, and Jack continued to chow down on his fish—completely unaware of anything other than his food before him.

"Mama, I wike da beans."

Allie snickered, getting a quick elbow from her uncle. "Those are Uncle Gabe's famous beans, Jack." She told the young boy.

"Glad to see someone appreciates them…" Gabriel teased dryly.

"Oh please, you just opened the can, Gabe," Nathan laughed.

Gabriel sat up straighter with a serious look on his face and a hand to his heart, "I opened the can with love."

Elizabeth chuckled silently, "Well, we sure appreciate your effort, Gabriel."

The Mountie fought a smile and quickly wiped his mouth to cover it. "Thank you, Elizabeth." He mock glared at the Grants who were losing the battle with their own laughter.

"The food is wonderful. Thank you, Nathan and Allie," Elizabeth diplomatically said. "So, Gabriel…Nathan mentioned that you two roomed together at Depot?" She skewered another piece of fish and chewed thoughtfully.

"Yes. Nathan and I were quite the pair. I was young…barely twenty years old at Depot and a little quick to react."

"That's an understatement," Nathan mumbled.

Gabriel roughly put an arm around his partner and squeezed him to his side. "That's what made Nathan and me a great team. I made things happen, and he was a stick in the mud still planning."

"More like impulsive." Nathan retorted, with a huff.

"But I was a sharpshooter, so I earned us top marks in all the drills." Gabriel playfully glared back.

"And would have gotten us killed, if it weren't for the constant element of surprise." Nathan's eyebrow raised in challenge.

"But it worked."

"Beginner's luck," Nathan retorted with an eye-roll.

"That's true…I learned that the hard way with the bank robbery," Gabriel said, suddenly quieter.

"But you followed your instincts, and they were right."

"And I learned the value of a good partner who probably would have kept me from getting shot."

"Wellllll…" Nathan shrugged facetiously, as Gabriel moved his arm playfully from his shoulder to place his hand around Nathan's neck.

Gabriel continued, "I should have called for backup, but as the only Mountie in town…I just reacted. Nathan was my first visitor at the hospital, though." Gabriel's hand dropped back to his side.

Elizabeth smiled sympathetically at Nathan, squeezing his hand.

"It meant a lot." Gabriel pressed his lips together and nodded simply to Nathan.

Nathan nodded back with a look of understanding.

"Now if I can just get the criminals on board with holding on until you can get there…" Gabriel teased.

"Good luck with that." Nathan laughed back, echoed by laughter from Allie and Elizabeth. Little Jack nervously laughed, trying to figure out why everyone was laughing.

Gabriel glanced over at the little boy whose face was happily covered in green beans and fish. "What kind of story do you want to hear about your daddy, Jack? A fun story or a brave story?" He asked the toddler.

"Fun wun!"

"Ok. So one day in about mid-summer your daddy fell asleep against his pack during supper. He had been up almost all night guarding camp on his turn for night shift. Rather than wake him, everyone just let him sleep…although in hindsight we probably should have taken his plate off of his lap and his fork out of his hand."

Jack started to giggle, "I did dat! I fall sleep eatin!"

Elizabeth smirked at her son, holding back a laugh. "Yes, you have, Jack. Just like your daddy…I guess."

"Well your Daddy woke up when my horse, Apollo, broke free from his tether and helped himself to Jack's plate."

"No!" Allie giggled.

"Yes he did. And here I had worried he wouldn't be a confident horse…" Gabriel laughed to himself. "He helped himself to Jack's plate, and before I could stop him..." Gabriel looked directly at Little Jack whose wide eyes were filled with wonder. "He licked your daddy's face clean… That woke him up."

Jack collapsed in a fit of giggles, and Elizabeth's eyes sparkled with mirth. Nathan couldn't help, but smile as he watched the pair—glancing and winking at Allie who did the same.

It wasn't the first time he had witnessed the gift of new history after a loved one's passing, but every time he did, the moment was special.

