Friends of the Grants came together as a cohesive unit to move the family into their new home. It took one day for their things to be moved from the rowhouse to their new, permanent house. Elizabeth stood in the middle of their large living room, awed at the speed with which they had been able to move in. Nathan came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her back against his chest.

"A home of our own," he murmured, his breath tickling her ear. "Can you believe it?"

She shook her head, leaning against her husband's chest. "This is all so wonderful," she said. "I can't believe how quickly the house was built."

Nathan's hands moved from her waist to her hips. He'd taken to touching her there unexpectedly as she was slowly desensitized from the trauma. As his hands rubbed small circles, she let out a content sigh. His touch felt good. Very good. She was starting to associate hips touches from Nathan with something else entirely.

As he continued to massage her, Elizabeth bit back a groan of desire. She pulled away abruptly, startling her husband. Concern lit his eyes immediately. "I'm sorry," he apologized quickly. "Did I trigger something?"

Elizabeth laughed lightly, shaking her head. "No, Nathan. There was no trigger. I just…" She blushed. "I find that your hip massages create a longing in me that we can't currently fulfill."

Confusion blanketed Nathan's face for a few moments, but understanding slowly dawned. He grinned, pulling her back into his arms and resting his head against hers. "Is that so?" he asked, sounding pleased.

She nodded, clinging to him. Her seven-month-pregnant belly kept them from being too close, but she pressed as near him as she could. "I think your desensitization techniques are working," she whispered.

Nathan ran a hand up and down her back, his tone suddenly serious. "For your hips, yes," he said, pulling back to look at her. "But you still tense when I kiss your neck."

She tilted her head back, exposing her neck. Her reaction to his massage had filled her with a sudden boldness. "Try it now," she said.

Nathan gently moved one hand to the back of her head. "Are you sure, love?" he asked softly.

"Yes," she said immediately. Despite her words, she moved her head back to a normal position to look at Nathan. "We're in a new environment now," she said. "I think that might help."

Nathan's brow furrowed. "How so?"

Elizabeth tried to put into words something she'd come to realize over the past few days. "I think living in the rowhouse, even your rowhouse, was a trigger in and of itself, without either of us realizing it," she explained. "My assault was in my rowhouse, but those houses are all identical inside. It helped greatly moving into yours, but I think deep down in my heart, I still associated any rowhouse with the assault." She looked around at their new home, hope welling in her chest. "Now we're in a completely different home, one that you designed and one that is all ours. One where nothing terrible has happened." She smiled up at him, cupping his cheek. "I think this might help to release some more of the trauma." With another smile, she tilted her head back once more. "Go on, Nathan. Let's see what happens."

He cradled her head in his hands, then slowly leaned down to press his lips against her throat, directly over the small white scar. Elizabeth felt herself tense for a brief moment, then her entire body relaxed. She closed her eyes, pushing all thoughts from her mind and focusing solely on Nathan and the way his lips moved tenderly over her throat. Once again, desire began building inside of her. It was the first time she'd felt such a thing when Nathan kissed her neck. Her hands slid around him, pressing into his back and drawing him closer to her. She tried to hide the fact that desire was taking hold of her, but when Nathan pulled back and stared into her eyes, she knew he saw it.

They gazed at each other for a long moment. Nathan's eyes held surprise, along with a desire that mirrored her own. Their breathing synced in a fast rhythm. His hands left her head, finding their way to her back. Elizabeth knew it might not be prudent, but she couldn't help herself. She reached one hand up behind his head, pulling his face to hers and pressing their lips together in a heated kiss.

She could feel Nathan holding back at first, but all at once, with a low groan, he deepened their kiss. His touch made Elizabeth feel alive. She wasn't sure how long they stood there sharing themselves with each other, but it felt so good and right to be in his arms like this.

Abruptly, Nathan pulled back. His breathing was ragged. He turned and raked his hands through his hair. Elizabeth could see his body trembling. Her own was as well. She smiled ruefully as she watched her husband begin to pace. He glanced at her, a little smile on his lips. "I want nothing more than to carry you to our new room and finally consummate this marriage," he said, longing in his voice. "But I won't. Not yet."

Elizabeth placed a hand on her hip. "Remind me why we're waiting?" she asked, half-playful and half-serious. She suddenly wished Nathan had never promised to wait until after Aurora's birth.

He ran his hands through his hair again, the motion making his brown waves even more unruly. He stopped in front of her, gripping her arms lightly. "Because it's what is best for you and for our little girl," he said. Pulling her into his arms, he chuckled dryly. "Though if I'd known it would be this hard…" He trailed off, burying his face in her hair. They stood holding each other for several moments as they both tried to catch their breath and calm their bodies. Nathan nuzzled her cheek before pulling away. He smiled into her eyes. "You are worth waiting for, my love."

Elizabeth melted at his words. It never ceased to amaze her that this man consistently put her needs ahead of his own. She watched as he walked to the kitchen to start unpacking some boxes.

Someday, in the not-too-distant future, she was determined to make it up to him.

Nathan whistled as he finished his rounds. His heart was content. He, Elizabeth, and the children were settling into their new home seamlessly. It was the perfect fit for them. The roomy house had an open floor plan that made it seem larger than it was. There was lots of space for Jack and Allie to play. They had both insisted on decorating their rooms to their liking. Allie's was tastefully done in greens and yellows, while Jack picked blues for his.

The nursery was coming together as well. Nathan and Elizabeth chose to decorate it in pink and green, creating a soothing, comfortable environment. In his spare time, Nathan made a crib and a rocking chair, surprising Elizabeth with them a couple weeks after they moved into their house. She'd been delighted and awed, complimenting him on his woodworking abilities. Nathan hadn't been able to stop a blush from heating his cheeks. Hearing his wife praise him had that effect.

