Chapter 6:

Nurse Carter came in with a bundle of cloth. "Elina, your brother said you would fix these curtains. They've been ripped for a while and I haven't had time to mend them," Faith said, holding them out to her.

Elina took them and examined the rip. "Tell him I will have them ready by tomorrow morning. I'll drop by around seven." She said, Nurse Carter nodded and left.

Elina then sat down on a chair in the corner and started sewing, taking a needlebook and white thread out of a bag which she had brought over. Bill sighed as she sat down. Jack and Bill kept on looking at her and at each other.

"Do you want me to leave?" she asked, still looking at the curtains. "I can be trusted. How else do you think the Moun- Nevermind. But you can trust me." she said.

Bill and Jack looked surprised.

"You can stay." Jack said.

Bill looked at him. "She's a girl," he said.

A girl that saved my life." Jack said, shrugging as if he didn't see the problem with it. "So what was it that you wanted to tell me?" Jack asked Bill, daring him to say more.

"Fine, the Lyson gang is up and running again. They want revenge." Bill said.

"Thomas Lyson swore to kill you after you killed his father. So after a year Tom, Jake, and Mark Holmes. Oh, Mark Holmes was the newest member of the gang. Jake met him in jail." Elina said.

The men looked at her in surprise. "How do you know that?" Bill said sternly.

"Daddy used to talk about them a lot before he died. I know Mark Holmes personally. He was Daddy's informant. When he was put in jail for forgery, I wasn't surprised. Mark always had an evil look about him. There's something else I should tell you. Once when Daddy and Mark were on a chase, Mark shot down the criminal in cold blood and didn't look the least bit sorry." She finished.

"Woah, you know a lot more than I thought you would.'' Jack said.

''So what are we-no you going to do about it?" She asked, smiling sheepishly.

Bill and Jack looked at each other smiling. "How old are you?" Bill asked.

"15" she said, frowning.

"Well, I can't see a good reason why she shouldn't come with us. Of course, you will have to tell Carson." he said.

"He won't mind. He and I used to sneak into the gang camps and burn their tents all the time." she said smiling.

"What else have you done that is normally dangerous?" Jack asked, laughing.

"Well, I jumped down cliffs. I only did that by myself, I've led a wolf pack into the smugglers camp. That was awesome. Hmm what else oh and I know how to take bullets out. Daddy liked getting shot." she said smiling.

Jack laughed. "So when my ribs heal we will be on our way to find the Lyson gang," he said.

"Umm. What if they find us first?" Elina said.

"Then we will be in big trouble." Bill said.

Sadly, they were the ones being hunted.

From the Lyson's Gang Pov

Tom Lyson laid out his plan. "We want Bill Avery and we don't like Mounties. So we get rid of both with one stone. We find someone who is important to them and threaten to shoot. We offer a trade. There are three of us, but no one can shoot better than Mark right?" Tom looked at Mark who was shaking his head.

"Before I was bad, I taught a girl everything I knew. She practices enough so she is better than me. She only lives a couple miles away from Hope Valley with her Pa. I heard that her Pa died and she is there now." He finished.

"Well, Mark, you can have the honor of taking the girl," he said.

Mark looked stunned, he should have seen it coming. He nodded. "When?" Jake asked.

"Tomorrow." Tom Lyson said.

Back To Hope Valley

It was the next day when Elina decided to take a walk with Cody. "Cody, I want you to go home now." Elina said icily.

"Why?'' he whispered.

"Someone is following us. Go get Carson and tell him to tell Bill that the Lyson's are here. Now run." She pushed him off.

He ran like the wind. After Cody left, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around. It was Mark. He threw her against the wall of the back of the general store. This broke the shoulder of her gun hand. She could of course use her other hand but she had her knife. She grunted in pain.

"Elina, listen I am going to stab you in the arm and wipe the blood over your neck so it looks like you're dead. Ok. I don't want to kill you. Can you just pretend until we're gone?"

"No. But if I kill you we won't have this problem. Anyway, why don't I stab you first." she said her voice was like iron.

"I'm sorry." Mark said.

As he slit her arm. She screamed. He then wiped the blood all over her face. (They had done this before he turned bad as a prank.) She had collapsed in a heap now.

Mark was about to run off when there was a gunshot and he fell, dead. Bill Avery ran to Elina. He could see a line of blood all over her face.

"Jack is going to kill me if you're dead," he said.

