Elizabeth walked home from the library after her date with Lucas, enjoying the crisp fall night. She felt like she had finally settled everything in her heart. This evening's date, their first as a true couple, had been perfect. She smiled to herself, giggling slightly. Everything about Lucas was perfect. He was thoughtful, romantic, and charming, representing the best of both worlds she lived in: Hamilton and Hope Valley. She was relieved to be moving forward with him.

Almost.

The traitorous thought floated through her mind as she passed Nathan's house. A pang hit her heart as she remembered the pain in his eyes when she told him she wasn't in love with him. She had hurt him. Her throat closed momentarily and she stopped walking, staring at the light in the front window. She could see Allie and Nathan sitting together on the settee. Allie was snuggled close to his side as Nathan held a book in his hands, his lips moving as he read out loud to her.

She watched the sweet scene for a few moments, a longing to be a part of their lives sweeping through her. Elizabeth blinked, shaking herself. Where had that thought come from? Tearing herself away, she began walking again, more briskly this time.

I made the right choice, she told herself firmly. I know I did.

But a seed of doubt was planted.

Desperately trying to ignore it, Elizabeth refused to think about it. She wanted to get home in time to say goodnight to her son. With a sigh, she knew that was unlikely. It was late, much later than she had planned on being out. Jack's bedtime had come and gone a while ago.

A twinge of guilt smote her. She hadn't been spending quality time with her little boy lately. Now that she and Lucas were officially together, she knew they needed to spend some time together with Jack. If things went according to plan, Lucas would one day be Jack's stepfather.

The thought made her pause once more. This time, her brow wrinkled in confusion and uncertainty. Lucas was always thoughtful in asking about Jack, but she realized with a start that he had never really interacted with her son. Not the way Nathan had…

Stop it!

Elizabeth huffed in frustration. Putting the thoughts from her mind, she quickly closed the distance to her home.

Everything seemed calm and peaceful. She pushed the unlocked door open, warm light greeting her as she stepped inside. The room felt cheerful after her night walk and the unsettling thoughts that had plagued her. She slid off her jacket, hanging it on a hook by the door. Laura was curled up on the settee, fast asleep. Elizabeth glanced at the clock, her mouth falling open.

Ten o'clock!

She'd told Laura she would be home by eight. Biting her lip, she once again felt a sense of guilt. Crossing the room to Jack's nanny, she gently shook the girl's shoulder. Laura's eyes opened, blinking in the light.

"Mrs. Thornton!" she exclaimed, sitting up straight. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to fall asleep…"

Elizabeth shook her head. "Don't apologize, Laura," she said gently. "It's my fault for being home so late. Please forgive me. I'll be sure to pay you extra this week."

Laura smiled. "Thank you." She stood. "I should be getting home."

"Why don't you stay the night?" Elizabeth suggested. "I don't like the thought of you walking home in the dark like this."

"It's fine," Laura said, her smile growing. "I like walking at night. It clears my mind."

"Are you sure?" Elizabeth asked. "I have an extra room upstairs."

"I'm sure," Laura insisted, putting on her jacket. "I've done this hundreds of times, Mrs. Thornton. I'll be fine."

"Alright," Elizabeth relented. "How was Jack tonight?"

"Wonderful, as always," Laura replied. "Did you need me for anything tomorrow?"

Elizabeth shook her head. "No. I plan on spending the whole day with Jack. He and I are overdue for some quality time together."

Laura gave a little smile. "I'm sure he will love that," she said. Opening the door, she waved. "Goodnight, Mrs. Thornton."

"Goodnight, Laura." Elizabeth closed the door behind the young woman, then stretched. It had been a long day. Feeling a little weary, she climbed the stairs to the second level. Before going into her own room, she crept into her son's room. Jack was sleeping peacefully in his toddler bed. Elizabeth felt another pang hit her as she realized her little boy was growing up fast. Bending, she placed a tender kiss on his soft cheek. "I love you, my sweet boy," she whispered, smoothing his fine blond hair. She quietly left the room, closing the door behind her without a sound.

Once in her own room, she began to ready herself for bed. She had no sense of danger, no feeling of foreboding as she brushed her hair after changing into her nightgown. All seemed well until a voice pierced through the stillness.

"Good evening, Mrs. Thornton."

Spinning around, Elizabeth's heart started thumping wildly in her chest as she spotted a large man rising from the corner of her room. Fear filled her, a fear unlike any she had ever known. She opened her mouth to scream, hoping Lee and Rosemary would hear it through the thin walls, but the glint of a knife killed the sound in her throat.