April slowly moved into May. Elizabeth's belly continued to grow, and more often than not Nathan would come home to find her bent over a table, clutching her stomach or pressing a hand to her back. She was becoming more and more uncomfortable the larger she got. At night, Nathan often woke to Elizabeth squirming around on their bed, trying to find a position that allowed her a measure of comfort. When she went to see Carson about the discomfort, he suggested daily walks. They built that into their daily routine; after dinner, in the warm spring evenings, Nathan and Elizabeth would take Jack and Allie on a walk around their property. Those walks quickly became the highlight of Nathan's day. The exercise did seem to take some of the discomfort away from Elizabeth. She would walk arm in arm with him while their children ran ahead, delighting in the sound of chirping birds and wind whistling through the trees. They shared deep, heartfelt conversations that poured naturally from them as they walked.

Elizabeth continued to receive visits from women in town. Nathan began to recognize the regular visitors, the ones who clearly needed to talk through what had happened to them. The justice-loving Mountie in him wanted desperately to know their stories so he could find and arrest the men who had deeply wounded them, but he respected their privacy and let Elizabeth counsel them. Women trusted her with their deepest pain and trauma because she had gone through it too. He began to wonder if his wife might have a new calling.

On a sunny afternoon near the end of May, Nathan was busy with paperwork. So intently was he concentrating on his task, he jumped when the door to the NWMP office banged open. He looked up in time to see Allie burst inside, a wild look in her eyes. Fear instantly rose in Nathan's heart. He leapt to his feet, hurrying toward his daughter. "What's wrong? What happened?" he asked, gripping her shoulders in his hands.

"It's Mom," Allie gasped, breathing hard. "Something's wrong with the baby!"

The fear intensified. Nathan ran from the office, his hat hanging forgotten on its hook. Allie bolted out with him. She grabbed his hand, leading him toward the infirmary. Nathan didn't bother knocking on the door. He opened it immediately, his eyes searching out his wife.

Elizabeth was lying in one of the beds, writhing in pain. Her beautiful face was contorted with agony. Heart dropping into his feet, Nathan rushed forward, kneeling by the bed and taking her hands in his. "I'm here, love," he said, his words trembling. "I'm here."

She moaned. "Nathan…the baby…" Her words were cut off by another, longer moan as she twisted on the bed.

Nathan looked up, finding Faith standing nearby. "What's going on?" he asked frantically.

Faith placed a hand on his shoulder. From the corner of his eye, Nathan could see Carson talking with Allie, a reassuring arm around his daughter's shoulders.

"This is completely natural, Nathan," Faith said gently. "Elizabeth is in labor."

Nathan stared at her blankly. "She can't be in labor. It's too early. There's another month before the baby is supposed to come."

"These things happen sometimes," Faith said, moving around the bed and placing a hand on Elizabeth's abdomen. Nathan wasn't sure what she was checking for, but she seemed calm. "This was a traumatic pregnancy. I'm not surprised she is experiencing preterm labor. But she is eight months along, and that is far enough that both she and the baby should be healthy."

"Should be?" Nathan repeated weakly. He knew Faith was trying to assure him, but all he could hear was the possibility of complications.

Another moan from his wife brought his attention back to her. He felt her grip on his hands tighten painfully as she arched through the pain. Helpless to comfort her, Nathan could only be there.

He sat by her side for the next twelve hours. Through every painful contraction, through every tear, he remained with her. Her labor seemed long and difficult. Nathan had no experience with birthing babies, having been shooed from the room when Colleen went into labor with Allie. He didn't know if Elizabeth's experience was normal or not. His only guide for how things were going was the reaction from Carson and Faith. Neither of them seemed worried. They continued to check Elizabeth and do what they could for her comfort.

In the early hours of the morning, Elizabeth's water broke. A short time later, Faith instructed her to begin pushing. Nathan felt panic sweep over him as Elizabeth's agony increased. Her moans turned to screams of pain, tearing at his heart.

At last, as the first rays of light crept over Hope Valley, Elizabeth gave a loud cry and a final push. A wet, squirmy baby dropped into Faith's waiting hands. Lusty cries filled the room. Faith laughed happily, holding up the baby.

"You have a daughter."

Aurora Colleen Grant was born with the dawn.

Elizabeth gazed at her newborn daughter in awe. The tiny baby was perfectly healthy despite her appearance a month before her due date. As Aurora nursed, Elizabeth ran a finger down her little girl's petal-soft cheek.

She was beautiful.

Nathan was sitting on the bed with her, one arm around her shoulders as he alternated staring at her and at their daughter. "She looks just like you," he murmured, nuzzling her cheek gently. "A veritable mini-Elizabeth."

She chuckled. The resemblance was uncanny. "I'm so thankful for that," she said softly. She didn't have to explain why. Nathan knew.

His arm tightened around her. They both went back to watching Aurora. Her little mouth suckled hungrily. She'd had no problem with latching, figuring out immediately how to eat.

Elizabeth leaned her head against Nathan's shoulder, breathing a sigh of contentment. Her heart ached with a fierce love for her baby. Their child was perfect in every way. Already Elizabeth couldn't imagine life without her.

The pain and the long hours of labor were already forgotten in the joy of Aurora's birth. Darkness had surrounded her daughter's conception. Trauma had lingered for long, hard months. But now, as she held her baby, as she was cocooned in her husband's arms, Elizabeth felt only happiness and peace.

Once again, dawn proved stronger than darkness.