A/N – Spoiler Alert for Season 12 !

"Amy, you upstairs ?"

"Excuse me Ed," she said into the phone and then covering it "I'm on the phone."

"Ok, that's great, not right now Ed" Amy said laughing "I'll talk it over with Ty and let you know. Yes, Ed I understand. Come on Ed, we've known each other for a long time, not quite as long as that positions been open. Well it sure feels that way. Of course."

Ty had come up, checked on Lyndy in the playpen and grabbed a glass of water while Amy got off the phone. He looked down at the sheet she was now doodling on. $100K, 3%, apt, 2br, win, trk, nny.

"What's up ?" Ty asked. "Client ?"

"Job offer."

"Job ?"

"That was Ed Halprin at Hillhurst. The head trainers job, I called him for the details."

"What about us ?"

"I'm thinking like you, this won't work."

"When did I say that, is this over before ?"

"Before is part of it but a few days ago you drove off and said you don't think this is going to work out, I agree and I'm out of time, we're out of time. The Hillhurst job is what Lyndy needs right now and us not working together is what we need."

"We've have issues over client horses before we were partners Amy, this is just growing pains, look I'm sorry, I told you, the stress, I haven't been sleeping well."

Amy closed her eyes for a second and took a breath her voice was even but low. "We've never had issues over our client horses before, we've have issues over my client horses. I've had issues with Scott and Cass too and after all the information we had was between us, I decided. I'm quite willing to decide on the treatment of our clients with you, I don't think you are."

"You don't think we can work through this, we've always worked though our difficulties before ?"

"Actually, we never have. From the day we told each other we loved each other we have always split up when things got bad. We're no good like this especially if you feel you can't leave, that's your pressure spout, time to think, months sometimes, we can't do this Ty."

"So Hillhurst ? That life, those people, that's who you're going to work for ? You can stay here and still have your business."

Amy turned to look at him, "That woman, that horse," Amy said pointing down the stairs "are Ahmed and Zeus, don't you get it ?"

"What ?"

"You heard Laura right ? You know it's true too, this happens all the time, any trick to win. They're rich, spoiled, entitled, just like the Westfields and the Stantons, the Polo guys, you've met them , heard them, they have no scruples, no moral balance, are any of these people better than Ahmed ? That's what this is right, my decision to not train high end horses, but that's what I do Ty. A jumper won't jump or jump high enough they come to me, a runner won't run or they need it to run faster, they come to me and when Georgie wants to jump I train her, for Val, who's also Ahmed. It's just a job."

"And me, us ?"

"You think I'm breaking up with you ?"

"Ty it's a new two bedroom apartment with parking and a kitchen and a door and walls that separate spaces. So that Lyndy can learn to be with herself and sleep by herself and have privacy, so that we can have privacy."

"And while you're working, what happens to Lyndy ?"

"We hire a nanny, just like we were going to do here, except there Ed has offered me a studio apartment for our nanny. One that we can afford because the salary is $100,000 plus a profit share a year. Go back to the clinic Ty, be a partner and one day, very soon hopefully, we can buy a spread."

"And Heartland ?"

"Heartland is not ours, it's Grandpa's, there is no space for us here Ty, not now."

"The land ?"

"Is a fantasy. How long do we live like this until we settle for the house we can afford or do we wait even longer ? What's the plan, a realistic schedule, two years, three ?"

"A nanny."

"It's not like that Ty, it's a nanny basically at home where I work with horses on the same property, just like here. I'll see her all the time, it's head trainer, everyone works for me. Feel free to schedule hours at home during the day, I'm sure the nanny would love the break and I'd love to see you. You can even sneak by for afternoon trysts like normal young couples. Doors Ty, imagine the possibilities."

"Leave Heartland, how's Jack going to react ?"

"Grandpa will be fine, Lou will be fine, everyone will be fine, we're just down the road."

"So you've decided ?"

"No, I'm discussing it, I wouldn't take a job without telling you, I don't make decisions concerning us and our well being without you. If you have an alternative I'd love to hear it or any real objection to my taking the job, Ed will wait, he might even up the ante."

"What happens now ?"

"Now we deal with the fallout from the fiasco we're in and get Star healthy. Provided we're not all arrested, tomorrow I'd like us to visit Hillhurst, get shown around, see the apartments and then you can take Lyndy home and Ed and I will talk through duties and expectations and then you and I will decide or maybe discuss it with the family and move forward."

"Seems you've already decided."

"No Ty, already decided is I talked to Scott and cut back on my hours so we could be partners in a business you thought I'd somehow forgotten about."

"This is an adult conversation between two people. They come before rash decisions in some parts of the world. In fact many couples might end a conversation like this with a kiss of reassurance, personally I think making love right now would reassure us both, care to step over to the bed and pull the curtain ? I'm tired of living like this Ty."

"I get it Amy, I do."

"Then act like it rather than being resigned to it and do not internalize it."

"I won't"

Oh bull, you already are, we're in this together Ty we're both responsible for this."

"Somehow I think you're the only one who'll see it that way."

"Is that what this is ? Testosterone?"

"No."

"Then what Ty, you went away too many times ? Put yourself in front of your family's needs ? You think I bear no responsibility for that ? It was easier to let you go then do this, but that time is done. I don't want to raise Lyndy on my own or be without you so we need to learn to live together, actually live together, and we need to communicate."

"Look at me Ty, Lyndy and I aren't going anywhere and we both love you so much, spend some real time thinking not blaming, it works."

"Never has before."

"Then maybe it's time you talked to someone other than yourself."

"Seriously ?"

"It's just talking Ty, it doesn't come with a stigma."

"I'm no good at that stuff."

"You'll get better."

"Can we talk about this ?"

"How about you think about it all sweetheart; think, talk, decide."

"You're Ok not doing this if that's the decision ?"

"That will only be the decision with a viable alternative to it or this Ty, doing nothing is not an option. Lyndy is going to be 3."

"Let's go check on Star. Lyndy want to come see the horses ?" Ty asked

"Ya, hossies Dada"

Any smiled and walked over to her "come on then sweetheart, maybe there's hope for a little brother or sister yet huh ?"

"Is that where we're at ?"

"Look around you Ty, see room for a bunk bed ? I'm not looking to stall our life sweetheart, I want more kids and a place for them to be at home, a place for us, the real dream."

"So we won't work together anymore." Ty said.

Amy laughed, "pick up my phone and go to V and hit vet. That's your number Ty, I'm not calling another vet."

"So you're Ok working together as long as I work for you ?" He asked poking at her side.

"See, that wasn't so hard." Amy said leaning in for a light more than sensual kiss.

"Maybe later we could ?" Ty asked following.

"Major reassurances later handsome, provided of course."

"I get it, I get it."

The End.