lb_heartland | Fic: Inheritance of the Heart 4/18

Inheritance of the Heart
Chapter Four
Word Count: 3,409
Rating: PG-13
Pairings: Lou/Scott, but mostly, eventually... Ty/Amy.
Warnings: Character death (in chapter one only)
Disclaimer: I'm never going to grow up. That means... I'm not legally responsible for anything, right?
Summary: She went away thinking it would always be there, always be the same. She was wrong.
Author's Note: I have mixed feelings about this chapter, since part of it seemed to resolve itself too soon, too fast. I don't want it to seem like years of damage to a relationship could be undone in a single night. It's just the start of things, as the title of the chapter suggests. It's a road to forgiveness, not an instant fix. There are still things to settle and for Ty and Amy to work out.

The Road to Forgiveness

"She... left him?" Amy repeated, feeling a little dazed. She couldn't believe that Ty's marriage had failed, even if his wife was one prize bitch. She just couldn't believe that anyone would ever do that to Ty. He was a really good guy—if you weren't fighting with him over an inheritance.

"It was only ever about what she could take from him," Lee went on. "You know Ty. He's a nice guy, really. Too nice, I'd even say. Perfect for someone like her to take advantage of, and she did. I think maybe he saw something in her that was broken—I'm sure there is underneath all the hate and greed, but it's hard to see. She doesn't make it worth looking. He tried to help her. He really cared about her. That's the worst part. She hurt him pretty bad."

Amy looked out at the training ring. Ty was still out there, still working calmly, patiently, with the horse. She couldn't believe how much she'd missed or how wrong she'd been about him. She felt so mixed up and guilty. "I've been saying that he took my home from me when I took his."

"Amy, if there's one thing I've learned about my brother over the years, it's that he's very forgiving. Try talking to him. Not right now. Make some food and ask him to stay for dinner. It's how Jack suckered him into staying in the first place."

She smiled at Lee. He'd been very helpful, and he didn't have to be. Without Lee's support and advice over the past week, she probably would have left, and it would not have been good. If she had, she might have decided to fight Ty for Heartland, and she knew that no one would be happy about that. Ty was important to Heartland. He was the heart of it, and he had been for a long time, even when Amy was still in school. She had forgotten that. "One problem. I can't really cook."

Lee laughed. "He's not expecting a miracle."

She swatted Lee's arm, shaking her head. She had better see what was left in her grandfather's kitchen, see if she could make anything with what was there. She walked up to the house and rummaged through the cupboards until she found a packaged meal that she just needed to add meat to, and she started prepping it. She took a look at the pot and hoped it wouldn't burn while she ran to ask Ty to stay. She knew that Lee could have already asked him, but she knew it would be better coming directly from her.

She was the one that needed to make amends, after all. She caught up to Ty as he was rubbing down the horse. "Hey... I wanted to... I wanted to say I'm sorry. Will you stay for supper? I'm about to burn it, I think, but it might still be edible."

He shook his head, laughing. "That's such a tempting offer."

She blushed. "I'm sorry. I'm still not much of a cook."

"I'm sure it will be fine, and if it isn't... Well, Jack told me where he kept his secret weapon against a burned meal."

"He had one of those? How come I don't know about it?"

"Because you used to be underage," Ty told her with a smile. He stopped to give Venture a treat, and Amy had to wonder if Ty would ever rehome the gelding. They looked like they belonged together. She didn't see any sign of the distress Venture had shown the last time she was around him. He seemed just fine. Could it be that Ty had finally adopted a horse as his own? He'd always been willing to let the horses move on, accepting that better than she ever did. He said he didn't need a horse of his own, but she thought that had changed. He needed Venture.

They walked into the farm house, and Amy went back to the stove, trying to salvage the meal. Ty cleared his throat. "I think I'll go ahead and get a bottle of wine."

"Nice to see you have faith in my cooking abilities."

He laughed again. "No, it's not that. I'm sure it will be fine. The wine will just.. take the edge off of the last few days, maybe even the last few years."

She nodded. "That sounds good."

Ty opened a bottle of Merlot and poured them each a glass. He had no intention of telling Amy that when he and Jack got out a bottle, it was of something much stronger. He didn't want to think about how close he had come to wanting to crawl into that bottle. The last couple years had been rough, between the failure of his marriage, his mother getting sick, and then losing Jack...

His mother had been doing well. The medication she was on kept the depression stabilized, for the most part, though she still had some tough times. There was no cure for depression, but his mother fought hard against it—right up until she got cancer. She slipped back to a really bad state that didn't help her fight the cancer at all. Ty had spent so many years taking care of his mother that he had actually been offended when his father insisted on taking care of her himself. They'd lost a lot of what they'd built over the years. It had been even more difficult for Ty because his wife had just left him, and he needed something to focus on, something to give him a purpose, and his mother's illness seemed to be what he needed.

Jack had been the one to get him past all of it, the divorce and his mother's illness. He had come up with excuses to "need" Ty's help, had started fixing everyone at Heartland meals without which Ty probably would have forgotten to eat, and taken him in, given him a place to stay. He had been grateful to Jack for all he'd done, but he never expected him to leave Heartland to him, not even after that promise he'd asked Ty to make. He owed Jack a lot, as he also did Marion. He couldn't see a way to ever leave Heartland.

