A/N Please let me know what you think about the story and feel free to message me suggestions about what you would like to see. Please note that though Jack and Elizabeth aren't together they will all experience a happy ending with no bashing.

Jack Thornton was a man of action once he decided on a clear course. Usually, it was never a problem for him to follow except this time though he knew it was the right thing but it wasn't going to be easy. As he approached Elizabeth's door, he prayed for the strength to stay resolute to what he had decided. He knocked and took a deep breath as he heard Elizabeth come to the door. She opened and he almost changed his mind when he saw the big smile on her face as she saw he stopped by in the middle of the day.

"Jack!" she said moving back to allow him to enter. "What a pleasant surprise." He moved quickly to the settee when she was about to put her arms around him.

"Is something wrong?" she asked noting his behavior.

"Elizabeth, I have to talk to you about something that has been on my mind. I've thought about how to say it over the past 2 days and there's just no easy way to say it." With that he began to tell her about everything he had been thinking about and the decision that he came to that was about to change both of their lives.

As she listened to the words, he spoke she was hard pressed to find the word to explain her feelings except…Shattered! There simply wasn't any other word that would even fit at the moment. How could Jack even think of leaving me before the teaching credentials had been cleared? He didn't even give the consideration of discussing important matters like this.

"Elizabeth, you knew I was a Mountie before we started courting and how I felt about it and hesitant about marriage. You knew it was more than just a job to me and that it was my calling. It's no different than how you view teaching, right?'

She couldn't argue with him about that. An idea then popped into her head but before she could say anything he continued as if reading her mind.

"Before you suggest anything, I'm not going to marry you before I go because I won't risk leaving a fatherless child behind if I don't return. I certainly wouldn't want you worrying and waiting endlessly for me to return."

"But Jack I would be willing to go with you especially since I am not permitted to teach right now. They have hired the new teacher and given her a one-year contract so it will be at least that long before I could hope to regain the position. The children seemed to have adjusted more quickly to her and should be fine while we are in the North. Would you want to remain here and watch another Mountie do your job if you couldn't do it?" By now the tears had begun to roll down her face and desperation was creeping into her voice.

"The allegations were all sent to Cape Fullerton, until they are cleared up, I am unable to have my teaching credentials reinstated. Since Mr. Higgins is being brought up on charges for his gross misconduct with Francine, myself and three others, that decision also has to be ruled on in court by a judge thanks to Ray Wyatt."

"Elizabeth! I've made my decision and already informed Superintendent Collins informing him that I've accepted the posting. I will be meeting up with the rest of my unit in 3 hours which doesn't give me a lot of time."

"Jack! How long are you going to be gone?" suddenly getting a sinking feeling.

"What about us?" when he still didn't respond she shouted at him.

"WHAT ABOUT US JACK? JUST SAY IT!" already knowing what his answer would be.

"Elizabeth, I'm not coming back to Hope Valley. The posting in the North is an indefinite one. I'm sorry but there is no us anymore." As she started sobbing, he just stood up desperate to put some space between them.

"Elizabeth! This right here is why I never wanted to get involved with a woman while being in the Mounties especially when I am going into dangerous territory. It takes a certain type of woman to be the wife of a Mountie."

"I'm not good enough, right? I could never handle the rough conditions that's what you're saying isn't it Jack? It's what you have always believed of me no matter how much I tried to show you otherwise." she said softly. Getting up and walking over to him looking him in the eye as she said it. His words cut through her heart more efficiently than the sharpest knife. She would never be good enough and he would always see her as William Thatcher's princess.

"Yes Elizabeth, a proper woman would be able to live in hard conditions and wouldn't fall apart every time I had to ride off on assignment or need the finer things to be happy. One that I wouldn't have to worry would run off the first sign of danger or if that fear and time spent alone became too much. Your strong Elizabeth but you wouldn't be able to deal with being left alone for long periods of time. I would worry because let's face it Elizabeth you can't protect yourself. I love you, please believe that, because you do mean a lot to me." He tried to pull her into his arms, but she resisted so he just dropped his hands and stepped back a bit. His heart breaking at this moment seeing how much his words had hurt her.

"But my duty and responsibilities as a Mountie have to come first, above even you and I lost sight of that instead focusing on us. Doug is dead now because we put our own selfish desires above that duty. I can't live with it anymore and you also deserve better than to come second."