"Mon-tie Gaaabrull? Ga…" Jack tried again—his eyebrows pinched in concentration.

"Mountie Gabe?" Gabriel offered the little man sympathetically.

Little Jack exhaled, his face relaxing to a smile as he nodded. "Mon-tie Gabe? What wuz my Daddy wike?"

"Your daddy had all the qualities of a good Mountie. He was brave…and honest…a good leader…but he was also a good man too. He was loyal and…a good friend."

Elizabeth nodded as a single tear silently fell. "Thanks, Gabriel," she whispered, wiping it away.

"Imma a good fwend too…wight, Awie?" He asked hopefully, looking up at the girl.

"Right, Jack. You're a good friend." She rubbed his back supportively up and down his white linen shirt, bringing a big smile to his face at her praise.

A comfortable silence fell over them for a few moments, everyone eating, and lost in their own thoughts. Elizabeth, however, pushed her food around her plate a bit—at war with herself and the questions she had burning within her for years.

Nathan's thumb caressing her knuckles brought her out of her thoughts.

"Are you ok?" His warm breath in her ear sent butterflies a-flight. She nodded quickly—a bit too quickly. She took a breath, and skewered another piece of fish. She looked up at Gabriel's kind eyes that were watching her closely.

"Gabriel? If you're comfortable telling me, what was Jack like in the North? I spent so many nights worrying and praying for him, and his letters always felt a bit…guarded." Having won the battle with her mind, she placed the forkful of fish in her mouth and chewed.

Gabriel nodded slightly and pressed his lips together in thought. A series of emotions crossed his face, before he asked her a question instead. "How much did Jack share?"

"He never told me much about his time in the North. I had always hoped that with time… he would open up. We just…never got that chance."

Gabriel looked down in understanding, and looked up at her hurting eyes, meeting them with a look of determination.

"Well, it was tough for him at first. We could all tell that he was hurting after losing Doug. He was polite to all of us, but any down time that we had around camp at night…we knew we could always find him off on his own with his sketchbook. It happened so often that it got a nickname of sorts. The guys called it Jack's 'True Love."

Elizabeth smiled at the moniker, knowing how important his sketchbook was to him. Likely, it was as important to him as journaling was to her.

Gabriel continued, "I don't know that Jack ever knew that they called it that. One day I walked up to talk to him, and he was sketching. I saw that it really was his true love…it was you. He had drawn in great detail your portrait. He must have spent hours getting the shading just right, but he did. I think it was his way of staying connected to you."

A small smile tugged at Elizabeth's lips.

"With time, Jack opened up a bit more, and was well admired. He was easy to follow. It's not like he was the only one withdrawing either. A few of us had also served under Doug, and knew what he was going through. Most of us had lost someone close to us, and there wasn't a lot to celebrate at camp. So rather than a lot of cutting up and goofing off like we had at Depot in our off time, it was generally pretty quiet. The North changes people, and everyone handles it in their own way. You learn that pretty quickly up there."

Elizabeth nodded solemnly, remembering Jack's own quiet behavior upon his return. "You served under Doug?" She asked, surprised.

"I did. Not for long, unfortunately. A few of us were able to stick together and ended up in Jack's regiment. I'm glad that I did. I think we needed Jack as much as he needed us then."

"Then I'm glad for that too," Elizabeth whispered. "Doug was really important to Jack. He was devastated when he died, and struggled with feeling responsible for his death since it was supposed to be Jack's mission."

Allie gasped quietly and looked to her father whose eyes glossed over as if in a memory.

"It's why he rushed off North the day after our engagement. He said he felt the call to serve his country, but I think he also was wrestling with guilt. None of us could talk him out of it…once again he chose the Mounties over us. Maybe it always would have been that way…Jack chose the Fort Clay assignment instead of our honeymoon in Chicago."

Elizabeth unconsciously comforted herself by reaching up with her free hand to finger her necklace containing her rings. "He gave them the best of him, and they didn't even give him a proper funeral. Not a single officer came. He had a handful of Mounties at least, but not a single one spoke to me."

