All of Hope Valley is in turmoil. A crowd has formed in front of the church, agitated by shocked and worried murmurs. Unsurprisingly, the news spread quickly. Especially as the whole town heard the shots exchanged between Bill and the fugitive.

Elizabeth's students have been reunited with their families. The teacher feels guilty, even though none of the teenagers' parents blame her. Quite the contrary, they're grateful to her, Nathan, and Bill for protecting their children.

A few steps from the crowd, Elizabeth is anxiously hugging Jack and Allie. Nathan is slow to come back, which makes her worried sick.

"Still nothing?" Bill asks as he returns from the jail where he has locked up the arrested gangster.

Elizabeth shakes her head.

He frowns. "I'm going to look for him."

"I'm coming with you," she says resolutely.

"Elizabeth, I don't think..."

"I'm coming with you, Bill. There's nothing you can say to talk me out of it."

Just at that moment, a Red Serge appears at the edge of the forest. Jack and Allie's eyes light up.

"Mountie Nathan!"

"Dad!"

A sigh of relief runs through the crowd as Nathan emerges from the forest on a horse, holding the reins of another horse on which a handcuffed man seems to be in a terrible mood. Jack immediately starts running toward Nathan, closely followed by Allie.

Elizabeth hesitates for a second before starting to run too. Everything around her becomes secondary. She lets her heart guide her, not caring that the whole town is watching her. All she cares about is making sure Nathan is all right—and she won't be until she holds him in her arms.

Nathan gets off his horse and hugs the two children. When Elizabeth reaches them, his embrace tightens around the three of them. The feeling is all the more intense after all the dangers they have been through today.

Elizabeth takes a step back and looks him up and down worriedly. His uniform is a bit messy and he has a few scratches, but no sign of serious injury.

"What happened to your hat?" Allie asks, examining the dirty Mountie hat now decorated with an impressive bullet hole.

Elizabeth covers her mouth. "My goodness! Nathan!"

"I'm okay, sweetheart. I'm okay," Nathan assures, kissing her temple.

Although the whole town has let them have their moment, watching from afar, a chorus of applause and cheers erupts as soon as they head back toward them.

Nathan smiles awkwardly, trying to get through the crowd quickly. He has never been comfortable with the idea of being praised for doing his job.

He hands over the horses' reins to Bill before reluctantly letting Elizabeth and the children go home with Rosemary, promising to come as soon as possible. Duty obliges him to take care of the outlaw's arrest first.

As the tension slowly drops, he does his best not to let his anger get the best of him.

"Well, that was some kind of close call today!" Bill says after locking the second cell.

Nathan sighs. "More times than I care to count."

"Thank God you came back in time."

"Something tells me I wasn't supposed to."

Bill follows Nathan's gaze toward the cells.

"I think we both agree that we can wait a little before reporting them to headquarters."

Nathan nods gravely. "I don't know exactly who's behind all this, but they've gone too far this time. I can't believe they've done this."

Since the first interrogation goes nowhere, the two lawmen decide that a night in jail will give the gangsters the opportunity to sleep on it.

"Go home," Bill tells Nathan. "I'm gonna stay and keep an eye on them tonight."

"You sure?"

"Allie, Jack, and Elizabeth need you. And you look like you need them too."

"Thanks. And thanks for today."

"Anytime, son."

***

From the doorway, Nathan and Elizabeth watch their children's relaxed features. Jack is asleep in his bed, his hand clasping Allie's fingers. The girl's head is resting in her arm on the mattress. She has fallen asleep against Jack's bed.

"Put her in her bed in the other room, she'll be more comfortable," Elizabeth suggests.

Nathan takes his daughter in his arms and carries her to her bedroom, laying her gently on her bed before covering her with the blanket.

"I love you, Dad," Allie whispers, half-asleep.

"I love you too, Allie. More than anything."

As he closes the door behind him, Elizabeth emerges from Jack's room after kissing her son goodnight.

