When Calls the Heart: Jack and Elizabeth's Reunion

Her Rescue

"No!" Jack yelled as he took a couple steps forward, but Nate pointed the gun at him and it made him stop. Jack had never, ever heard Elizabeth cry out in such pain before. When she had delivered their son, she fought it. It was hard to listen to on the other side of the door, especially when he couldn't be there with her. But this.... this was very different. This was torture for both of them. She felt the pain, and he had to watch.

"I'll say it again. Get rid of your men," Nate told him.

Jack turned to each one of his comrades and gave them all a nod to leave. He felt useless. They all had weapons to use against Nate. ONE MAN! But Jack had no idea what he had planned for Elizabeth, so when he saw that he was more than threatening her, what could they do? They couldn't risk it.

"Put down your weapons," Nate ordered. "All of them."

Jack looked to Elizabeth as he took off his gun holster and put down his big rifle. She was crying. All he wanted to do was to take her in his arms and tell her it was going to be all right. After he dropped his weapons on the ground, he pleaded with the villain. "Please, Nate. Just let her go." He watched in horror as Nate pressed the cigar to her skin again. "No!" Jack yelled. Tears were springing up in his eyes. He was failing the woman he loved. He couldn't believe it!

"Let's not talk about your wife for right now, so stop begging for her release!" Nate yelled.

"How good of a shot are you, Frank?" Bill asked. They were watching from a distance. This just couldn't go on.

"Very good," Frank replied. "But if we take a kill shot, Nate might reflexively shoot her. I don't want to risk that."

"Who said anything about killing him?" Bill asked.

Jack held is hands up in defense. "Hey! Look, it's just you and me. I'm not trying to fool you. Let's just talk about this." He had to get Nate's mind off of hurting Elizabeth. He had to distract him. "If you wanna talk, then let's talk."

"I want you to pay for all the years I was in prison because of you!"

"Then take the fight to me!" Jack yelled, hopefully thinking that Nate will want to step away from his wife and make the fight between them, and keep her out of it.

Nate roared with laughter. "Oh, but this is so much more fun. Watching the woman you love get hurt right before your eyes and you being helpless to save her from such pain." Right when Nate was going to burn her again, a gunshot rang out and pierced his arm that his hand held the cigar, but because of the pain, he didn't have any choice but to drop both the cigar and the gun in his other hand and cry out in pain.

"No! Stop!" Jack yelled when he saw Nate was going to burn Elizabeth again, but a gunshot fired and Nate went down, dropping both the gun and the cigar. Now was his chance! He leaped onto the porch and grabbed him by his shirt lapels and dragged him away from Elizabeth. Nate seemed to regain some strength for he was all of a sudden struggling to regain control of the situation. Jack would not have it. Nate would die before he ever touched his wife or anyone else ever again. 

Jack pinned Nate to the ground and started laying punch after punch to his face. Suddenly, Nate took hold of Jack's jacket and managed to roll him over so that Nate could stand up to face his opponent. Nate advanced, swinging is good arm at Jack, but Jack easily blocked it, ducking, and then as he straightened again, Jack landed a fist right into Nate's stomach, good and hard.

All the breath seemed to exit Nate's body and Jack grabbed Nate's shirt, righted him, and landed a hard punch to his face. It caused Nate to stumble back and he rolled on the ground until he started reaching for Jack gun holster. Jack dove on the ground as he heard the gun click, readying to be shot and he rolled until he grabbed his rifle, cocked it, paused to aim and before Nate could take his kill shot, Jack took his in one swift motion and fired. A bullet to the head and Nate lay dead in the dirt.