Ty glanced at Amy. She'd once felt the same way. Now things were very different. Jack was gone, and his mother was finally doing better, thanks to Jack's suggestion. It was funny how Ty had forgotten that they always used oils and alternative methods to compliment traditional medicine on horses, but he'd never given much thought to doing the same for his mother. It wasn't until he'd been working with Venture when Jack made a comment that got him thinking. He'd found several oils that could compliment his mother's treatment, and his father had agreed to use them. Things were getting better, Ty supposed, but he still missed Jack.

"Is something wrong?" Amy asked, turning to him as she started to dish up the food.

"I was just thinking," he answered, forcing a smile. "It's nothing, really."

She looked down for a moment. "Ty... Lee told me about your wife. That she left you. I'm sorry. I didn't know. I should have known. I don't know why I didn't."

"You didn't ask," he told her, and she sighed before she nodded. It wasn't all her fault, though she was definitely harder to reach than he was. He was usually here, at Heartland, but Amy could be anywhere. Part of it was that he just didn't want to talk about his divorce, but she never seemed to want to talk at all.

"I... didn't. I should have made more of an effort, Ty. I'm sorry," she said softly as she set the plates on the table. She sat down.

"It's not just you. I could have tried harder, too," he said, but he knew why he hadn't done too much to contact her, at least not when he was married or as it fell apart. It would only have made things worse. "I think I'm responsible for the start of it. The lack of communication, I mean. My ex-wife, she... Well, she actually wanted me to try and take over Heartland, wanted me to get a raise, wanted me to start my own 'horse whisperer' business, tried to talk me into going back to school... She had a lot of things she wanted from me. I thought, at first, that she just wanted me to reach my full potential. I didn't see it for what it really was. Greed. Pure and simple."

Amy nodded. She tried to take a bite of the food and shook her head, putting down the fork. "And you didn't want to talk to me because... I would have pointed that out?"

"No," he reached for his wine and drank a few sips before he continued. He didn't want to discuss this part at all. "She thought I was putting my life on hold because of you."

"What?"

He sighed. "Amy, everyone knew you were coming back, and you were going to take over Heartland. She thought it was holding me back from either being more here at Heartland or doing more for myself."

"I don't understand," Amy began. "I... Even if I came back, I wouldn't have taken your job. You're important here, Ty. I've only begun to remember just how much."

He smiled a little. "It wasn't just that, Amy."

She frowned for a second, and then she seemed to get it. Her mouth opened in shock. "Oh."

He shook his head. "It's not important. But you were right. The food's terrible. What do you say we make some popcorn and watch a movie or something?"

"We haven't finished talking yet."

"We don't have to settle everything tonight. And I don't want to fight again, not now. I'm tired, and I'd just like to sit for a while."

Amy nodded. "Okay, sure. Do you want to make the popcorn, and I'll pick out a movie?"

"Sounds good."

Amy opened her eyes slowly. Her head ached a little, and as she started to move, she felt a distinct crick in her neck. She reached back to rub it, and she blinked as she realized that she'd fallen asleep on the couch. She was more shocked, though, to discover that she'd fallen asleep next to Ty. They hadn't done anything, but after the past week, she really wouldn't have thought they were comfortable enough with each other to fall asleep like that. She bit her lip, hoping she hadn't woken him when she moved. He did seem really tired, and she had no idea where he'd been sleeping since he lived here but wasn't here at night.

She got up slowly and carefully made her way into the kitchen. They hadn't resolved everything, but last night had gone a long way towards repairing the damage done to their friendship in the last few years. She looked down at her hand, at the ring Ty had given her so long ago. She'd never stopped wearing it because his friendship had meant so much to her. How had she let it get this far? How had she managed to let him slip away from her? It didn't matter what his wife had thought or said or done. Amy should have done more.

She filled herself a travel mug of coffee and headed out to the barn. She didn't want to disturb Ty, so she figured she'd spend most of the time outside until he came out, and then she'd go back in and clean up.

She went out to see Blizzard first, knowing that would help her sort out the thoughts running through her head. She felt crazy. Her mind was mixed up. It was so weird to be doing things with Ty like nothing had happened. It had. Their friendship had changed forever when they broke up, and it wasn't something they could just get back overnight, especially not after they hadn't talked for almost two years. She leaned her head against Blizzard's for a moment. "Oh, girl, what am I going to do?"

"Morning after regrets?" Lee asked, and she turned around to look at him.

"What?"

"Nothing. It's just that you seemed rather cozy with my brother this morning. Wine, dinner... Was that a date?"

" What? No! Ty and I are not dating again! It was just... We only talked. We fell asleep during the movie, but we are not back together," Amy protested. She shook her head. "Besides, talking to Ty over food was your idea, remember? Are you trying to be a matchmaker now?"

Lee shook his head. "Of course not. I would never interfere in my brother's love life. Ever."

"I wouldn't listen to him, Amy," Liz said. "He's been trying to set Ty up since the divorce, and Ty turns him down every time. You two did look very comfortable, though. Have you worked things out, then?"

