After dropping Goldie and Jack off at daycare, and double-checking when her next shift was, Rosemary headed in the direction of the saloon, hoping to find Jessie. After everything that had happened, she was looking forward to putting this huge story together and making sure everyone who was responsible for hurting others was held accountable. Since starting up the newspaper with Lee, making sure the truth was said, and that justice was served had become even more important to her, and this situation with Jessie and Hargraves needed to be brought to light. Seeing Bill coming out of the Café, she hurried up to him.
"Bill," she called, waiting for him to turn around, "Have you seen Jessie this morning?"
The judge began looking around, and acting nervous. "This morning? Ahh… nope, I haven't seen her this morning." he stammered, "Why, are you looking for her?"
"Well obviously I am looking for her, Bill, if I am asking if you'd seen her. What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing's wrong, Rosemary. It's just been a stressful few days, is all, now if you'll excuse me." He began to walk away, but Rosemary managed to grab his arm first.
"Bill, do I need to remind you again, that we are partners?" Rosemary asked, raising her eyebrow.
"Oh, alright fine." Bill gave in, "Jessie and Lucas left on the express train back to Capital City last night. She's going to get whatever evidence she has to help with this whole Hargraves mess."
Rosemary started a little, hearing that. "Jessie and Lucas? As in, they went together?" she asked.
Elizabeth and Nathan sat side by side on the bank, as the leaves swirled and chased each other through the water. Elizabeth had been slowly picking blades of grass, while Nathan watched, fascinated by the concentration on her face.
"That's quite the pile of grass you have there, Mrs. Thornton. What do you plan to do with it?" he asked, with a smile.
Elizabeth just smiled and shrugged her shoulders before resuming the process once again. "Have you thought about what you're going to do with yourself for two weeks that doesn't include protecting the town from bad guys?" she eventually asked, looking up at him.
"I have a few ideas," Nathan admitted, "But I kind of wanted to hear your thoughts as well."
"My thoughts?" she questioned, "Nathan, it's your vacation time, so I kind of figured you and Allie would go see your Mom or Dad, spend some time with your family."
Nathan smiled while he reached his hand out and gently lifted her chin so he could look her in the eyes. He bent down and gently kissed her lips. "Elizabeth, you, and Allie and Jack, you are the only family I want to spend my time with."
"But surely there's other family you would like to visit. Aunts or Uncles, or cousins?" Elizabeth questioned.
"Sure, I have other family, but I don't really have any kind of relationship with any of them. My mom's parents were the only ones I actually knew, and, well, they passed away ten or fifteen years ago."
"Oh, Nathan, I am so sorry to hear that. I confess I had a lot of family around growing up, and sometimes assume it was the same for everyone. May I ask why it was like that?"
"My dad, well he came from money, not Thatcher money, mind you," Nathan winked at Elizabeth and then continued, "But his family was fairly well off. He met my mom, who was a housemaid, and as you can guess, they fell in love. When they got married, my fathers' family was so embarrassed by it, they cut him off immediately. It didn't bother my mom or my dad, they really did love each other and were determined to make it work, but my dad wasn't exactly used to living simply, but he tried. Once Colleen and I were born, he started getting restless, kids, as you know, mean more expenses, and soon he felt trapped by it all. Having to work so hard to barely get by, hearing about friends from childhood that were doing so well, and he'd had to move his family three times to smaller and smaller homes. One night he found a poker table and won a fairly large hand. He decided that was better than having an honest job and, well, things went downhill from there. My mother's family, well they were amazing, salt of the earth really. Accepted my dad for who he was, not the money he had. Sadly they only had one child, my mom, and so when they died, it was just the four of us. Then my dad went to jail and it was just the three of us. I never really got to experience the big family scene. After Colleen died, my mom kind of shut down herself. I think she finally just couldn't take the heartache anymore. That was the main reason that Allie ended up with me. As much as it broke my mom's heart, she finally admitted she just didn't have what Allie needed at the time. We keep in touch, letters, and phone calls and things like that. But she withdrew so much, Allie and I kind of just became our own little family."
"Allie went to visit her a few years ago, didn't she?" Elizabeth asked.
