Quinn entered the newspaper office, greeting Rosemary and Allie, who was already inside. "I can't wait to see your dress Allie, and what you have managed to create for me, Rosemary." It had been two weeks since they had been there for the first discussion about their dresses. Quinn was very excited to see what Rosemary had created for them all.

"I am excited too, this is going to be the best day of my life, and I know my dress is going to be amazing," exclaimed Allie.

"I hope you will both be amazed," said Rosemary. "I was inspired when I created the dresses, especially when I knew Nathan had decided he and the other men would be wearing their dress uniforms."

"I have to tell you something, Quinn. I promise I didn't show them your dress; I wanted you to see it first, but Fiona and Faith called in earlier for their fittings; they couldn't do it with you now. They looked wonderful in their dresses, and they loved them." Rosemary confided.

"I am so pleased they are happy with their dresses." Smiling at her daughter-to-be, she asked, "are you ready to try on yours, Allie? I know I can't wait to see it on you."

Allie practically danced into the back of the newspaper office where Rosemary had placed her dress. Quinn sat in a chair near Rosemary's desk and waited for her. She thought about the letter she was writing to Allie, vowing to finish it and give it to her as soon as possible. She wanted her to know how much she loved her.

A noise caught her attention, and she looked up to see Allie walking toward her. She looked beautiful in a sky-blue dress. The dress had a square neckline showing Allie's elegant neck and beautiful face. The long sleeves were sheer, in the same shade of sky blue. The skirt's overlay was the same material as her sleeves and covered a blue silk skirt; the bodice was decorated with lace, creating a swirling pattern. The dress reached just above Allie's ankles, showing off a pair of new cream boots.

"Oh, Allie," Quinn breathed, her hands on her cheeks. "You are stunning; I don't have the words to tell you how beautiful you look." Glancing at Rosemary, she said, "you have outdone yourself. It is perfect."

"Wait until you see your dress, Quinn; it's twice as pretty as mine. Dad is going to flip when he sees you in it."

"Come on, Quinn, come and try it on; I have been dying to see you in it; I know I designed it, but it really is a perfect dress." Rosemary steered Quinn away from admiring Allie toward the back to try her dress on.

As they walked to where the dresses were, Rosemary pointed toward the dresses hanging up and explained, "the dresses for Faith and Fiona are similar to Allie's, only a little more fitted; they have a sash cinching in their waists."

Rosemary stopped before a covered hanger waiting until Quinn stood beside her, "ready?"

Quinn looked at Rosemary, her eyes bright with excitement, "yes." As Rosemary lifted the cover off the dress, Quinn gasped; Allie was right; it was beautiful.

The dress Rosemary had created complimented Allie's but had more detail and embellishment. Where Allie and the bridesmaid dresses had square necklines, Quinn's bodice draped across the chest in a V Neckline. The bodice was covered with tiny diamantes and seed pearls. There was a sash at the waist similar in style to the bridesmaids. The straight skirt flowed down to her ankles; the sheer overlay had a sprinkling of diamantes, with the seed pearl design replicated around the hem. Rosemary had placed a pair of shoes adorned with pearls and diamantes near the dress.

"Rosemary, it is perfect; I don't have words to express how beautiful this is. I never imagined it would be so wonderful," Quinn gushed.

Rosemary smiled at her, delighted at her reaction. "Let's see how it looks on, shall we?"

"Allie, come and take a look," called Rosemary once Quinn had the dress on.

Allie jumped out of her seat and rushed after Rosemary, eager to see Quinn in the dress. As she caught sight of her, she cried out, "It's even more beautiful on, Mrs Coulter. I didn't think that was possible."

Quinn and Allie stood side by side, gazing at themselves in the mirror. Rosemary fussed around, making minor adjustments only she could see were necessary. Quinn was speechless.

"Nathan will not know what to do when he sees the two of you. I don't know if I can wait another two weeks to see the look on his face." Nathan lit up around Quinn and Allie on an ordinary day; she could only imagine the wedding day. Rosemary was teasing them, but only a little; two weeks would feel like an age.

"My Dad always looks handsome in his uniform, so you won't be surprised at how he looks," Allie teased.

Quinn laughed at Allie; she was right, Nathan always looked good in his red serge, but then he looked good in anything.

"I don't know how to thank you, Rosemary; this dress is so much more than I could ever have hoped for."

"I was happy to do this for you both. I especially love doing this for people I care about." Rosemary indicated another dress, and Quinn and Allie stepped over to admire it. "When did you say Sam would be here? I need to make sure her dress fits her, and I can't do that properly until she tries it on."

The dress Rosemary had created for Sam was beautiful and the same as the Bridesmaid's dresses, although it was several shades deeper than their sky blue.

