Chapter 125- By Your Side

Nathan was just putting away the last of the files on his desk when he heard the quick clip of a woman's boots coming down the boardwalk. He closed the drawer a moment before the entrance to his office burst open and Elizabeth sailed in, slamming the door behind her which rattled the pictures and his plaques that lined the walls.

Great. He thought. Elizabeth was one of the last people he wanted to deal with right now.

"We need to talk about Allie." Elizabeth's eyes were wide and angry.

Nathan didn't rise from his seat to greet her. "Bill and I have been busy with a few things, and I was just getting ready to head out on my afternoon rounds. Can this wait for another time?"

"No, it can't! I know there's something you haven't told me, and I want you to tell me what it is. Now."

Nathan grimaced as his memory flashed back to Elizabeth scolding him in the street during Bill's sendoff over Allie and Fort Clay. "Tell you what?"

"About Allie's father."

"I'm Allie's father."

"I mean her real one!" Elizabeth flustered.

Her words stung. "What about him?"

"Three years ago, Allie's father was in town. Even though at the time I didn't know who he was, I clearly remember asking you about him, because I could tell there was something wrong. I could tell you weren't yourself. Yet, you chose not to tell me the truth! All you said was that you had a lot on your mind and that the man in town was just someone you had run-ins with in the past. You had asked him to be on his way and to let you know if I saw him around again."

Nathan rubbed the back of his neck trying to ease the pressure there as Elizabeth continued. "Imagine my surprise when I was getting ready to leave the café just now and that same man walks in for a cup of coffee and a slice of pie. Can you imagine the pain I felt in having to find out from Clara that he wasn't just someone you had run-ins with in the past, but rather your brother-in-law!"

"I thought you came in here to talk about Allie." He said tightly as he leaned back in the chair.

"We are talking about Allie. I'm concerned about her. How is she feeling about all this? I'm sure she's upset and confused, and I warned you about this, Nathan. I warned you! Remember that year, at parent teacher conferences, I told you… If you let her down, her whole world crumbles."

Nathan closed his eyes and looked away, unable to take much more. "I know."

"Do you?"

Nathan finally rose to his feet and calmly walked around the corner of the desk to face Elizabeth. "What's this really about Elizabeth? Because I never can tell with you. One moment you're saying one thing, and the next, you're acting completely the opposite. I just can't keep up with trying to guess your moods or read your mind. Honestly, I have enough things on my list right now, and dealing with your fickleness is not one of them.

"Well, now you're just being hurtful."

"Mrs. Bouchard, if that's what you think of me, you don't even know me. I don't think you ever did."

Mrs. Bouchard. There was a death knell in the name. "I was afraid this would happen if things didn't work out between us-"

"Us? There never was an us, Elizabeth. You made sure of that."

"We have to make this right. I mean we have to make things right for her."

"Don't you think I'm trying to do that? Charlotte and I have been doing everything in our power to make this right for Allie?"

Elizabeth recoiled at the mention of Charlotte.

Nathan noted her reaction. "That's right, Elizabeth. Charlotte and I. We are Allie's parents. Not some drummed up fantasy you may still harbor of you and I being her mother and father figures. I'm sorry if I have not made that clear in the past. But I thought it should have been rather obvious."

Elizabeth stared at him, smarting. Nathan had never used that tone of reproach on it before, and it hurt. Couldn't he see she was only trying to help? "I'm still a part of Allie's life. I'm her teacher. She means a lot to me. You and Allie both mean a lot to me."

"You may be one of her teachers." Nathan clenched his jaw shut. "But the rest of your statement is just pure, unadulterated horse manure! When are you going to stop wallowing in it?"

Elizabeth was clearly horrified, and Nathan realized he probably just stepped over an invisible line that should never have been crossed. He thought to apologize, and admit his wrongdoing, as that seemed to be the only thing he could ever do for Elizabeth to give her enough satisfaction to get off his back and leave him alone. But about the time he started to open his mouth to say he was sorry, the door to his office opened again and Charlotte peeked inside. A wave of relief washed over Nathan upon seeing his wife. Her presence seemed to instantly make everything better. Charlotte studied him as she moved around the door and gently closed it behind her.

"Are you alright, Nathan?" Charlotte whispered, moving a few steps towards him.

Nathan just closed his eyes and swallowed hard. Charlotte knew his answer without a single word.