Gabriel broke eye contact, and looked down at his lap suddenly. "I recognized you right away at his funeral. Turns out his artwork is incredibly lifelike…" He said with a pained smile, meeting her eyes again.

"I wasn't sure how to approach you though or if… you would even want to talk to me that day. With the investigation into the accident ongoing, Hargreaves had commanded us to not speak unless spoken to. 'Show up. Stand guard. Twenty-one gun salute. Go home.' I didn't question it at the time. In a way, the order was a relief. I wasn't even sure what to say... I'm sorry, Elizabeth. I didn't consider how calloused that might feel for you."

"It probably was best, but thank you, Gabriel. Thank you for telling me these stories now." She squeezed Nathan's hand for reassurance before continuing.

"When Jack's things returned after Fort Clay, I got his sketchbook. Up until last winter, I hadn't had the courage to open it. Once I did, I had more questions than answers, and I slammed it shut. I probably shouldn't have tried looking at it alone…but I did…and then I kind of spiraled…well…you all know that."

A look of sadness quickly passed over Allie's face, and Gabriel put his arm around the young girl, silently supporting her.

Nathan had a far off look in his eye for a moment while Elizabeth plunged deeper into her memory.

"Looking at the book just made me angry. It was a year of drawings. A year of engagement that he spent with the Mounties…instead of me." Her voice caught at the word Mounties, and she looked up apologetically at Gabriel.

Rather than find offense, Gabriel nodded sympathetically instead. Nathan merely squeezed her hand, his thumb's pace over her knuckles quickening in reassurance.

With her heart hammering in her ears, she pressed on as the years of simmering bitterness boiled to the surface. "So many nights of worrying that he would be taken from me at any time, and still he volunteers to go! Without even asking me! How could he do that?! Why wasn't I…." Her voice cracked and she held a hand over her mouth before whispering, "excuse me," and rushed for the door with tears streaming down her face.

Nathan reluctantly released her hand, letting her go. He looked to Gabriel who merely nodded before Nathan took off after her.

——

Tearing his eyes from the closing door, Gabriel searched the faces of the two children before him. Allie's eyes brimmed with tears, and the color drained quickly from her face. Jack sat relatively stoically, almost unfazed by his mother's emotional exit.

"Mama sad." Jack announced solemnly. "She cryin."

"She is sad, Jack. Nathan will help her." Gabriel explained to the young boy.

Allie fidgeted nervously in her seat, and Gabriel put his arm around his niece again. "You ok, Kiddo?" he whispered in her ear.

She nodded, but the sniffle sound she made gave her true feelings away. Gabriel squeezed her close and kissed her forehead. "They'll be back. I know it."

———

Nathan tore through the front door and ran down the steps, his long legs quickly catching up to Elizabeth.

Before he could reach out to touch her, she turned abruptly to face him. "I'm not running, Nathan. I just…I had to get out of there." Elizabeth frantically paced the walk in front of Nathan's row house—her chest heaving with each breath, and her eyes filled with remorse.

Cautiously, he approached her, holding out his arms to her as he spoke softly, "Thank you, Lizbeth. I wasn't going to let you run away this time…not without a chase…." She slipped into his arms, and he brushed a loose strand out of her face, tucking it behind her ear, cupping her cheek in the process. "Because you are worth fighting for."

Her breath caught at the phrase, bringing back the Emerson quote from the plaque. What she didn't expect, was that Jack's words also distantly echoed through her mind that the people of the Northern Territories were no different than the people of Hope Valley, and that bad things happen when good people do nothing.

"Now I can't presume to speak for Jack, but it seemed that he loved you very much. Maybe his way of doing that was to answer the call no matter the cost to him."

She pulled back in his arms with a fierce look in her eyes tainted with sorrow, "But that wasn't his decision to make! He should have talked to me about it, considered me…"

Nathan dipped his head and ran his hands down her arms in a calming motion. "You're right. But maybe Jack's 'fighting for love' looked different than your own. Maybe he felt he had to fight out there to keep you safe here."