"We started to," Amy agreed with a smile. "There's still a lot to discuss, but I think that we made a good start. Cleared the air a bit. Now, I think Blizzard would like to be worked, if you don't mind?"

"Okay, okay, we get it. We'll stay out of your private life."

Amy rolled her eyes. They had spent one night together, and she didn't even want to think about getting back together with Ty. They had so much to learn about each other again, just as friends before they should give that any consideration. She looked at Lee and Liz. They were just teasing. It was good-natured fun, that was all. They probably had no idea how complicated this really was. The last thing they needed was another thing making it harder for them to get along. They still hadn't faced the biggest issue yet. How were they going to cope with the reality of his inheritance? He owned Heartland. He had every right to live in the house.

They were... living together? No, they couldn't. Amy would have to leave.

"Are you okay, Amy?"

"I'm fine," she said, but she really didn't think that she was. She wasn't sure how she felt about leaving Heartland, really moving out of the house, but she couldn't stay, either. If the others were jumping to conclusions after one night, what would they think if she continued to stay in the house when Ty was there?

She really had to talk to Ty. Again. And soon.

She also had to call Lou. She had put off fixing things between them for long enough as well. It seemed like Amy had a lot of making up to do, with everyone.

"Sleep good?"

"Shut up, Lee," Ty muttered in annoyance, rubbing his stiff neck. It was not a good idea, sleeping on the couch, but then he hadn't intended to fall asleep. It was just supposed to be one movie, a chance for them to spend time together without arguing. Things used to be almost too easy between them. He knew her mind, her moods, and he was often the only one that could get through to her. After she left, though, she became harder to figure out until he finally realized that he no longer felt like trying. Somewhere in the middle of all it, he had failed his promise to her as well. She wasn't the only one who had let the friendship go.

Ty had to accept that he was just as responsible for it as she was. He'd let a lot of things get in the way, but mostly his marriage. That was over now. He could start fixing things between him and Amy. Heartland was still the most important thing, and one way or another, they had to decide on its future.

"No, really," Lee went on, "it's good to see you actually sleeping for a change. I don't even know where you've been sleeping."

"None of your business," Ty told him, filling up a cup of coffee.

"Please tell me it wasn't your truck."

Ty shot him a dirty look. He wasn't even going to answer that. He couldn't believe his brother sometimes. "What do you want, Lee?"

"I was wondering what happened. I guess we made Amy uncomfortable, because she wasn't talking. Did you two... talk? Did you sort out this whole thing? I mean, is she staying or going? Is she going to be Heartland's vet? She's okay with you owning it now? It's not like you haven't been everyone's boss for years now, so why shouldn't you own it?"

Ty drank slowly from his coffee, trying to figure out the best way to deal with the barrage of questions. "We never got that far. It was... Well, thanks to you, it was all about my marriage."

"You still call it that?"

"Whatever was on her side, whatever her motivations, I went into it thinking I loved her and wanted to spend my life with her. I wanted to make things work," Ty said, getting angry as he was put on the defensive. "It was real for me, even if it wasn't ever for her. So, yes. I do call it a marriage. Because it was a marriage."

"Be careful who you say that to, Ty. She hears that, and she's bound to come looking for a bigger settlement or alimony now that you're a big time ranch owner."

Ty snorted. "Heartland is not a big-time ranch. Oh, the income's been steady over the past few years, and we've been able to expand, but when it comes right down to it, this place is and always has been more of a charity. It's a rescue center, not a business."

"She already cleaned you out once, Ty. You can't let her do it again. Especially not with Heartland at stake."

"I think I know better than anyone what she's capable of, and I think you're not giving me enough credit for being prepared for that," Ty snapped, finally losing his patience. Admittedly, his fuse was shorter now than it used to be. "You have no idea what it I've done to keep Heartland safe, so if you don't mind, stay out of it."

"Wow. Did we come in at a bad time?" Liz asked, looking over at Lee and Ty for a moment. Next to her, Amy fidgeted nervously. "Amy was going to call her sister, and I figured it was already close enough to lunchtime, and it's my rotation, so I thought I'd get started on something for lunch if I can have the kitchen?"

"Of course, Liz. I've got a meeting in town that I'm going to be late for," Ty said. He looked at Amy, having a feeling that he was going to regret this. "Amy, if you don't mind, I'd like you to come with me. There's a few things that we could discuss on our way there, and maybe we could get a few things while we're out."

"Are you going to stop by and see Mom?" Lee asked. "Give her more of that essential oil regimen of yours?"

He nodded. He caught the look on Amy's face. He knew that they had even more to talk about, and he wasn't sure how she was going to react to what he was planning on telling her. Still, she nodded. "Sure, Ty. Just let me get changed, and I'll meet you at the truck."

"I think you'd better change, too, Ty. You're a mess."

Ty shot his brother a look. Lee just smiled. Ty shook his head as he turned to follow Amy up the stairs. He supposed there was no use in pretending that he didn't live here, not anymore. That was something he would have to talk to her about. It was probably going to get awkward again after this.

It would be a very long day.