"When is Mountie Nathan coming back, Mom?" Jack asks as he helps Elizabeth wipe the chalkboard after school.

"In a day or two, honey bear. He only left yesterday."

"It's too long!"

She is well aware of that. Since the moment he left, Nathan has been in every one of her prayers, and she's counting the hours until his return.

"I know, sweetie. But when he comes back, you can show him all the progress you're going to make with Pal and your godfather Bill. I'm sure he will be very impressed!"

"I guess so..."

Noticing her son's lack of enthusiasm, Elizabeth pauses. "You miss him, don't you?"

"It's not the same without him..." Jack sighs. "And also... I don't want him to get hurt. What if it's dangerous?"

Little does he know how much his mother can relate to his fear.

"There is something we both know for sure: he is a very good Mountie. He is well trained, and experienced. It's normal to be worried, I know you care about him, but I think he can handle any situation of danger. He'll be okay."

He'd better prove her right.

"I guess it's true," Jack replies. "Can we go get Pal now? If I do well, maybe Mountie Nathan will take me for a ride with Sergeant and Newton!"

"Of course, honey bear, just give me a moment. Can you please tap the rag outside while I finish tidying my desk?"

"Okay, Mom!"

Elizabeth's lips stretch into a soft smile as she sees that Jack's enthusiasm is back.

Like every Friday, and despite the rainy weather outside, most students rushed out the doors right after class ended. Only a few of them are still here. In a corner of the room, Allie, Angela, Opal, and Emily are chatting about the sleepover they've planned for tomorrow night.

Toby puts his math homework on his teacher's desk and joins Cooper and Timmy, who are waiting for him at the door. Elizabeth smiles as the boys eagerly head outside. The sky finally seems to be clearing for the first time all day. But while the rain that has been falling since the morning appears to have stopped, the wind doesn't seem to be calming down.

She finishes putting her books in her basket while glancing at Toby's homework, genuinely proud of the progress he keeps making.

"Um, Mrs. Thornton?" Cooper calls hesitantly.

"Yes, Cooper? I thought you were out-"

Elizabeth looks up and freezes. The three boys are back inside, along with a man—an armed man.

"This man says he wants to talk to you," Timmy says in an uncertain voice.

Angela is the first to sense that something is up. She nudges Allie, who looks at her before following her questioning nod toward the aisle. Three pairs of eyes widen as the girls realize that a man is holding their friends at gunpoint.

A loud gasp escapes their lips.

"Get out the side door!" Elizabeth cries out to them.

But the door opens on another man, making it impossible to escape.

"I'd stay still, if I were you," the one behind the boys warns. "Don't do anything stupid."

"Why are there kids?" The second man asks uncomfortably, adjusting his bandana over his nose. "It was supposed to be just her."

"Shut up! Everybody to the back of the room!"

Elizabeth makes the teenagers gather behind her, stretching out protective arms in front of them. She looks for Jack but doesn't see him. She restrains the urge to call him, hoping he has run away or is hiding somewhere safe.

"Whatever you want, leave the children out of it," she begs, trying to understand what these two men and their guns can possibly be doing in a church.

"They weren't supposed to be there!" The second man defends himself.

"This is a school, mate, what did you expect?" His accomplice retorts, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"But I thought-"

"We've been over this, mate, you've got to stop trying to think."

"Gentlemen!" Elizabeth interrupts them in her teacher's voice, making them both obediently turn to her. "Can you please just put your guns away?"

The more threatening of the two men laughs, followed by the other, but she doesn't give up.

"Let the children go."

"This is too late now, we can't let them go until you've given us what we want."

"I'm afraid you won't find any money here."

"We don't want your money."

"What do you want?"

Elizabeth winces. Saying this sentence in this place gives her a strange impression.

"You're in possession of documents you're not supposed to have. If you give them to us, everyone will go home safe and sound."

Her heart jumps in her chest. How can they know?