"Sam will be here the week before the wedding," Quinn responded. Despite her definite response to Rosemary, Quinn wasn't entirely confident about the date. Sam would be in Brookfield until Mary Fielding's sentencing, and she wasn't sure when that would be. Quinn had stopped asking about it, and Nathan had stopped updating her.

Quinn started to tell Rosemary she wasn't sure but stopped when she saw her face. Rosemary was pale and held one hand out, bracing herself against the wall, the other she held against her waist.

"Rosemary?" Quinn asked urgently, "are you okay? Should I go and get Faith?" Quinn led Rosemary toward one of the chairs and sat her down gently.

"I am sure it's nothing, Quinn, it's happened before, and it will pass," Rosemary said weakly.

"It's not nothing, Rosemary. I hope you haven't been overdoing it for my dresses," Quinn admonished. "Allie, please run to the Infirmary and see if Faith can come here." Quinn held her hand up to silence Rosemary when she went to argue with her.

Quinn fetched Rosemary a glass of water and a cool cloth while they waited for Faith and was pleased to note some colour returning to her cheeks. She quickly slipped out of her wedding dress, redressing in her clothes; she wasn't superstitious, but she didn't want to invite bad luck either, and in a Town like Hope Valley, anyone could arrive with Faith.

Quinn and Allie waited outside in the main office after Faith arrived and began her examination. As they waited, Lee burst through the front door and rushed over, his face lined with concern.

"What happened, Quinn? Florence said she saw Faith coming in here with her bag?"

"It's fine, Lee, she got a little dizzy, so I sent Allie to get Faith to check on her." Quinn stood, directing Lee to a chair and urging him to sit down. " I am sure she has been overdoing it, trying to get everything done."

Lee didn't look convinced but sat down. He blew out a breath and closed his eyes, concern for his wife combining with relief that nothing worse had happened.

"Thanks, Ladies; I am glad you were here with her. This happened the other day too, and while she won't admit it, I know she has been feeling poorly." Lee raised his head and looked at the two of them, "hopefully, Faith will get to the bottom of this soon. Rosemary doesn't like to admit that she can't do everything."

Nathan sat in the Mountie office, relaxing back in his chair as he spoke to Gabe.

"Are you sure you can get away in time for the wedding? I understand things are busy in Brookfield." Nathan was hoping Gabe could get away; he couldn't imagine getting married without his closest friend standing with him.

"I'm sure," Gabe assured his friend. "The trial for Mary Fielding is almost finished; I think she will have her sentence handed down by early next week." Gabe paused after that statement, allowing Nathan time to process it. "Has Quinn asked about it lately?

"No, she hasn't, and I am not sure if I should tell her until it's over." Nathan didn't believe in keeping secrets from Quinn, but this was something out of their control that might upset her needlessly.

After finishing his call to Gabe, Nathan sat back in his chair, wondering if he was doing the right thing, not raising the trial with Quinn. He had planned to wait until it was over, but Nathan thought he shouldn't be the one to decide. When he thought of talking to Quinn about serious matters, he remembered the evening when Elizabeth had come to see him.

He thought about the night two weeks ago when he arrived at the livery to find Elizabeth waiting for him. He had been surprised to see her there, and more so when he found out, she was waiting for him. Looking at her face, he knew something was upsetting her; his thoughts immediately went to Jack...

"Elizabeth, what's happened? Is something wrong with Jack?" Nathan asked, concerned.

"No, he is fine; he is with Lee and Rosemary," she explained quickly. "I am here to talk to you about something."

"Oh, what is it?" Nathan asked, although he wasn't sure he was interested in anything Elizabeth had to tell him. The days when his concern for her welfare outweighed his concern for himself were long ago.

"I am leaving for Hamilton tomorrow; Jack and I will be gone for several weeks," Elizabeth explained, her eyes seeking and holding his. "I am going home, hoping that will help me remember the person I used to be, the person I want to be again. My selfishness, poor behaviour, and choices have hurt so many people. Before I leave, I am apologising to the people I have hurt the most, hoping I can take their forgiveness with me."

"I don't need an apology, Elizabeth; you can't help that you only saw me as a replacement for your dead husband," Nathan said, unable to hide the bitterness in his voice. He no longer cared for Elizabeth the way he had, but her treatment toward him and Allie would always impact them to some degree.

"That's the thing, Nathan; I didn't." Elizabeth's voice shook with emotion. "Every time I rejected you, I lied to you and myself. Deep down, I never saw you as a replacement for Jack; I used that to protect myself because I knew I wouldn't survive losing someone I loved again." Elizabeth's eyes filled with tears; she searched his face for a hint of emotion and found none. "I am sorry I was so cruel; I hurt you. I am so sorry I broke Allie's heart." Wiping her eyes, she said, "I know what I did was unforgivable, so I won't ask you for that, just for your understanding."