They look at each other. Their children, the most precious thing in their lives, are safe. This is the only thing that matters tonight.

With this reassuring thought, they walk down the stairs together.

"Make yourself comfortable, I'm going to get us some apple juice," Elizabeth tells Nathan, noticing that he hasn't even taken the time to take off his uniform yet.

Nathan manages to take off his cross-strap and belt but winces as he unbuttons his serge.

"Here, let me help you. Is it your shoulder?" Elizabeth asks as she finishes unbuttoning the tunic and helps him take it off.

"It's nothing. The pain flares up a little bit sometimes. Today didn't really help."

"Oh, Nathan, I had no idea... You should have Faith take a look at it."

"This can wait till tomorrow," he replies, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her close. "Nothing, and certainly not that silly shoulder, is going to stop me from being with you tonight."

Nathan's hands tighten around Elizabeth's waist. She grabs his suspenders and pulls him closer, bringing their lips together. Tangling his fingers in her hair, he deepens the kiss. They don't pull away until they run out of breath.

They finally sit on the couch with a blanket over their legs and a carafe of apple juice in front of them.

"How were the other kids?" Nathan asks.

"They were all pretty shocked. I think hearing the shots without knowing what was going on outside was the hardest part, especially for Allie. Faith plans to take time with each of them to talk. Thank God none of them got hurt, I would never have forgiven myself..."

"Hold on, none of this was your fault, I hope you know that."

"I can't help but think that all this wouldn't have happened if I hadn't tried to dig. I should have let justice take its course."

"What kind of justice do you get with people who send men to take kids hostage in a school?"

"I know, but... Not only have I put the safety of my students and my son at risk, but I've also brought gangsters to town. I could have lost so much more than some papers today. We're trying to fight someone who has no limits. How are we supposed to win? Who knows what will come next? I seriously wonder if we shouldn't stop there."

"You mean giving up? Let them spread lies about Jack and blame him for a crime he didn't commit?"

"Jack is dead. Everyone who matters knows his value. He wouldn't want any of this to happen."

"It's your call, but can you at least let us try to find out what these men know? The information they have could be our chance to put an end to all this and prevent anything like this from happening again."

"Just promise me you'll let go if we have to. I don't want you taking any more risks for me."

"You have my word, sweetheart. But you can't ask me to never take risks for you again, because you know I can't do that." He brushes his fingers along Elizabeth's cheek, looking deep into her eyes. "You've been so courageous today."

"So were all the children. And so were you. I knew everything would be okay as soon as I saw you coming out of the school."

Nathan's lips land softly on hers, giving her all the warmth and tenderness she needs. She closes her eyes, convinced that it doesn't matter if the bad guys win or if the world falls apart as long as she has him.

"I'd better go, you should get some rest," Nathan says softly as he begins to get up.

Elizabeth holds him back. "Please, can you stay?"

Far be it from him to argue—God knows he was secretly hoping for this answer.

Sitting back on the couch, he wraps his arm around Elizabeth's shoulders and she cuddles up to him. He rests his head on hers and adjusts the blanket. Closing her eyes again, she lets herself be lulled by his heartbeat.

For the first time all day, Nathan's anger really seems to be fading. The bad guys are in jail, the woman he loves is in his arms and the kids are asleep upstairs. Almost everything seems to be in the right place.

And he is hopeful that everything that isn't yet will soon be solved.

***

When the first rays of daylight awaken them, Nathan and Elizabeth have barely moved. They are still on Elizabeth's couch, in a surprisingly comfortable position. Her head is resting on his chest and his arm is around her waist.

"Hey you," Elizabeth says as she adjusts the blanket which has slightly slipped.

"Sleep well?" Nathan asks in a morning voice, rubbing a hand over his face.

"Not much, but pretty good. And you?"

"I don't see how my night could have been any better," he smiles, holding her a little tighter.

His gaze pierces her as he contemplates every inch of her face. He reaches out his hand to play with her hair.