Without a second thought, she puts her student's safety first. "They're not here. Let the children go, and I'll go get what you came for."

The gangster breaks into an ugly laugh. "You're in no position to negotiate, lady. We play by our rules. And our rules, you see, are that you come with me to get the papers, while my friend keeps the kids company."

He grabs her arm and she immediately pulls away, holding his gaze.

"I'm not leaving them alone."

"What makes you think you have a choice?" The man grabs her arm again, tightening his grip and threateningly pulling her closer to his face.

"Mrs. Thornton, it's okay," Angela says. "Go with him, we'll be all right."

"Yes, don't worry Mrs. Thornton," Allie adds, hugging a terrified Opal.

"No, I'm not going anywhere."

"Should I ask you to reconsider?" He points his gun at the teenagers and releases the safety catch.

Elizabeth steps between the man and her students. "Don't! I'll come with you." She turns to the children. "You're all very brave, I'm so sorry you got caught up in this. I'll be back very soon," she promises them before being dragged away by the gangster.

Elizabeth closes her eyes in a silent prayer. She has never been exposed to such intense stress. It's not the first time she has been threatened at gunpoint, but she can't bear to see the children involved.

"If I'm not back in 10 minutes... You know what to do," the man tells his accomplice as he pauses in the doorway. "And you... You better not try anything," he whispers in Elizabeth's ear, sending a shiver down her spine.

With the gangster walking beside her, Elizabeth struggles to maintain a natural gait as they make their way across town to Bill's office. The man gives her one more menacing look before letting her knock on the door and go in alone.

Bill greets her as he finishes writing something at his desk. "Sorry, I know I'm late, I got caught up in all-" He looks up. "Jack's not with you?"

"No, I'm sorry but I don't think we can make it today. I came because I need the papers... Rosemary asked me to check something."

Bill frowns. "Of course. Give me a second, I'll get them."

He stands up and walks over to a cupboard. While rummaging in a drawer, he glances out the window.

He looks down again, still pretending to be searching for the documents even though he knows exactly where they are. "Who is it?"

"W- What?"

"This man, outside," Bill replies, putting a hand on his gun.

Elizabeth shakes her head, her eyes begging him not to do anything. "I really need the papers, Bill. I can't-"

"Is he threatening to hurt Jack?"

She sighs. "There are two of them, the other is at school with the children. Please just give me the papers."

Bill nods calmly, the exact opposite of how he is feeling inside. He returns to his desk, takes the precious envelope, and hands it to Elizabeth.

He looks into her eyes. "I'll be right behind you."

***

Meanwhile, Nathan arrives in sight of Hope Valley. He is frustrated to have made all this trip for nothing, but not sorry to return home already. If the weather was bad all the way, it was even worse in the mountains where the training was supposed to take place. So bad, in fact, that there was no choice but to call off the session. As soon as the decision was made to cancel rather than postpone it, he mounted Newton and rode off.

As he usually does, he stops for a moment to look at the town. He smiles as he thinks of the surprise awaiting his favorite people. He has been planning their weekend all his way home, the first thing on his mind being to take them to dinner at the café tonight. Then he will have the rest of the weekend to spend time with Allie, take Jack fishing and give Elizabeth a romantic evening. All while having time to settle the Jack Thornton case.

Just then, he spots Jack running across the meadow—alone. Shading his eyes with one hand, Nathan squints. The boy doesn't seem to be playing. His Mountie sense instantly tells him that something is not right.

The moment he sees him, Jack starts running in his direction, waving his arms and calling his name. "Mountie Nathan! Mountie Nathan!"

Nathan flicks Newton's reins and quickly covers the distance to the boy. He is immediately struck by his distressed look.

The Mountie jumps off his horse and lowers himself to the child's level. "Jack, what is it?"

"A group of men came to the school. They have guns."

Nathan's blood runs cold.

"Are you hurt?"

Jack shakes his head. "I hid behind the steps. I didn't know what to do."