Nathan said nothing, just nodded in response to her words. Nathan couldn't have spoken even if he wanted to; her words had stunned him. He realised Elizabeth had finally admitted she had loved him, and he didn't feel anything.

Surprised when she received no reply, Elizabeth continued, with a sad smile, "I will be back in a few weeks, I spoke to Quinn earlier, and she assures me I am welcome at the wedding. I want to attend if you don't mind." When Nathan didn't acknowledge her question, she gathered her things, whispered a final goodbye to Sergeant and started to walk away.

"Have a safe trip, Elizabeth, and good luck," Nathan called after her, finding his voice; he did wish her well, he would never wish anyone ill, and after all, her rejection of him meant he had been free to fall in love with Quinn. He knew Quinn was meant for him in a way Elizabeth hadn't been, and while he had loved Elizabeth, with Quinn, he was his true self. "Of course, you are welcome at the wedding. It wouldn't seem right not to have our friends there."

Elizabeth smiled at him, grateful he had listened, even if she was slightly disappointed in his response.

Nathan had headed home, glad to find Allie and Quinn waiting for him. After dinner, he and Quinn had discussed their visits from Elizabeth, and that had been it. Without saying it, both had decided to focus on their wedding planning, where Quinn's biggest challenge would be keeping Rosemary in check.

Nathan shook his head, a smile forming as he thought about Quinn and Allie trying on their dresses. He couldn't wait to see Quinn and his beautiful daughter in what Rosemary had designed. Allie was almost as excited as he was about the wedding, for which he was grateful. They had suggested she join them on their brief Honeymoon, but she declined, happy to stay with the Wiese's, offering to organise moving Quinn's personal items across to their row house. Nathan chuckled, remembering Allie lining up Bill to help lift the heavy things.

Nathan decided he had worked long enough; he would go home to his girls; he missed them. He started locking up the office for the night and was almost done when he heard Allie's laughter from outside. He hurried through the few remaining tasks and opened the door just as she was about to, surprising her.

"Oh, Dad, you startled me," she exclaimed. "we were about to come and get you to join us for dinner. We are eating at the cafe tonight!" Allie announced.

"Is that so," Nathan asked, smiling down at her, ruffling her hair, and earning the usual eye roll.

"Did you ladies enjoy your dress fitting? Am I going to hear all about it over dinner?" Nathan asked as he leaned down to kiss Quinn's cheek. He knew he wouldn't hear a word about the dresses but wanted to see the look of outrage on Allie's face. He was surprised when he didn't get the reaction he had been looking for; instead, his two girls shared a strange look.

"What is it?" Nathan queried. "Did something go wrong with the fitting?"

"Nothing went wrong with the fitting; Rosemary took a little turn, and Faith came to examine her," Quinn explained. "I am not sure what is wrong; we left Faith with Rosemary and Lee."

"I hope everything is okay too; we can check in on her later if you want or in the morning," Nathan suggested. "Maybe I can catch a glimpse of some dresses if I head over there early enough," he teased, trying to lighten the mood.

"Dad, it's bad luck for you to see Quinn's dress, and I want you to be surprised when you see mine," Allie exclaimed, finally giving Nathan the expected response.

Quinn's husky laugh delighted Nathan, and he wrapped his arm around her waist as they laughed at Allie's reaction.

"Both our dresses will be revealed on the day, Nathan; all I will say is that Rosemary is a genius." Quinn said, "I can't believe it's only two weeks away, not that I am complaining."

"Me either; I am glad for the distraction of the election this weekend; otherwise, I think it would feel like time was standing still." Nathan knew he was lucky Quinn hadn't wanted a long engagement, and their friends in town had helped make the wedding happen. They walked together toward the cafe, and he could see Allie looking at the different Mayoral election posters, her eyes flicking between them all.

"Who do you think will win the election, Dad. I am glad I don't have to vote for one of our friends over the other." Allie shook her head at the dilemma faced by Nathan and Quinn.

"It's tough, Allie," Nathan agreed, "but you have to vote for who you think would be the best person for Hope Valley, not who you like more."

"Well, I am glad you and Quinn need to decide, not me." Allie shook her head and frowned, "are we really going to Uncle Bill's party afterwards? What if he loses? He won't be much fun."

Quinn bit her lip to contain her laughter and looked at Nathan, indicating he should answer.

"Of course, we are going to be there, win or lose; you have to support your friends even when you think it isn't much fun," Nathan said, trying for a serious tone.

"Like when they are grumpy in the morning before their coffee," Allie teased him.

"Hey, don't tell Quinn that she might change her mind," Nathan said, pretending to be horrified at her admission.