Elizabeth opened her mouth to protest, but no words came out. Instead, her arms started to tremble, and her breath became jagged as she threw herself back into Nathan's arms and collapsed into the tears. Nathan merely held her close and smoothed her hair back from her face.

——

He glanced up at the opening of his row house door to see Gabriel creep across the porch with Nathan's black wool coat, and a large spare quilt, settling them on the top step before returning inside.

Still, Elizabeth and Nathan hadn't moved from their place in the street holding each other. He pressed his cheek to her hair, calmly breathing deeply as he rubbed circles on her back. His breath and hers became mingled into a mere mist as dusk settled in around them. The stars were becoming uncovered as wisps of clouds passed by in a breeze only felt in the heavens.

Nathan felt her sobbing slow, and with it she began to shiver. Quickly kissing her forehead, his hand traced from her back down her arm to clasp her hand in his. With a gentle tug he whispered, "C'mon…let's sit and warm up." He gestured to his steps, and Elizabeth's puzzled look gave way to astonishment at the neatly folded quilt and coat that had appeared.

"Mountie instincts." He nudged her side playfully as they walked.

"They teach you that in training?" She sniffled with a teasing brow.

"Well…not at Depot, but Gabe and I both grew up with sisters. You could say we were taught that a long time ago." He winked and helped her up the steps.

"You must have had good mothers." Elizabeth sat on the top step and offered him a watery smile as he shrugged into his coat.

"The best…and Gabe is a good friend. He's always been in my corner." He took his place close to her side and wrapped the quilt tightly around her.

"I'm glad. He seems great. I'm sorry for all of this tonight. I don't know what happened. I never should have asked…"

"But you should have. You've needed to ask these questions for a long time…and Gabe has needed to tell those stories too. He has wanted to share them."

"So you knew those stories already?"

"Not the horse one. That was new." He said with a laugh. "Gabe tried telling me about Doug and Jack after Fort Clay. I wasn't in a position to really hear it then. He finally insisted when the inquiry happened. It helped a little, but I was still afraid that you held me responsible. It wasn't until Ned and Florence's wedding that I could finally let that go too."

"I'm glad. That was never your fault…"

"Thank you. It still helps to hear it now. It weighed on me for a long time."

"I know what that's like," she whispered.

"Are you ready to talk about it?" his gentle eyes searched hers.

Elizabeth merely sniffled and turned her gaze to her quilt covered lap. "I'm sorry… I fell apart. I did it again. I made this whole night about me. This was supposed to be about meeting Gabriel…some first impression I've made."

Nathan nudged her gently with his shoulder. "Trust me he's heard all about you. This was just his first time meeting you."

"Should I be afraid?" her eyebrows pinched with remorse as she tilted her head towards him.

"I don't know what Jack told him, but he's known that I loved you probably before even I did."

"Funny how other people can know what's in your heart before you do," she looked up through her lashes at him with vulnerability.

It was all the encouragement he needed. He gently tipped her chin up, and sweetly captured her lips with his.

As the kiss started to linger, Nathan pulled back, "Your lips are cold. Let's get you back inside."

She took a deep breath and accepted his hand to help her up. He opened the door, and they were greeted by the scene of Gabriel sitting cross-legged on the floor with Jack in his lap and Allie on tip-toe—adding one more block to a towering stack. No sooner had she touched the top, she spotted Nathan and Elizabeth stepping through the door.

The teetering block toppled the tower and although Gabriel and Jack laughed at the cascading mess, Allie dashed for the door and wrapped her arms around both Elizabeth and Nathan, sandwiching herself between them.

"You came back!" Allie muttered into the quilt with a shuddering sigh.

Elizabeth gasped and looked apologetically to Nathan. She wrapped her quilt covered arms around the girl, pulling her into the shelter of her blanket. "Oh, Allie…I'm so sorry. I never left. I just stepped out the door. I'm so sorry I scared you, Sweetheart."

