A/N: Hello, Hearties! I have two stories that need finishing in a completely different fandom (Forever), so of course this charming little show—and that ridiculous season 2 cliffhanger—had to get under my skin. This is my attempt to purge the brainworm so I can get back to those WIPs. Though I get the feeling I'll be back in Hope Valley soon enough…

Here's my take on how the story continues directly after the cliffhanger. The music references are because I realized that when I listen to the show without watching, it is indistinguishable from a (very gentle) soap opera. But hey, I like opera. :)

TWO PROPOSALS: A SHORT OPERA FOR THREE VOICES AND TOWN CHORUS

Part One: Trio for Two Voices

This was not what Elizabeth had expected to do after class today. Almost before she had time to wonder why Charles was in Hope Valley again, or why he was standing in her schoolhouse, he wasn't standing anymore. He was kneeling.

"Oh my." That was all she could think to say.

"Elizabeth, will you marry me?"

"Oh my," she repeated, until at last her brain began to catch up to what was happening. "Charles, I am so honored that you're asking—"

"It's you who would honor me by accepting," he cut in, still on one knee, still holding out a small box that held a not-so-small diamond ring. His expression was completely sincere, and so hopeful it made Elizabeth's heart ache for her old friend.

She ached because she truly did love him, but as he knelt before her now, she knew for certain that she loved him like a brother. Nothing more. With Charles, there were none of the butterflies she felt in her stomach every time she looked at Jack. There was none of the clarity she had felt ever since that stormy afternoon in the mine, when she and Jack had finally gotten to the heart of their fears. That was the day he had told her he loved her, and the first time in her life she had told a man she loved him back.

Jack had faith that together they could overcome their fears and differences, and she was starting to believe it too, because she trusted him. She loved him. It truly was a remarkable feeling; if only she could make Charles understand that now.

"Charles, I'm truly honored," she started again, "but I can't accept."

"Of course you can," he insisted. "Besides making me the happiest man on earth, you'll be fulfilling your family's wishes as well. I know how much you love them, and they only want you to be happy. I can make you happy, Elizabeth. I can give you the life you deserve."

She smiled, although the expression was strained. "You are one of my favorite people, and I'm certain you will make someone very happy someday. But Charles, that person can't be me. My heart already belongs to someone else."

"Jack." It was a statement, not a question.

Elizabeth nodded. "I'm sorry to hurt you, but I'm in love with Jack."

Charles blinked in surprise at how plainly she had stated her feelings. Elizabeth was a little surprised herself; that was the first time she had said those words out loud to anyone but Jack himself. Bold declarations like that were more typical of her sister, Julie, but in this case, it felt right for her.

Charles recovered quickly. He had obviously been preparing for a response like this, though perhaps not so strongly expressed, and he rose to face her at eye level. "I'm sure Jack has very fine qualities, and I'm grateful for everything he's done to keep you safe while you've been out here, but the life of a Mountie's wife, away from society, away from all your family and friends? Is that really what you want?"

"I'll admit it's not what I pictured for myself when I was younger," Elizabeth conceded. "I certainly didn't take this position intending to fall in love with a Mountie. Jack would be the first to tell you that he had no intention of falling in love at all, much less with a pampered city girl who can't cook or ride a horse, but sometimes life surprises you."

Charles wasn't ready to give up. "I know he's an honorable man, but his first loyalty is to his uniform, not you. What happens when he's reassigned to an even more remote post? What happens when you're expecting a child, and not one member of your family can reach you to help? Not to mention decent doctors!"

"Charles, he hasn't even proposed yet," Elizabeth said, flustered by this frank discussion of her future.

He caught her use of the word 'yet.' "But you think he will, don't you? And you already know what your answer will be." Her silence was all the confirmation he needed. "Elizabeth, I beg you to reconsider. I don't doubt Jack's feelings for you, or his good intentions. I only doubt his ability to make you happy in the long run." He leaned in to deliver the final stroke. "I understand that you came west looking for something, adventure maybe, but once you get it out of your system, you'll want to come home. Don't give your family the grief of seeing you wake up one morning to realize you're trapped with a husband who isn't worthy of you."

With that statement, Elizabeth's resolve snapped into place. She stood her ground, arms crossed in front of her. "Jack Thornton is more worthy than any man I have ever known. Unlike you or my family, he respects me enough to let me make my own decisions about who I am and what I want! You may not believe me, but this life I'm living isn't some youthful adventure, or an attempt to prove myself. Hope Valley is my calling; this is where I belong. Jack is where I belong."

Charles stepped back at this rebuttal, and something behind his eyes shuttered closed in defeat. "In that case, I hope you'll be happy here." His words were gracious, but his tone suggested a world of doubt. He closed the box in his hand and hid it away in his jacket pocket. "I only pray that Jack knows how lucky he is."

Elizabeth smiled. "We both do." She knew Charles was a man accustomed to getting his way, and only their lifetime of friendship was allowing him to back down now. She respected him for it.