"She did. Now that Allie is a little more self-sufficient, mom's not quite as nervous to have her around, but it's still a struggle for her. There are times I'd love for her to come live with us, here in Hope Valley. I know she'd love it, but she is still just as stubborn as ever and won't leave her home."
Nathan felt Elizabeth's arm wrap around his, as she slid closer to him. Soon her head was lying on his shoulder. "It's obviously not the same situation, but I can understand about your mom. When I lost Jack, I broke into a thousand little pieces. It felt like my life was over, just as it had begun." She paused for a moment, "It wasn't until I found out I was expecting little Jack that I was finally able to put the pieces back together, and even then the glue barely held. I knew the slightest wind would bring everything crashing down, but I was determined not to show how broken I really was."
The birds had stopped chirping and all that could be heard was the slight breeze in the trees, and the water slowly meandering by, before she continued, "I have never admitted this out loud, but I only pretended to be happy when Carson told me I was expecting. The last thing I wanted was a constant reminder of Jack, and how he'd been taken from me so quickly."
Sensing a change in Elizabeth, Nathan removed her hand from his arm and instead pulled her even closer, allowing her all the time she needed.
She swallowed a few times, hoping to keep her voice from cracking and when she felt confident enough she continued, "For that first week, I hoped and prayed each and every day that the pregnancy wouldn't continue. I didn't want to have a baby. A few months later, and I was still expecting, I began looking into adoption, I just couldn't handle the thought of having a baby on my own. That's not how it was supposed to be. I had actually found a few places that would help, but then I was sitting at the school, the kids were at lunch, and I was gazing out the window when I first felt the baby move. Nothing could have prepared me for that moment. I fell in love with the little man right then and there, and became determined to be the best mommy I could be, and I would make Jack proud of the legacy that he left behind. I say all this because I know that if it hadn't been for little Jack, I would have given up and gone back home to live with my parents in Hamilton. Once he came along, I allowed my heart to open just for him, but forced myself to keep everyone far away, knowing that if I broke again, I'd never ever recover and that wasn't fair to my little man."
"And then Lucas came along." Nathan teased, gently rocking into her to the side.
Elizabeth smiled, "Yes, Lucas came along and after a rocky start, offered me friendship. My heart was locked up tight, so I didn't really worry. But then you and that bright young girl of yours came along, and the bricks around my heart began to shake a little bit. I began to panic, and that panic drove me to do everything in my power to protect myself, from what I knew would be certain heartbreak. With Little Jack, I just couldn't risk it, and well you know the rest."
Nathan placed a kiss on her cheek and then rested his head on hers for a moment. "At some point, I'd like to hear the rest of the story, from your point of view, but for now, thank you for sharing."
"Well, it was more than I meant to say, and I went horribly off track with what I was trying to say, which was, I can understand the fear your mom experienced. You really should take a trip to see her, maybe even go see your dad as well."
"Elizabeth, are you trying to get rid of me?" Nathan asked, pretending to be offended.
Turning her head to make sure he could see her eyes, she answered, "Nathan, I never want to get rid of you, ever. I also know that you are always looking out for others, and now I am here to look out for you. Do something for you, it's really okay." Leaning over, she placed a lingering kiss on his cheek.
"You, my dear, are what's best for me." he told her with a grin.
Elizabeth rolled her eyes, making him chuckle. She looked up at the sky and frowned, "It's getting close to noon, we better head back."
"Elizabeth, before we do, there is something else I wanted to talk to you about." Nathan explained, trying, unsuccessfully, to not sound nervous.
"Sure," Elizabeth said, curiosity getting the better of her.
"I know exactly what I want to do with my time off, but it involves you and the kids."
"Well, that's not all that helpful, Nathan." Elizabeth said, standing up. She could see that he was nervous, but that only served to make her more curious. "Why don't you just tell me what it is?"
Standing up, Nathan reached out to take both of her hands in his. He brought them up to his lips and gently kissed each one before pulling her a little closer. "Elizabeth, I want to marry you."
Elizabeth smiled, "Nathan, I want that too, you know I do, but please stop drawing this out, and just tell me."