"Ah ah," the man said, shaking his head with disapproval as he advanced toward her slowly. "We can't have you calling out and alerting anyone, now can we?" His eyes hardened. "After all, it would be a shame to have to have to hurt that boy of yours." He held the knife in the air to emphasize his threat.

Cold fear chilled Elizabeth to her core. "Who are you?" she whispered. "What do you want?" She glanced at her jewelry box. "I have some items of worth in there," she said, nodding at the box. "You can have it all. Please, just leave me and my son alone."

The man gave a laugh, an evil laugh that sent chills up Elizabeth's spine. "I'm not here for money or jewels," he said, coming closer. Elizabeth backed away until she was stopped by the wall. Still the man came toward her. "I'm here for revenge."

"Revenge?" Elizabeth gasped, shaking uncontrollably.

The man toyed with the knife, a lazy smile creasing his lips. "I had come to Hope Valley with the desire of getting revenge on Jack Thornton for putting my brother in jail. Turns out, Jack Thornton is dead." The callous way he said it made Elizabeth wince. "But I did find out he left a widow and a child behind. So…" He shrugged. "If I can't get back at Constable Thornton, I will use you instead." He was now only a few steps away, his presence an ominous force. "The name is Spurlock. Julius Spurlock."

Elizabeth gasped again, memories of Charles Spurlock from years before filling her mind. She'd thought he was dangerous, but her danger then paled in comparison to her danger now. This man was inside her house while her son slept in the next room. It was late. No one would come to her aid.

A sick feeling filled her as Spurlock grabbed her arm in a vice grip. "Are you going to kill me?" she asked, the words barely making it past her constricted throat.

Spurlock laughed harshly. "Not tonight," he said, throwing her against the bed. Elizabeth fell, hitting her head against the bedpost. Momentarily dazed, she was unable to resist as the man hauled her up again and pressed her against the bed. "You listen good," he said, his face inches from hers. Elizabeth could feel the cold steel of the knife blade against her throat. "If you resist me or scream or do anything to draw attention, I will kill you. But first, I would make you watch while I kill your son." The knife pressed harder against her throat, the tip breaking her skin. "Do you understand?"

Frozen with fear, eyes welling with tears, Elizabeth nodded. Dread and terror vied for dominance within her as she realized what was coming.

There was no escape.

Nathan felt restless. Allie had gone to bed and he meant to do so as well, but something inside of him felt tense and wary. He never felt like this at home. His instincts insisted something was wrong. Very wrong.

Elizabeth.

The thought crossed his mind. Pain immediately stabbed him. Nathan sank into a chair with a sigh. The memory of her telling him that she wasn't in love with him, that she had just been looking for Jack in him, was permanently emblazoned in his mind. He didn't believe her. Nathan knew she was still running, whether she knew it or not. Nevertheless, she was with Lucas now. Nathan's throat closed as he remembered seeing them together on the bridge. He had been passing by on rounds when he caught sight of them.

He hadn't been able to watch long. Searing pain had filled him at the scene, and he had turned Newton and galloped away. Even now the memory was enough to make tears fill his eyes.

Maybe that's what the restlessness was about. A side effect of his broken heart. Nathan sighed and stood once more, heading for the stairs.

Elizabeth is in trouble, a small voice said. The insistence of the tone was strong.

The thought made him pause. Was his mind playing tricks on him? It was late at night. Elizabeth was probably sleeping peacefully at home. He climbed a few steps before another thought came to him, so strong he couldn't ignore it.

Go to Elizabeth's house.

"I must be crazy," Nathan muttered. He backtracked down the stairs and into the living room, shrugging into his coat. He would walk the short distance to Elizabeth's house, if for no other reason than to ease his mind. He slipped outside, quietly closing the door behind him. As he walked down the porch steps, he saw someone coming down the path. Frowning, Nathan wondered who would be out walking this late at night. As they drew closer, he saw that it was Julius Spurlock.

The man looked up and saw him. He nodded, surprisingly cordial. "Evening, Constable," he said, a ghost of a smile on his face. Nathan didn't like that look. Spurlock seemed satisfied about something.

"Mr. Spurlock," he returned. "Nice night for a walk."

"Indeed it is," Spurlock said. "I'll see you around town. Goodnight." The man continued down the path. Nathan watched him. Spurlock turned and shot him a smirk before disappearing into the darkness. Nathan felt a coldness settle over him. What had Spurlock been doing at the rowhouses?

Elizabeth!