"In that case, I suppose there's not much more to say—besides this: if you change your mind for any reason, your father and I are only a telegram away." He shifted uncomfortably, unconsciously brushing the school room dirt off the knee of his immaculately pressed trousers. He obviously wanted to be far away as soon as possible, but good breeding won out. "May I walk you back to town, or wherever you were headed before my unwelcome arrival?"

"Charles," she began to chide him for his self-deprecating remark, but she suddenly remembered that she did have plans for after school. Jack had asked her to— "Oh no." She rushed to the door with a sinking feeling in her stomach. Sure enough, she saw Jack's retreating form growing ever smaller on the path from the school back to town. "JACK!" she yelled, but he either couldn't hear her or chose not to respond. He had come to pick her up for their afternoon ride and found…Charles. Probably on one knee. Had he even stayed to hear her response?

"I'm sorry, Charles, but I have to go," she called over her shoulder, and with that she rushed down the stairs toward Jack's ever-shrinking figure.

Charles Kensington stood for a moment in the silence of the empty classroom. He had known Elizabeth Thatcher all her life, and he had never once seen her chase after a man—certainly not literally, and down a dirty country lane. She really was a lost cause.

If memory served, there was an afternoon stagecoach arriving within the hour. He intended to be on it.

Part Two: Duet for a Man and His Doubts

As Jack strode down the lane back toward town, he couldn't believe his luck. More specifically, his dumb luck. After everything he and Elizabeth had been through in the last year, after all the challenges and misunderstandings and troubled siblings, they were finally in a good place. She knew how he felt, and she returned his feelings. He thought they were ready to move forward together, and he had the ring in his pocket to prove it.

A ring that, despite his best intentions, was still in his pocket right now, burning a hole through his best suit in the shape of his own dumb luck. It was a little hard to propose to the woman you love when you find another man's knee shining the floor in front of her instead.

And not just any man. Her oldest, closest friend. The man her family adored, the son her father never had. A man who, unlike himself, was not so far below her family on the social ladder that he could barely make out the soles of their polished shoes. The man who represented everything her family wanted for her, and nothing Jack could offer.

That man.

He tried to remind himself that against all odds, he, Jack, was the one Elizabeth loved. She had said so, and he believed her. They were alike in that way, both too sensible and reserved to declare love for anyone without feeling it truly, deeply, and undeniably. He trusted her. He did.

He had concealed his presence at the schoolhouse because he didn't want to make a scene. Yes, that was it. He trusted her to give Charles a polite but firm no, and he didn't want to embarrass her by complicating things. Now that he thought on it, the polite part was optional.

Of course, he may have trusted her, but that didn't kill his curiosity as to how exactly she would deliver that no. That's the only reason he'd stayed hidden behind the door for longer than was strictly polite (again, with another man trying to steal the love of his life, polite was not currently a priority).

He'd stayed long enough to hear Elizabeth tell Charles she was in love with him, Jack—he would admit, that was nice to hear again. He had also felt a little thrill when she'd implied that his proposal would be accepted; too bad he had heard it through another man while he himself had been lurking behind closed doors like a criminal.

Jack gave an irritated grimace and quickened his pace down the lane. The lurking wasn't even the worst part. The worst part was that not only had Charles Kensington stolen his moment, he had raised some valid questions. Elizabeth's biggest fear had always been for his safety in his duties as a Mountie; it had never occurred to him that his duties might threaten her safety as well. After all, it seemed like outlaws were constantly drawing guns on her or holding her captive, and more recently mine tunnels had started collapsing around her, without any help from him. He was very aware of her skill at finding trouble wherever she went, and he took a certain pride in the part he'd played in keeping her safe so far in spite of that particular natural talent of hers. But the idea that being married to him would put her in more danger? Somehow that hadn't crossed his mind.

Now, however, he couldn't get it out of his mind. The dreamlike vision of her by his side as they faced new challenges together was now marred by the thought of her lonely and afraid, laboring to deliver a child while he was on assignment and far from home. It was almost too painful to consider, but like a sore tooth he couldn't leave it alone. He knew of too many mothers lost in difficult labor to pretend it wasn't a real danger, and as much as starting a family with Elizabeth would be a dream come true, he couldn't guarantee he would be there for her when she needed him most. Not as long as he was a Mountie. All the same, he knew his calling as well as she knew hers, and he wasn't meant for a desk job—not with her father or anyone else. So where did that leave them?

He was almost back to town by now. He couldn't bear the thought of explaining to everyone he passed why he was wearing his Sunday best on a Tuesday afternoon, not with that small box and its contents beating a reminder against his leg with every step. Instead, he avoided Main Street and headed straight for the stables from the back way. He tried—and failed—not to think about Elizabeth, and how she was supposed to be with him on this ride, and he headed off at a bruising pace to a place where he could be alone with his thoughts.

Second half coming soon...feedback welcome!