He couldn't decide if he was enjoying this game or getting a tad annoyed by it, so he pulled her even closer and placed a long kiss on her lips before resting his forehead on hers. Looking deep into her eyes, he said, "Elizabeth, I want to marry you, today. I want to spend the next two weeks blending our family together. I want to spend every moment I can with you, and by every moment, I mean every moment. I want to take you and the kids on a camping trip, or to a ball game, but we can't very well do that if we aren't legally married. I am sure it sounds crazy, and reckless, but really, I don't care. Why put off something that we both want, and know will happen eventually."
"But…but…" Elizabeth spluttered, trying to understand what she had just heard. "Why so soon? What about a wedding? What about the kids? Don't we need to talk to them first? Doesn't more time need to pass?" She pulled back from Nathan's arms and took a few steps back. He was reluctant to let her go, but still did, knowing she needed time to think.
"I'm not a suave, debonair, smooth talker, sweetheart, you know that better than most, but if I've learned anything this past week, it's that life is short and if we find something we really and truly want, it's up to us to do all we can to make it happen. This is what I want, and I know you do too, but if it's too fast I also understand that, and I will wait until you are ready. You asked, and that is the honest to goodness truth."
Elizabeth stood there, waiting for the panic and fear to bubble up inside her, but it never came, instead, she felt overcome with peace and excitement. Excitement at the thought of a brand-new chapter of her life opening up to her. Experiencing things she'd never experienced before and having faith everything would be alright. She didn't need a weeding, she'd had that with Jack, and it was a beautiful memory she would always treasure. What she wanted was what came after the fancy wedding, a marriage to the man she vowed to spend the rest of her life with, to love and to cherish forever. The idea of becoming Nathan's wife had been planted in her heart a long time ago, and before the thought was terrifying, but now, it felt right.
Slowly she took a step forward, and then another one, getting lost in those beautiful blue eyes. As soon as she got close enough, she reached her hands up and placed one on each side of the face that took over her dreams each night. The face that made her feel safe just by knowing it was nearby. The face that always calmed her fears, and made her feel so safe. The face she wanted to just before she fell asleep and when she woke up the next morning.
Pulling his head down closer to hers, she whispered, "Today." Then claimed his lips in hers, gently showing him how much she wanted what he was offering as well. She felt him grin against and then slowly moved his hands to her waist, pulling her close and deepened the kiss. Normally a kiss like this would turn quite passionate, and one of them would have to keep things under control. This time, however, while there was passion for sure, there was tenderness, there was love and then was a promise of what their future would be together.
Hand in hand, the happy couple walked back towards the town. There was so much to think about, to plan and figure out, but instead they just enjoyed the feeling of bliss that surrounded them. Elizabeth looked down at the ring finger of her left hand and smiled. Nathan had found a discarded horseshoe nail on the trail as they'd headed home and bent it just enough to act as a ring, saying how it was only temporary, and he'd get her a better one. Elizabeth shook her head, saying nothing could be better than what he gave her right then. He hadn't been convinced and already started designing a ring specifically for her.
As they neared Elizabeth's row house, they were surprised to see Rosemary sitting on the front steps, looking slightly agitated. "Rosemary," Elizabeth called out when she was near enough, "what's wrong?"
"What's wrong, you ask? Did you know, Lucas got himself married last night and is, as we speak, on his way to Capital City with his new bride? Did you know anything about this Elizabeth?" she exclaimed.
"What? No, I don't know…" Elizabeth began to answer but was cut off by Rosemary again
"And did you know Bill is the one who preformed the ceremony? He wasn't going to tell me, but I go it out of him. The nerve of Lucas and Jessie, getting married like that, without telling me, and then just disappearing into the night like that."
"Wait, Jessie?" Elizabeth asked.
"Lucas?" Nathan asked at the same time.
"Yes, Bill helped Lucas and Jessie eloped last night, and now they are on their way to Capital City." Seeing confusion in the face of her friends, Rosemary took a breath and plopped down on the stairs, "Well, I guess you know now."
Elizabeth smiled at her friends, and then looked at Nathan. "Why don't you go get Allie and Jack from daycare and come back here." she said, with a twinkle in her eye.
Nathan leaned down gently kissed her nose, understanding the meaning behind the words, "Good luck." he whispered back before nodding to Rosemary and leaving the two friends to talk.