"You did good. Can you tell me how many men you saw? And do you remember who is at the school?"

"I don't know, but I saw two horses, I think. When I got outside, there was Allie, Cooper, Opal..."

Nathan's heart aches when he hears his daughter's name. But he doesn't have time to let Jack make a complete list.

"What about your mom?"

"A man took her."

The Mountie's teeth clench so hard they could shatter. "Did you see where he went?"

"Over there." The boy points in the direction of the town. "You're going to save her, right?"

Nathan nods both seriously and gently. "You're very, very brave, Jack. I need you to do one more thing for me, do you think you can do that?"

"What is it?"

"You're going to run to the daycare without going through the main street and tell the adult in charge not to go out under any circumstances. I want you to stay there with the other kids, all right?"

"Yes, Mountie Nathan."

He hugs Jack. "You're great. I'll come and get you with your mom as soon as this is over."

After making sure Jack has reached the town safely, Nathan first heads for the school. If Elizabeth is in town, the gangster is less likely to try anything.

Leaving Newton at a safe distance, he passes two horses tied behind the school and quietly moves to the side door. Glancing through the window, he sees his daughter and her friends, all seated under the coat racks. He cranes his neck and spots a man nervously pacing back and forth. He is wearing a bandana and holding a gun in his hand, but fortunately not pointing it at the children.

Nathan is definitely going to need more than all his years of Mountie training to keep his cool. What kind of human beings attack a school? Definitely the kind to watch out for.

He has no time to get help; he will have to act alone and as quickly as possible. He skirts the school to the front doors, putting down his gun at the foot of the steps.

"Sir, I'm Constable Grant, can we talk?" He calls out as he cautiously climbs the steps.

"Go away! I've got the kids!"

Nathan's jaw tightens. "Look, I'm sure we can find some common ground if you tell me what you want. You can come out to talk or let me in, I'm not armed."

"I said go away!"

Nathan can sense the panic and uncertainty in the gangster's voice. His jaw loosens slightly. Here is his leverage.

"I'm sure you want as much as I do to find a solution without harming the kids. Please let me help you."

After a moment of hesitant silence, he hears noise coming from inside the school, and finally one door opens on Allie who immediately wraps her arms around him.

"Dad, there's another one, he's got Mrs. Thornton."

"It's okay, kiddo, everything's gonna be okay."

Nathan keeps his hands up while the gangster makes sure he is no longer armed, then lets his arms fall back around Allie. He comes in and lets the door close behind him, focusing first on the teenagers.

"Hey kids, are you all okay? Nobody's hurt?"

They all look at him and shake their heads, a mixture of hope and relief in their eyes contrasting with the dried tears on some of their faces. He reassures them with a fatherly look. He won't let anything bad happen to them—they know it.

"It's your daughter?" The man with the bandana asks.

"Yes, and you can be sure I won't do anything that would put her in danger." As he speaks, Nathan moves between the man and the children and pushes Allie behind him. "You got kids?"

"Soon." He takes a watch out of his pocket and checks it. "My misses is expecting our first one."

"So soon you'll know. All you'll want to do is protect your innocent little one. And your family will need you with them, not in jail for your kid's entire childhood."

The man looks at the children with an unsettled expression.

"You don't want to do anything you'll regret, do you?" Nathan continues. "Tell me what you want."

The gangster hesitates again, then sighs. "The evidence. We've come for the evidence."

Nathan frowns. "What evidence?" He asks cautiously.

"I just know that the teacher has it. And she should be back with it any minute." The man glances nervously at his watch again, then out the door lite.

Nathan follows his gaze. "You'll go as soon as you get what you want?"

"I swear I will."

He extends his neck, looking into the distance. "Is that your friend wearing a hat?"

Just as Nathan expected, the man frowns and steps toward the doors.

The Mountie takes advantage of this moment of carelessness to sneak up on him and disarm him. He quickly handcuffs and ties him to a bench, gagging him with his bandana.