"Excuse me, Charlotte, but Nathan and I were having a private conversation."

Elizabeth gave a dark look that was difficult to decipher, but the heat of Charlotte's own anger made her plunge ahead. "I don't know how private it was when all of Hope Valley could hear you shouting at him."

"I was not shouting!"

"What are you doing here anyway? Do you have charges to file for a crime? Or suspicious activity to report to Sergeant Grant?" Charlotte tried to keep calm. Holding her voice steady and low. "Because if you don't, I'm not sure what your reasoning would be to approach him here, in his office, while he is on duty."

"I really don't think that is any of your concern why I am here."

"Not my concern? If your reason for being here has nothing to do with actual police work, but rather to ambush my husband, which seems to be the case, it is every bit my concern and my business." A simple statement, calmly and quietly delivered, but Charlotte's eyes were burning with wrath.

Elizabeth straightened slowly and looked at her. "There is no reason to be jealous. It was all innocent."

"There is no jealousy I feel towards you, Elizabeth. Only pity. Pity that you think it is right to be personally attacking someone as courageous, selfless, and good as Nathan."

"I wasn't attacking him!" Elizabeth's eyes grew enormous and showed the torment inside her. "I know he is everything you just said… and an impeccable Mountie. That's why I will always love him, it is impossible not to."

"Nothing you are doing or saying right now would allude to any kind of love, Elizabeth. At least not the kind I am familiar with. The kind that Nathan has shown me and the kind I strive every day to show him in return." Charlotte's eyes impaled Elizabeth's. "Can't you see how he already feels like he's carrying the weight of the world? How heavily burdened he is? Did you really think coming in here in a storm was going to help that? That doing so would be able to show your love for him and Allie?" Charlotte shook her head. "There is one thing I've wondered for a very long time, Elizabeth, and it is this… What makes you believe this whole town is supposed to revolve around you? That it is supposed to get your approval before we can live our own lives? Because we shouldn't have to in order to avoid this sort of altercation from happening. Your own poor life choices and pain does not give you the right to weasel your way into everyone else's life in order to lessen your own misery. Just because you are hurting does not give you the right to be completely blind to someone else's pain and lash out." Charlotte took a step or two forward towards Elizabeth. The other woman offered no defense. Offered no explanation. Shoulders limp, she looked away and Charlotte softened. Her anger vanished but not the hurt, not the sorrow. "I believe you know what Dylan being back in town means for us. For our family. And whether or not you choose to accept the part I play in this family; I do hope you choose to respect Allie and Nathan's relationship together. Because right now, the love you claim to be showing them is only causing more hurt."

"I was just trying to be a friend."

"No. You were trying to be a busybody who wants to have her cake and eat it too. Right now, you are only concerned about yourself and because of that I must ask you to get out of this office, Mrs. Bouchard."

Charlotte opened the door and held it ajar for Elizabeth.

Elizabeth's eyes shot to Nathan's. Silently pleading with him.

"Charlotte's right." Nathan answered steadily. "It's best if you leave, Mrs. Bouchard."

The gentle click of the door as Charlotte closed it behind Elizabeth signaled a sense of finality. Charlotte stood for a few moments with her head leaning against the door frame. There was a droop in her shoulders, Nathan had never seen before.

"I'm sorry," she whispered into the wood. "I shouldn't have been so angry with Elizabeth, but when I saw the way she walked by the mercantile a little voice told me I needed to come to you. And then when I heard what she was saying… The pressure she was putting on you… I couldn't stop myself and all this pent-up frustration came flowing out of me." Charlotte straightened and turned towards Nathan. A defeated look on her face. "It seems I'm no better than her and should have been looking in the mirror at myself for parts of that speech. I should go say I'm sorry for being so hurtful and mean…"

As Charlotte twisted the knob to the door to leave, Nathan reached over and placed his hand on top of hers, stopping her actions. She slowly turned to face him, he was close, but not too close. He was clearly aware of the space between them and didn't want to pressure her.

She looked up at him, noting the whiteness of his face where it seemed all the blood had drained out. His eyes were filled with anguish. Charlotte wanted to erase the few feet between them, to tell him that it was all right now, but her legs wouldn't work.