'There it was! Elizabeth thought,' "You blame me for his death too don't you Jack? I mean we both know you've been blaming yourself but I'm the reason why you turned it down initially, so you partially hold me responsible as well." He didn't have to answer because she already knew. Her heart was breaking for Jack both for losing Doug and the tremendous guilt he was feeling resulting in him pushing her away.

"But Jack it wasn't your fault if anyone's to blame it's the men who killed him. The gun runners and criminals who are wreaking havoc on the innocent people in the North. At least take a few days and think about it more clearly. You said you would help me clear my name up concerning Higgins and be there for me but how can you if you leave?" She knew she had said the wrong thing as soon as it left her mouth.

ELIZABETH! DROP IT!" he shouted at her. "Now I have made my decision and as I said I've already told Superintendent Collins. It's a done deal and I have to go finish packing."

She could see by the resolute look in his eyes there was nothing she could say so instead silently nodded her head in agreement. Then quickly remembered his last sentence that he had made his decision and let his superiors know before talking to her. Her heart broke in a million pieces as the veil fell from her eyes and she realized he never talked with her about important decisions like this. How had she never noticed it before?

"Jack, can I ask you a question?" Warily he looked at her and nodded as his eyes bored into hers trying to see what she was thinking.

"Do you think we would have ever gotten married?" His eyes lowered toward the ground. "Never mind I saw the answer in your eyes before you lowered them. It's Charles, isn't it? You still refuse to believe I don't want that life anymore. You still believe we are from two very different worlds and would never make it."

"Honestly Elizabeth," his eyes tearing up as he realized deep down, she was correct. "I don't think we would have gotten married and think we have both been just postponing the inevitable."

He walked back towards her and this time she allowed him to gather her to him as he said "I do love you Elizabeth but though I wish it were different I'm just not in love with you. Let's be truthful with one another and admit that we really want and need different things to be happy. I've had serious doubts about us before in fact during our whole courtship. I think if your honest with yourself you'll see you have had the same doubts. I'm not someone your parents want for you, and I really have no desire to try to be. That in itself should prove there is something wrong in our relationship. When Ma was here, she had told me that as long as we had been courting it was time to make a decision. Although she actually said "Jack, you've been seeing Lizzie for a long time now. You either need to ride or get out of the saddle."

At her puzzled expression he explained "She was saying that I needed to figure out what I wanted and get on with it."

This brought a smile to her face as she said, "I love the way your mother can turn a phrase. I think she was right since we courted for 3 years and if it was something we really wanted, Jack, we would have done something about it by now. This was a long overdue conversation and a painful one but if this is what you feel you have to do then I release you to go follow your heart." She said resigned that it was over while she struggled not to cry and beg him to stay.

"Elizabeth, I will not go up to fight in the North and worry if I'm doing the right thing. I should have stuck by what I originally intended and just kept us at friendship." He knew that while she was saying the right things, she didn't fully believe but didn't want to make it harder for him than she sensed it was.

"You said it yourself you weren't brave enough to be married to someone as brave as me. We both know that's why we haven't moved forward. This is goodbye Elizabeth and please don't try to contact me because I think a clean break is the best for both of us. My focus has to be there and only there."

"Alright Jack if that's what you want then go with my prayers."

"Elizabeth before I go, I want you to know that there is a very lucky man out there waiting to find you. But you need to open your heart up again and move on in order to find him. There's no going back for us so please don't torture yourself with wondering if you could have done something better. You gave me more than I ever could have asked for Elizabeth, and I'll always cherish our memories together. You have a lot of love to give, and I was blessed to have it. With that he walked to the door and closed it behind him afterwards. She couldn't do anything except stay seated and let the tears finally fall as her sobs filled the empty rowhouse. Thankfully no one was home next door, so she just let the dam burst on her emotions. Later she sat there, and thoughts began crowding her mind. How could she ever show herself in town after everything that just happened? Was he right in how he saw her as incapable? Was there anything else that she might have said? Maybe she needed to get away for a bit but where could she go? "Abigail didn't need help in the café and she really didn't want to hang around while her students were taught by someone else. But where could she go?'

When Jack had arrived back at the Jail he quickly finished packing and left the note to Bill in plain sight on his desk. Taking one last look around the place that had been home to him for a while he walked out the door, mounted Sargent in preparation to leave.