The feeling grew strong once more. Not caring that it was irrational, Nathan ran down the path, only coming to a halt when he reached Elizabeth's home. A single light was on in an upstairs window. Nathan hurried up the porch and knocked on the door. There was no answer. Hesitating for a moment, Nathan considered his next move.

He was probably being paranoid. If Elizabeth was still awake, she was likely reading or unwinding before bed. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Very wrong. For his own peace of mind, Nathan reached for the doorknob, expecting it to be locked for the night.

It opened.

Dread filled him, unexplainable but undeniable. He stepped inside. The darkness of the room enveloped him. Cognizant of the fact that Jack would be sleeping, Nathan softly called Elizabeth's name, then listened.

At first, he heard nothing. He let out a breath. Maybe it had only been paranoia after all. Maybe he could still slip out before Elizabeth realized he was there. As he was turning toward the door, a muffled sound reached his ears. Nathan froze, straining his ears. The sound came again. With a jolt, he realized it was the sound of sobbing.

"Elizabeth!"

Throwing all caution aside, Nathan took the stairs two by two, following the sound of the sobs. They led him to an open door. He went inside without a second thought, his only concern to find Elizabeth.

He saw her huddled in a corner. Her knees were drawn up to her chest, her arms encircling her legs as if she wanted to make herself as small as possible. Her face was as white as her nightgown, a river of tears streaking her cheeks.

Nathan's protectiveness surged to an all-time high. He dropped to his knees beside her, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Elizabeth!"

She stared at him without seeing him. The blank look on her face terrified him. He saw a bruise forming on her neck and another on her cheek. Blood trickled from a cut on her throat. There were bloodstains on her nightgown that left Nathan in no doubt of what had happened.

He began to shake. No! Not Elizabeth! Pushing down the anger that began to boil inside, Nathan sat beside Elizabeth, drawing her gently into his arms. She let him do so, resting a head against his shoulder as she continued to cry. Rather than sobbing, her cries were now softer, but they were no less heart wrenching. Her hands gripped his shirt and she spoke in a halting voice.

"He was waiting for me when I got home. I thought he was going to kill me," she whimpered. "But it was much worse…" Her sobs returned with renewed strength. Nathan held her, helpless to relieve her suffering. He felt an interior rage. Spurlock had done this to her. He would pay for his deplorable actions.

A sound at the door put Nathan on high alert. Looking up sharply, he felt a strong relief to see Lee and Rosemary. They hurried inside, eyes wide and concern written all over their faces.

"We heard Elizabeth crying. What happened?" Lee asked. Rosemary crouched beside her friend. Elizabeth reached for her with a loud sob. Nathan let them hold each other, standing to meet Lee. He felt wobbly on his feet. Lee reached out to steady him. "Nathan! Are you alright?"

"Fine," Nathan managed. He looked down at Elizabeth, wanting nothing more than to take her in his arms again and take away her pain. But he couldn't. This was a pain that would take time to heal.

A long time.

"I don't know exactly what happened, but I think Julius Spurlock is behind this," Nathan told Lee. At the sound of Spurlock's name, Elizabeth gave a cry and huddled closer to Rosemary.

Lee's eyes swept over Elizabeth, taking in her injuries and the other signs. Anger began to burn in his eyes. "Nathan, he can't get away with this."

"I agree," Nathan said. "Believe me, Lee, he will be brought to justice. I will see to that."

"We all will," Lee muttered, his hands clenching into fists.

Nathan placed a hand on Lee's shoulder. "We'll deal with him later. Right now, Elizabeth needs us. I need you to place a call to Bill. Ask him to come right away." Nathan hesitated. "And call Faith. We need a doctor."

Lee nodded slowly, pain and understanding in his eyes. He went to do as Nathan asked. Nathan knelt beside Elizabeth and Rosemary, knowing he had to get her somewhere more comfortable. "Elizabeth, Lee is going to get Faith and Bill. Why don't we get you into bed so you can rest a bit?"

Elizabeth nodded woodenly, allowing Nathan and Rosemary to help her up. As they tried to help her onto the bed, she suddenly sprang back, eyes wild and head shaking back and forth vehemently. "No! Not there!"

Nathan closed his eyes, heart clenching at his thoughtlessness. Of course she wouldn't want to lie down there, not after what she'd just been through. He pulled her into his arms without another word, feeling the violent trembling in her body.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I wasn't thinking…"

Elizabeth buried her face in his chest, her sobs coming faster and harder. Nathan held her close, offering what strength and comfort he could. He looked at Rosemary, who was watching them with a stricken helplessness on her face.

Helpless.

That's what they all were feeling. As Elizabeth's cries filled the room, there was nothing they could do to help her.

All they could do was be there.