"Don't go." Nathan breathed. He stepped closer, depleting the space between them, his hand still on top of hers at the door. He saw the warring emotions play out across Charlotte's body as she dropped her gaze from his.

No. He thought. She can't retreat again. Not now. Not after she just fought like a ravenous wolf on his behalf. To pull her back to him he reached forward and tipped Charlotte's chin up. She had no choice but to look into his eyes again. "Please, don't go." He pleaded. "You are one of the only things in my life right now that makes me feel like I'm on solid footing. I need you here with me."

"And I need you," she said very gently as she put her hand on his chest causing Nathan to draw in his breath. His serge was unbuttoned, and her fingers found the rapid beat of his heart where it pulsed under her touch with only the thin fabric of his Henley shirt separating them.

He swallowed hard and caught her hand. "I'm not a saint." He said hoarsely.

"I know that. Do you really think I am?" She asked. Her voice; soft and husky. Her eyes were shimmery with tears and as one escaped the corner of her eye and slid down her face, Nathan couldn't help himself; he reached out and brushed it away. She put her hand over his, trapping it there against her cheek, but only briefly,

Her skin was so soft, her hair silky. Nathan's thumb slid down, feeling the wild pulse in her throat for a moment. He drew back, looking down into her face, noting how her cheeks were flushed, her eyes filled with her love for him, and he thought his heart would burst. She was his. She belonged with him. He could scarcely take it in.

She saw the look burning in his eyes and she felt herself soften with his tenderness and desire. Charlotte shifted slightly, threading her fingers into Nathan's hair at his collar, she pulled him closer. Wrapping her arms around him to draw him into her embrace. In the warmth of her hug, he gave a shuddering sigh and they both started to weep. The heaviness of the past few days flowing out of them and combining in wet streams on their cheeks.

As they stifled their tears, Nathan drew back slightly to look in Charlotte's eyes. He brushed her cheeks, and she did the same to his. Sweetly smiling to one another at the shared action.

"You know what I was thinking about with your speech earlier to Liz?" He grinned at the memory, twisting a piece of Charlotte's hair off her shoulder. "I remembered that section in Nan's letter, the part that says- She'll see the wars within you, and not only will she choose to stay, but she will choose to stand by your side and help you fight them. She will worry about you and take care of you. She will cradle your dark, embrace your light, and will always want to be your best when you yourself are not your best. Someone who reminds you of every strong thing you are, whenever you feel feeble. She will not judge you for your sadness. She will not resent you for your flaws. She is your confidant. With her, you don't have to pretend everything is okay, when it really isn't. When life gets rough, she will always be there to hold your hand. She will be there to turn off the world for you. She will always be there to remind you that you don't have to do this by yourself."

"You know, I thought Nan's words were so beautiful the first time I read them, but I never realized how much of a comfort they would become for us as we continue to build our life together as husband and wife."

"I agree." Nathan smiled tremulously. "Charlotte, thank you for being the woman who Nan described in her letter."

"I don't think Nan was just describing your future wife, but rather the love that you deserve. A love that she said we needed to fight for, because true, unabiding, once in a lifetime, shoot for the moon kind of love is always worth fighting for. She told us to not let it get away. To hold it close and hold it tight."

A light shone from within Charlotte's eyes as she framed Nathan's face with her hands and kissed him, gently at first, with the slightest of hesitations. She felt it in him too. The need to hold back, to not push her further than what she was comfortable with. With his tender consideration something deep within her shifted. Her heart tightened and so did her grip on Nathan and suddenly both of their constraints snapped, and the walls tumbled down around them as their kiss deepened then with all the pent-up love and emotions they had been feeling for days.

Nathan came alive against her lips. He shook as he combed his fingers into her hair and kissed her fully. Suddenly he realized his actions and drew back creating space between them. "I'm sorry." Nathan rasped as he looked at the old wood floor. Ashamed he let his desire for his wife overcome her trust in him. He ran a shaky hand through his hair. "Forgive me, I shouldn't have…"

"Nathan." Charlotte watched him in confusion. "There is nothing to be forgiven. I kissed you first."

"But the way I…" His eyes swept over her then. She was so beautiful to him. "I betrayed your trust in me. I pushed you too fast. Too far."

"You didn't do anything to me I wasn't a willing participant in, Nathan. Couldn't you tell that? I wanted to feel this with you. I wanted to show my love for you in this way. I was ready. Especially after our talk last night and a discussion I had with Rosemary earlier. And then of course our encounter with Elizabeth."