"Then I wish I was," Elina said, smiling as she stood up. "He stabbed my arm and wiped the blood over my face. We did it once before as a prank" she said smiling. "The most painful thing right now is my shoulder though if I can get it into a splint I will be fine." she said walking towards the jail with Bill. "So what happened?" she asked silently.

"Well, I was on my rounds when Cody ran up to me and said you needed help." Bill said.

"What about Jack?" Elina said, breaking into a run. They ran into the jail to see Jake and Thomas Lyson holding guns to Jack and Elizabeth. "Jack!" Elina said as the gang whipped around. "You come any closer we'll kill you." Tom said. "We have Mark. He is one of the best gunslingers around. How about a trade?" Elina said. The gang member's faltered. "Who are you?" he asked. Elina knew her name would be a give away if Mark had told them about her. Bill seemed to be thinking the same thing. "Mia Thatcher, Elizabeth's my aunt." she said, smiling. Elizabeth nodded. Tom looked to Jack and Bill who nodded.

"Please leave them alone." Elina said. "We have one of the best gunmen with us. So if you want to take him leave us alone." she said. Tom shook his head. "Tom, I want to thank you. Now that you have rejected our trade we do this my way." Elina said. Jack, Bill, and Elizabeth looked up at that. "Which is?" Jack said. "Quiet you," Jake said as he kicked him again. Jack gasped again. "Mr. Avery can you please put Jake in a cell." Elina asked before she shoved Tom out onto the streets. People gasped as she came out. Tom knew not to fight her or else so he complied. "Off the streets." she yelled at the townspeople. They all moved quickly. "Tom Lyson, we are going to take this to a shootout. You kill me or I kill you." she said walking backwards thirty paces.

"You're bluffing" he snarled. "If I'm bluffing, then you have nothing to be scared of" she said, her voice like lead. She turned toward him. They put their hands on their guns. They both drew and shot. Elina swayed to the sides as she shot so Tom's bullet missed her. Tom Lyson wasn't so lucky. He fell dead. Elina ran to get Carson. He came with her. "Tom's dead." she said as she went to sit next to Elizabeth who was crying. Jack was unconscious as Carson and Bill brought him back to the infirmary.

Elina dutifully walked Elizabeth back home. "He'll be ok, you know. Mounties even when they're not Shepherds don't die easily. Especially, if they have such a pretty lady who will murder them if they die." Elina said, smiling. Elizabeth laughed. "I know Jack will be ok but, Elina, why did you do that? You could have gotten hurt or killed." she said. "I just wanted you to know that even though I have been here for around three days, I don't think I'll ever leave." she said, sighing.

The Return of Hamilton

a When Calls the Heart Fanfiction

Jack Thorton's cracked ribs healed after a couple of months. Elina was working at the jail and school part time. She loved to go hunting with them. Jack and Bill wouldn't admit it but she was pretty good. Elina was doing a very nice job tutoring Philip, so well in fact that Mr. Cantrell invited her to spend the evening. That is where she is now.

"Then Sergeant Sheperd leaped over the deep gully filled with muck. He started shooting from the inside and was the key to winning that battle. He was promoted to Sergeant Major of the platoon." Elina finished telling about a battle her dad fought in. Philip's eyes were glowing. The clock dinged eight.

"Well, I must be going. Elizabeth said I had to be home by eight-fifteen. Thank You, Philip and Mr. Cantrell. I had a wonderful evening.." she said smiling.

"Bye. Thank You for coming." Mr. Cantrell said.

"Tomorrow at school can you tell me more stories?" Philip asked eagerly.

Elina nodded laughing.

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in." Mr. Cantrell said.

Mountie Jack was in the doorway. ''I was wondering if I could take back Elina?" he said jokingly.

Elina gave him a hug and left with him. "Jack, who's Billy Hamilton?" she asked curiously.

Jack turned on her, his eyes keen. "Why? What do you know?" he said.

"Well, I saw Mr. Crane, you know the miner who has been trying to get Ms. Thatcher to go out to dinner with him, taking a walk around midnight. I saw him leave town so I followed him. I heard him talking to someone named Billy Hamilton. He said they would do as much as kidnap her and get a ransom from her family. Jack, I'm scared." She finished, walking faster.

Jack matched her pace. "Billy Hamilton made Elizabeth fall for him. She almost married him except just in time she discovered him. She was mad at me for trying to protect her for the longest time." he said.

Elina looked at him, there were tears in his eyes. She grabbed his hand.