Putting the man's gun in his own holster, he makes sure the children are all right. "It's okay, you're safe now."

"Hey mate, I got it!" A man's voice calls out from outside. "Come on, let's get out of here!"

"You're all going to go into the back room and stay there until I come back to get you out," Nathan quietly tells the teenagers before moving toward the front doors.

Outside the school, the gangster is losing patience. "For Pete's sake! What's wrong with this guy?" He grumbles.

Elizabeth stares at the school with a worried look. Her heart skips a beat when she glimpses the shadow of a familiar hat. She blinks, afraid that her anxiety is making her hallucinate. But the gun she spots on the ground seems quite real.

When Nathan shoulders one door open, there is no longer any doubt.

"What is he doing here? That wasn't the plan," the gangster whispers loud enough for Elizabeth to hear.

"Drop your gun and let her go!" Nathan orders coldly, pointing a gun at him.

Elizabeth's sigh of relief gets stuck in her throat when the man turns his weapon toward Nathan, holding her with one arm under her neck.

"You drop your gun!" He barks.

"I'd do as he says if I were you," Bill's voice comes from behind his back, startling him.

A wave of panic crosses his face when he sees the judge's gun pointed at him, but he quickly masks it. "You'll do nothing as long as I've got the pretty teacher with me." He turns his gun to press it against Elizabeth's cheek. "Guess you're coming with me, sweetheart."

As he starts backing toward the side of the school, Nathan and Bill exchange an anguished glance.

"Hey! What will your boss say when we get your accomplice to talk? I doubt he'll be happy," Bill comments and the gangster turns to him.

"That poor guy?" He smirks scornfully. "You can try, he knows nothing."

While his attention is on Bill, Nathan swiftly jumps over the railing and lands behind them. The gangster turns around and almost shoots Nathan, but Elizabeth grabs his arm and pulls it down, sending the shot into the ground.

She tries to hold him back as best she can, but he pulls away forcefully. He pushes her into Nathan's arms and begins to run away, clumsily looking back and firing blind.

Calling out her name, Nathan throws himself over Elizabeth to shield her from the shots. They both fall to the ground and roll over, ending up face to face.

Above their heads, bullets keep flying between the judge and the gangster. The shooting stops just as the man disappears behind the school. Bill rushes to his friends with concern.

Nathan rolls over and faces the sky, finally allowing himself to breathe.

"Nathan, are you hurt?" Elizabeth immediately asks.

"I'm good. Are you?" He replies as he sits up, more shaken emotionally than physically.

She shakes her head and hugs him, pulling away one second later. Nathan reads her questions in her eyes.

"The kids are okay, and Jack is safe too. He's at the daycare."

She doesn't need more to get back into his arms, tightening her embrace.

Nathan looks up at Bill. "There's another one handcuffed in the school. The kids are in the back room."

The judge nods and quickly heads up the steps.

"I was so scared to lose you," Nathan whispers, cupping Elizabeth's face.

"I'm here, I'm okay, thanks to Bill and you." She looks into his eyes. "I'm so relieved you're back."

"I am too, and I'd love to stay like this with you, but I have to..." He glances in the direction the gangster left.

"Sure, I'll be fine, go."

"I'll be right back," he says like a promise, pressing a kiss on her forehead.

Without wasting any time, Nathan gets on the second horse left behind by the gangster and goes after him. True to his reputation as one of the best trackers in the territory, it doesn't take long for him to catch up with the man. But the forest's density makes shooting difficult and forces him to reduce the distance between them before trying anything.

He soon gets close enough to gallop alongside him. "It's over now, you'd better stop!"

"You wish, mate!" The gangster brandishes his gun at him, trying hard to aim and stabilize his arm.

Quickly rising on the horse, Nathan jumps.

At the same moment, a shot rings out.

A flock of birds flies off before silence falls again on the forest.