"I don't want you to be obligated to kiss me just because you feel guilty about what Elizabeth said or to only make me feel better."

"Did it? Make you feel better?"

He gave a short laugh. "You know it did." Nathan again ran a hand through his hair. "From the very start your kiss has had healing powers for me, Mrs. Grant."

She took a few slow steps towards him. Taking his hand and joining them together once again. "Nathan, me kissing you had nothing to do with Elizabeth and everything to do with my love for you. My desire for you. Again, I can't say my ghosts are completely gone, but I think we both just took another step closer to healing."

His eyes met hers. Charlotte's hands reached into the opening of his serge and underneath the jacket to grip his suspenders. Using them to pull him close to her. "And Sarge," she rose up onto her toes, so her breath mingled with his. "I never want you to think that kissing you is any sort of obligation. To you, my love, I give it freely and without condition."

Threading her trembling hands into his hair she drew him to her as their lips met in a dizzying spark when Nathan took over. Stroking Charlotte's cheek with his thumb, he kissed her with tenderness, to which she met in earnest. Her lips softened beneath his, becoming pliable to the craftsman's artistry. Their surrender to one another made their senses swim. The kiss was firm and smooth and warm, tasting of heaven. It connected them in a way words could not.

When he raised his mouth from hers, Charlotte rested her cheek against his chest, hearing the steady beat of his heart soothed her. Nathan felt her body relax completely into his.

"I have something for you," he whispered into her hair. Squeezing her close to him for a moment before releasing his grip to move around behind his desk again, bending forward to pick something up from below. "I took a bit of an indirect route through my rounds this morning in order to get these for you." He hid the trinket behind his back with a mischievous grin painted across his face as he strode back towards where he had left Charlotte moments ago.

"You didn't have to get me-" But before Charlotte could finish her statement, Nathan brought his arm around to reveal a delicate spring of forget-me-not flowers. The gesture made the air physically leave her lungs and she gasped.

"After our discussion last night about what helped dispel your nightmares the first time, I wanted to make sure we had some forget-me-nots from our special place. I already put the rest that I picked in a jar of water at the house, but for some reason, I felt the need to bring this sprig back to town with me. My hope is that their presence will help us to fight off that darkness and bring a little light back into our lives. A little symbolic representation of true love, fidelity, and a long-lasting connection couldn't hurt, right?"

"Nathan, I-" She was speechless. Unable to form sentences to tell him how much his caring gesture truly meant to her.

Nathan reached his left hand forward, pushing back a section of Charlotte's hair from her face, he twisted it slightly to tuck behind her ear, before gently treading the spray's stem into her chocolate brown tresses.

"There," he said, leaning back slightly to take in his work before his gaze fell on Charlotte's. Finding her gray eyes were dark with some unfathomable emotion.

"I love you, Sarge. So very much," she said, settling back into his arms. "Thank you for loving me through this like you promised you would."

"Thank you for always fighting for our love." He replied, before his lips sought hers in another kiss. Feeling the pieces inside themselves come back together again.

*Sorry for bringing S8 Liz back into this, but as I was thinking through last chapter what everyone in town's reaction to Dylan being back would be, when I got to E, I felt like this would be a very accurate depiction of what she would do. I know not everyone may think so, but if you look closely a large portion of all her dialogue this chapter, I pulled directly from things she did AND said in S8… I didn't kill her character (or make her evil), the S8 writers did. Now given my penname and desire to be "better" then the WCTH S8 writers, I do still have plans for a possible redemption arc for Liz if I continue this story past my S11 finale. But right now, this is where she is at.

Also, I hear ya… those last couple chapters have been pretty heartbreaking, so I hope the little light here at the end will hold ya over (I wanted it to be a bit like a first kiss 2.0). I'm not to my season (possibly series) "finale" yet, but this will be a bit of a rollercoaster of emotions as we keep moving forward and I try my best to bring some sweet moments in to temper the tough stuff.

As always, I appreciate everyone who continues to read/review this story. I can't believe I've been writing Nate and Charlie's love story for almost a year now. It just doesn't seem possible that little 'ol me could create something like this that people seem to care about… so thank you for sticking with me, Mrs. Nathan, and Sarge!