"Don't worry, Nathan, it will take more than that for me to change my mind; besides, Allie, neither of you have seen me before coffee." Quinn leaned down and whispered, "I'm a nightmare."

"It sounds like I need to make sure coffee is ready for both of you first thing every day" Allie grinned as they reached the cafe, and Nathan opened the door for her. "Maybe we should move above the cafe, Dad; it would make my job easier."

Quinn sat at the dresser in her room, putting the final touches on her hair; it was taking much longer than usual because she was trying out wedding hairstyles. Quinn had planned on leaving her hair down, but now she had seen her dress, an updo suited better.

"Quinn," Nathan called from midway up the stairs. They had arranged to meet for breakfast before work, and he let her know he was there. Unfortunately, it wasn't appropriate for him to be upstairs alone with her, although they tried not to make a habit of it on the occasion it had happened.

"Coming," Quinn called back to him, jumping up excitedly. She had only seen him the night before but never tired of his company. Lucky they were going to spend the rest of their lives together, she thought, grinning.

Quinn almost skipped down the stairs, meeting Nathan halfway, where he waited for her.

"Good Morning, Nathan," Quinn said, standing before him; the extra steps between them placed her at an almost equal height.

"Morning, Quinn," he said before quickly scanning the kitchen; seeing no one there, he took the opportunity to capture her lips in a kiss. Nathan savoured the feel of her lips on his and her body's warmth as she leaned into him. He hadn't had the chance to be alone with her the night before, and he had missed their sweet good night kisses.

"I think I like starting mornings like this, Nathan; let's do this every day for the rest of our lives," Quinn murmured.

"Suits me," Nathan murmured before capturing her lips again.

"I hate to interrupt the two of you, but your coffee is ready; Allie asked me to have it ready for you both. She seemed to think you might be grumpy without it." Minnie smiled at the couple, delighting in their happiness, noting that neither looked grumpy.

"Do you really want coffee?" Nathan whispered in her ear.

"No," Quinn whispered back, his breath against her ear, causing shivers down her spine. "Minnie did go to the trouble of making it, though."

Sighing, Nathan turned away from Quinn, capturing her hand in his and holding it as they walked down the remaining stairs.

"Thank you, Minnie," He said sheepishly as he took a cup from her, her grin turning into a smile.

"You're welcome, Nathan, and for future reference, there is always more coffee in a cafe," Minnie said, turning back to the stove.

Quinn and Nathan took their coffee to the table, sitting next to each other, holding hands under the table. Quinn snuggled against Nathan's side and whispered, "Do you want to get breakfast to go? We could eat at the office before Bill gets there?"

'Sounds good," Nathan responded, taking a sip of his coffee.

When Quinn opened the door to the Judge's Chambers, she was surprised to hear voices from inside Bill's office. Frowning, she turned to look at Nathan as he took the food bag from her and set it on her desk.

"I wasn't expecting Bill to be here this early; he didn't have any scheduled appointments," Quinn explained as she hung up her jacket. "I wonder who it could be in there with him."

As Nathan opened his mouth to reply, the door to the office opened, and Lee walked out. He stopped walking as he realised Nathan and Quinn were there; his face, which had been serious, broke into a smile.

"Hi Lee, is everything alright?" Nathan asked, "Quinn and Allie mentioned Rosemary was unwell."

"Rosemary is fine, thanks for asking, and for taking care of her last night, Quinn," Lee said.

Nathan looked at Lee, curious as to why his smile grew wider as he spoke. He seemed very happy about his wife being ill.

"Of course, Lee, I was glad to help. Is there anything Rosemary needs at the moment?"

"Nope, she has everything she could want," Lee said. "Although Quinn, Rosemary did ask if you could stop by at lunchtime if that suits you. Rosie and I are working from home today, and I don't want to leave her alone too long, so I should get back."

Bill came out of his office as Quinn and Nathan watched him leave. "You two are here early; everything alright?"

"Why was Lee here so early, Bill? He didn't have an appointment?" Quinn asked her boss.

"If I tell you, you cannot tell a soul," Bill said quietly. "Lee has decided to withdraw from the Mayoral race."

"What" Nathan exclaimed

"Why," Quinn asked

"It's not for me to say why; that's Lee's news to tell," Bill answered absently, a smile on his face.

"Lee has news?" Quinn asked him, scrutinising his face, knowing he was holding something back from them.

"What, I didn't say that?" Bill said, frowning.

"You may not have meant to, but you did," Quinn countered.

"Why don't you leave it until you see Rosemary at lunch? She may tell you then," Nathan suggested. "That way, we can spend our time having breakfast, not trying to get information out of Bill.

"Fine," said Quinn, "you don't have to twist my arm to spend time with you."