"Rosemary," Elizabeth began, sitting on the step next to her, "Dare I ask why this has you so worked up? Might it have to do with getting scooped again?" She smiled, hoping her friend would understand she was teasing.
"No, I am not afraid of getting scooped." Rosemary said, "Well, not entirely. Maybe yes, I am a little annoyed by that, but mostly I just don't like not knowing about these kinds of things. And after what we learned yesterday, well I couldn't sleep last night thinking about it, and wanted to find her first thing this morning and give her a hug. Tell her she has friends here, friends who care and who want to help her." Tears filled Rosemary's eyes and began sliding down her cheeks, frustrated she wiped them away, but they kept coming. "I know it sounds silly, but I just had this overwhelming need to protect her, like she was my own daughter, not a grown up lady who is my age. I just really affected me, Elizabeth. And then to find out she and Lucas got married, in secret, and left during the night. Oh!" she huffed, startling Elizabeth, "It just makes me so mad."
"Wow, that was quite the explosion of feelings there, Rosemary." Elizabeth teased.
"I don't know what came over me. Maybe it was Bill keeping things from me again." She took a deep breath and then took Elizabeth's hand in hers. "And how was your morning, dear?" she asked before feeling the object on her friend's left finger and turning her hand to see better. "Is this…?" her eyes started dancing, and she squealed, "Are you and Nathan…?"
Elizabeth smiled and began nodding, "Yes, we are." She again expected to feel nervous or a bit of panic at what she said, but there was none, just overwhelming peace and joy.
"Oh, Elizabeth," Rosemary shouted, standing up and pulling her friend with her before finishing with, "I am so happy for you" and throwing her arms around Elizabeth and twirling around together.
"Now tell me everything." she said as they made their way back to the steps.
"Let's go inside for a cup of tea and a cookie, and we can talk." Elizabeth said, taking Rosemary's arm and guiding her up the steps and through the door.
Elizabeth went to the kitchen to put the kettle on, while Rosemary grabbed two cups and the tin of cookies, and sat down at the table. Soon the kettle was boiling, and the tea was poured.
"So…" Rosemary prompted Elizabeth as she sat down, reaching out a hand to see the ring. "Wait, is this a horseshoe nail?"
Elizabeth giggled at the confused look on Rosemary's face. "Yes it is, and before you say anything, Rosemary, let me explain." She stopped for a moment, waiting for Rosemary to agree.
Elizabeth explained how they had been talking about families and how she tried to convince him to visit them during his time off. "He didn't seem too keen on that idea, but then told me that what he wanted to do was get married today and spend his time off, blending our family." She paused a moment, knowing Rosemary would want to interrupt after that statement. To her surprise, there was no interruption, so Elizabeth went on. "I told him that's what I wanted too. He found the bent nail, and put it on my finger, saying he'd get be a better one, but I don't know," she said lifting her hand and looking at the ring, "I kind of like this one."
Elizabeth had expected hysterics from Rosemary, but instead she got silent tears falling down her cheeks, again. "Rosemary," Elizabeth asked, concerned, "What's wrong?"
"Oh, nothing's wrong, Elizabeth, I am just so very happy for you. Your eyes haven't been this bright since Jack, and it makes my heart so happy to see it. I am truly, so very happy for you and Nathan. And Jack. And Allie too. You guys are going to make the perfect family." She quickly wiped the tears that had escaped off her cheek and smiled at her friend.
Seeing the confusion on Elizabeth's she reached out and took her hand, "Elizabeth, I only want what will make you happy, and while it's true I'd love to give you a big, beautiful, fancy wedding. Complete with mermaid gown, I know that isn't the right thing for you and Nathan, at this point. You need to do what's best for the four of you, and if that means a quiet, simple ceremony, that's what you shall have."
Elizabeth still wasn't entirely convinced, "Really, Rosemary? A minute ago, you were angry at Lucas for doing that exact same thing."
"I know, and I am still angry at Lucas, and maybe Jessie for pulling that stunt, but you," she stood up and walked around the table to Elizabeth, who also stood up, "This makes more sense. Plus, you told me about it before and not after you actually went through with it." The two friends, who had been through so much together, and who had shed so many tears at this very table over the years, shared more tears, but this time they were tears of absolute joy.