Allie breathed deeply in her teacher's arms. Her father rubbed her back slowly and spoke low, "Mrs. Thornton just had to step outside. The memories came all at once. You know what that's like."

Allie didn't answer, but held on tighter and exhaled quickly.

"Mama back! N'atan!" The little boy scrambled from Gabriel's lap and threw his arms around Nathan's leg. "Fanks N'atan. You hep Mama?"

"He did," Elizabeth responded, smiling at Nathan.

Gabriel stood and stepped over the pile of abandoned blocks, wringing his hands. "Elizabeth, I'm sorry…I…"

Elizabeth's brow pinched in concern. "Gabriel, no. You did nothing wrong. I needed to hear those stories. I want to hear them…" She smiled softly at the Mountie. "Thank you for being willing to share them with me."

Gabriel took a breath, pressed his lips together, and gave a small nod. "Jack loved you. That was evident to all of us. Inspiring even."

Nathan squeezed her shoulder in reassurance.

"Thank you," she whispered. She kissed Allie's head, and the teen released her hold on her teacher, tucking herself under her father's arm instead. Elizabeth unwrapped from the quilt and stepped forward, giving Gabriel a warm hug with her free hand.

Gabriel gladly received it, and with a chuckle murmured, "So now is probably a good time to mention that I fed your son pie already, right?"

Elizabeth laughed, pulling back, "I'm sure he loved that."

"Apple pie, Mama!" Jack gave her a toothy grin.

"Speaking of…we kept your plates warm in the oven…I'll go get those. Can I take that for you?" Allie pointed to the red and white hand-stitched quilt in her teacher's hands. She tossed the quilt on the settee and hurried over to the kitchen stove.

"I'll keep the kids busy. You two finish supper," Gabriel made an over-the-top wink to Nathan.

"Wite a tin-oh," Jack whispered to Nathan.

"A what?" Nathan looked to Elizabeth for translation.

"Oh no, Jack, he doesn't need to light a candle."

"Yes he does." Allie announced. "You should kiss her too," she hoarsely whispered to her father.

"Allison Mays!" Nathan scolded with raised eyebrows.

"She's right…" Gabriel mumbled with a shrug, turning his back on the pair and leading Jack back to the blocks.

Nathan sighed, making Elizabeth laugh. He led her towards the cleared table with just their warmed plates.

"You really don't have to," Elizabeth whispered.

"Oh yes I do, or I'll never hear the end of it," Nathan teased. "Honestly, I'm just frustrated that I didn't think of it myself." He pulled out her chair and gestured for her to sit.

"Just one, candle Nathan. A lot of candles has kind of lost its charm on me."

"Noted," he leaned down and kissed her cheek before accepting the candle and matches from Allie. The teen's lingering to ensure he lit the candle, led him to shoo her away from the table.

He rolled his eyes at his retreating daughter with a smile before reclaiming Elizabeth's hand. "It was a good idea," he whispered—the glow from the candlelight softly flickering in his crystal blue eyes.

Elizabeth couldn't agree more. She leaned forward and ensured her Mountie made good on the rest of his promise. It wasn't the night she had pictured unfolding, but it was exactly the night she had needed.

A/N:

Thanks for the patience! This chapter has been a bear! Midway through writing I lost 1/3 of it and Lynn worked some iPhone wizardry to recover all of it. (Phew! Thanks Lynn!!)

Couple of fun Easter Eggs: Gabriel short joke continues (only 2 inch difference between Kevin and RJ in real life although the shows make it look like more), keep your nose clean, fish suits you, Gabriel's breakfast beans from Kind Of Our Thing, Apollo's mischief, and the quilt is the same one from the sleigh (in the future) in What Child Is This.

Apollo eating off Jack's plate is based off my husband's childhood horse, Star, who helped himself to Kody's plate while camping.

"Tin-oh" is my 2 year old's version of candle. I have no idea why.