"Although this is highly unseemly of us," he whispers, his voice playful but still deep.

Elizabeth nods, pursing her lips in amusement. "Absolutely scandalous."

They both let out a chuckle. None of them feels the least bit ashamed. What wrong could they have done by being there for each other when they needed to?

Yet they startle and pull away slightly when they hear footsteps coming down the stairs.

Jack walks over to the couch, Allie close behind him.

"Good morning Mom, good morning Mountie Nathan," the boy naturally says in a sleepy voice while Allie suppresses a smile at the sight of her father and her teacher in the same clothes as the night before.

"Good morning kids," Nathan greets them.

As Jack climbs onto their laps, Elizabeth shifts to make room for Allie beside her. She wraps an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer. Jack joins in the hug and Nathan wraps his arms around all three of them.

Elizabeth and Nathan smile at each other. What better way to start the day than with a family time full of love and tenderness? They could definitely get used to this.

"Are you okay, Allie?" Elizabeth asks, gently stroking the girl's shoulder.

"I think I am."

"I'm so sorry for what happened."

"It's not your fault, Mrs. Thornton, you have nothing to apologize for. Actually, you did everything to protect us. They are the villains of the story. You're the hero."

Nathan squeezes Elizabeth's hand. "She's right."

"Mountie Nathan, you are a hero too!" Jack adds.

"Yeah, Jack, they're both heroes," Allie agrees. "We're lucky to have them."

Jack's rumbling stomach punctuates this emotional moment. Nathan offers to take care of breakfast while Elizabeth heads upstairs to change in her room.

He has barely started cooking when Jack walks up to him.

"Mountie Nathan, do you want me to share my Mountie hat with you? It has no hole in it."

Nathan pauses and looks at the boy, deeply touched. "Well, that's very kind of you, Jack. I know how much this hat means to you."

"It was my dad's."

"That's what makes it even more special. Thank you very much, Jack, but it's yours," he declines gently. "Besides, I don't have much luck with hats, so you'd better keep it safe." He winks. "I'm going to order a new one and should receive it soon."

"Okay, but isn't it weird, a Mountie without a hat?"

"It's not the hat that makes the Mountie, you know. What makes a Mountie is right here," Nathan says, pointing to the boy's heart.

Jack looks at him with wide eyes and nods, seemingly catching the deep meaning of his words.

And then he shrugs. "Still, I think it's weird, a Mountie without a Mountie hat."

Allie bursts out laughing while Nathan stares at Jack speechless, not knowing how to react.

Just then, someone knocks on the door. Elizabeth comes down the stairs, missing Nathan's gaze on her as she quickly goes to open the door to her best friend and neighbor. With Goldie in her arms, Rosemary barely hides an amused smile as she sees that Nathan and Allie are already here.

"Good morning, happy house! We just came to check on you."

Elizabeth invites her in and, unsurprisingly, it doesn't take long for Rosemary to switch to reporter mode and ask the burning question.

"So, is there anything new? Did they talk?" She asks Nathan.

"Not yet. But they will today. And they'd better do it quickly, because I'm not planning to spend my Saturday with them."

"Oh, I wouldn't like to be in their shoes. Standing between a man and his family... They'd better watch out."

Nathan exchanges a glance with Elizabeth. Rosemary has a point: he wants to wrap up this interrogation as soon as possible and get back to his loved ones. This day has started so well, and he doesn't intend to let any gangster spoil it for him.

***

The night in jail seems to have had an effect on only one of the two gangsters. Unfortunately, the bandana man who is ready to talk doesn't have much to say that Bill and Nathan haven't already understood. The one who almost shot Nathan was right: he alone knows the whole plan.

This is why they are trying hard to get him to talk. The man has even been taken out of his cell and tied to a chair. But he is still refusing to talk, defying them with provocative comments. The interrogation is dragging on, the two lawmen are losing patience, and the gentle way is clearly not working.

Tired of not getting any results, Bill puts on the menacing look that has proved his worth so many times.

"You know, although I do apply the Law for a living, sometimes I like not having to follow conventional methods. No one knows you're here. These cells are officially empty. Officially, no interrogation is taking place. Which means we're free to do absolutely anything we want to get you talking. Not to mention that you're now more of an inconvenience to whoever sent you, so I wouldn't just worry about us if I were you."

"You don't know what you're talking about," the outlaw retorts scornfully.

"Maybe you're right. But you don't seem to understand, so let me rephrase that: not only is no one protecting you, but your boss—the one you tell us to fear so much—is probably not very happy about your failure. So tell me, you who seem to know everything, what will he do when he finds out?"

"Come on, tell them everything," his accomplice begs against the bars of his cell.

He rolls his eyes and shrugs. "We came for the documents."

Bill suppresses a huffing breath. "We know that. Don't play with me, you're only gonna lose. What we want you to tell us is who sent you and how that person knew about these documents."

"Well, I don't know, mate. Maybe you should tell the pretty teacher she better be careful when she talks on the phone."

"And you better watch your mouth," Nathan says with a cold stare that Bill doesn't remember ever seeing on his face.

The man smirks, then immediately loses his confidence at Nathan's threatening expression. The Mountie looks straight into his eyes, slowly moving closer to his face, his hands resting on the chair's armrests. Something about him sends a shiver down the gangster's spine.

"Listen to me carefully, mate. You've messed with the wrong town. I don't know who told you about Hope Valley, but they obviously failed to mention that here we look after our own. You've attacked our children and our teacher in our school. You're trying to damage the memory of a hero who means a lot to the folks around here. You've harmed people I hold close to my heart. And you..." Nathan moves even closer, now just an inch away from his face, watching his eyes widen slightly. "...shot my hat."

Nathan's cold tone makes the man gulp and look down, unable to hold his gaze any longer.

"So let me tell you that you have absolutely no idea what you've gotten yourself into. The judge is right, there are people lining up to break your neck, and I will gladly be the first. It's a very tempting way to send a clear message to your boss. But if you decide to tell me everything you know, and be very specific, maybe you can change my mind. It all depends on how convincing you can be."

"Okay, mate, take it easy. I mean, Constable," the gangster quickly rectifies at Nathan's raised eyebrow. "All we had to do was take the documents and intimidate the schoolteacher, and then drop them to some guy in Union City. The kids weren't part of the plan at all." Nathan raises another impatient eyebrow when he doesn't talk quickly enough for his liking. The chair moves back slightly, startling the man. "Sh- Shaw! It's Shaw, Shaw sent us. I just did it for the money, it was supposed to be an easy job! I'd been told there'd be no Mountie in town."

Bill and Nathan exchange a frown.

"Casimir Shaw is in prison," the judge says.

"You think the clink took away her power?" The outlaw replies, having regained some of his composure. "It's going to take a lot more than that to beat her, because that chick's got support in all the right places."

"Care to elaborate?"

"That's what everyone's been saying. I know nothing more, I swear!" He backs away uneasily in his chair, avoiding Nathan's gaze.

Bill sighs and puts him back in his cell while Nathan walks out of the office to get some fresh air. He runs a hand through his hair, fighting a sudden urge to chop wood.

"Bad Mountie, worse Mountie—that seems to work. I'll keep that in mind," Bill says as he steps out onto the boardwalk. "You're okay?"

"Yeah, um.... I just need to calm down a little."

Bill nods empathically. "Take your time, I'm gonna call Elizabeth and Rosemary. Come to my office when you feel ready."

"Hey, you're not going to leave us alone, are you?" The bandana man's anxious call comes from inside the jail. "Please, can you at least lock the door behind you? I believe you, I don't think it's safe here!"

"Will you shut up already?" His accomplice growls.

Bill laughs. "Never thought Hope Valley would one day look this terrifying."