A/N: Hello there! To any new readers, welcome! To any old readers, welcome back! This is my new and improved version of a five year old story (it feels like longer!), and I hope you all like it. I hope to hell that I'll actually finish this one, too!
Just for starts, I'd like to give a little address to my timeline. This takes place 11 years after A Small Miracle, making Amy 29 and Ty 32, and everyone's ages fit accordingly. I actually can't remember anyone else's age!
I should also mention that there will probably giant continuity errors between this and the actual series, for more than the obvious reason that I am not Lauren Brooke.
The reason is because I'm not here to create the most accurate piece of fanfiction I possibly can; I'm here to finish my the last piece of fanfiction my 15 year old self ever wrote for Heartland, to give you all closure on this story (not that anyone probably wants it; I am very aware that the old version of Making Memories – updated Nov 2015 – is the second last updated piece of fanfiction for this fandom!), and to give myself closure on this story!
"Ty?" Amy Fleming called, stepping into the barn. Yawning, she pushed back a handful of brown hair that was threatening to take over her face. She'd slept in late – a rarity these days – and was feeling the effects. Sleep still weighed her body down, but when she'd woken to find the house mysteriously quiet, her husband and daughter absent, she'd forced herself out of bed, out of the house and across to the barn.
The barn was also quiet, with half of the horses turned out for the summer there was no one around to make noise, and gave Amy a moment of peace to breathe in the smell of horse and hay that made up her whole life, until;
"Momma!" A little girl's shriek echoed in the lofty barn, and from an open stable door halfway along one isle, the girl herself appeared. Arms outstretched, she charged down the isle towards Amy, her purple shirt untucked and streaming along behind her, showing a lot of her white vest underneath. Her blue jodhpurs were already wrinkled and had multiple streaks of mud and many flecks of hay clinging to them, despite having only come out of the wash that morning.
Amy felt her face break into a smile, considering how remarkable it was that this child always managed to cover herself in dirt as soon as she left the house.
"Heya, Chloe!" Amy said, ruffling Chloe's honey blonde hair as the little girl slammed into her legs, wrapping her arms around them. "Where's daddy?"
Chloe rested her chin against Amy's legs, and peered up at her with her big brown eyes, giggling unhelpfully. Amy smiled and rolled her eyes, leaning down to scoop up her daughter. She almost grunted with the effort – at nearly six years old Chloe was definitely getting too heavy to pick up, but she was still Amy's baby and she just couldn't stop herself sometimes!
Unbeknownst to her, Ty Baldwin was now leaning on the open stable door, watching the entire exchange with a gentle smile on his face. God, he loved this woman. There were moments like this, watching her play with their daughter, that made the feeling strike home more than ever. It was like a ray of sunshine had burst through the barn roof and bathed her in its soft glow, warming him in the process and opening something inside his chest.
"Hey, love." Ty said, and Amy's head snapped towards him, giving him a blinding smile that made his heart skip, even after so many years. Chloe stretched her arms towards him and made childish grabby motions with her hands, which he took to mean 'come here'. Stepping around the stable door, he moved towards his girlfriend and daughter. Chloe leaned towards him as he did so, and Amy had to adjust the way she held her to allow the little girl to lean out, grab her father by the front of his shirt and drag him towards them both.
Laughing, he took Chloe from Amy, and then kissed Chloe on the nose before setting her down on the ground. "How about you find me and your momma a full set of brushes?" He asked her, as she pouted at him. "And then you can brush Cassie for us?"
The challenge changed the little girl's face immediately, as she lit up with a brilliant smile. "Okay!" She cried, before dashing off in the direction of the tack room.
Ty watched her go for a moment, before straightening up and turning to his girlfriend. "I still say she has your smile."
"No way!" Amy cried, her face showing mock outrage, before she relaxed into laughter and pulled Ty towards her. She leaned her head against his shoulder, closing her eyes breathing deeply. Something about the smell of Ty and the feel of his arms around her always helped her to relax, and she could already feel the tension of the last few days leaving her body.
"Hey," Ty said, softly, drawing her attention. She opened her eyes, drawing her head back a fraction, just as Ty leaned down to kiss her. Even after so many years, he could still set off butterflies in her with just a single, gentle kiss.
"Why didn't you wake me?" She breathed as they parted, resting her forehead against his.
"You looked so peaceful," He said, and his breath tickled her nose, "and I thought you deserved some time to be peaceful. Chloe and I have done most of the chores; with all the horses turned out there aren't many stables to muck out, you know that."
"What about -"
"Yes, we changed all the waters," Ty said, cutting her off with a laugh, "Chloe gave hay to all the horses in the paddocks who needed it. That's why, if you look really closely, you can see a giant trail of hay from the hay barn to each paddock. The only thing we haven't done is to fill the hay nets, and sweep the isles."
"You're amazing, have I ever told you that?" Amy said, sighing and letting her eyes flutter closed.
"Yes," Ty said, and Amy could hear his smile, "But do continue to flatter me."
Laughing, she slapped his arm, causing him to jump. They laughed together for a moment, before Ty caught her lips with his own again, and she let herself be lost to him. When they break apart, she smiles.
"Have you heard from Lou yet?" Amy asked, stepping back from him. In the distance, she could hear the sound of a stable door being opened, followed by the muffled sounds of Chloe's voice. Part of her mind worried that leaving a six year old unsupervised with horses wasn't particularly safe, but Chloe had been around horses before she could even walk and Cassie was the most safe and docile pony that Chloe could possibly groom. Which, in retrospect, was probably why Ty had sent her there.
"I have," Ty said, "While you were sleeping." He jokingly nudged her ribs with his elbow, grinning, and she slapped him away with a laugh. "She left a message saying that they were boarding their flight around four am, our time. She said they'll ring again once they're on their way here. She reckoned it would be around ten hours, total, if they include time it takes to get through arrivals."
"So they'll be here about two?" Amy asked, pushing one hand through her dark hair, watching they way Ty's eyes tracked the movement. "I still haven't tidied the house."
Ty laughed, "I seriously don't think a messy house will be high on their list of priorities! Besides, everyone knows Lou was the most organised of you Fleming sisters."
Amy snorted, rolling her eyes. "That doesn't mean I can't try! At the very least, I need to make space in Chloe's room for Holly, and set up the spare room for Lou and Scott. And maybe vacuum up some of the mud and hay. Oh, and make a lunch."
"You don't have to do any of those things," Ty countered, leaning back against the stable door. "Well, except maybe make up the beds."
"No, but what I have to do is work with the horses."
"It's up to you," Ty said, grinning, "But remember that both Liam and Lindsey are coming up later to help work the horses."
"Oh god, I completely forgot! I guess I've got no excuse to get out of housework now." Amy said, shaking her head and laughing.
"Nope!" Ty leaned forwards and kissed her quickly. "I'll send Chloe in once she's finished grooming Cassie. Good luck!"
Amy covered her face with her hands for a moment as Ty sauntered off, laughing. Then, smiling to herself, she turned and began walking back to the farmhouse, trying to think of a plan to attack the mess.
"How's this, Daddy?" Chloe asked, as Ty arrived at Cassie's stable.
He folded his arms over the stable door, peering into the stable and eyeing the half groomed grey pony in front of him. Cassie gazed back at him sweetly, lightly swishing her tail. Chloe had managed to get Cassie's halter on properly, but had only threaded the rope through the twine hook instead of tying the quick release knot. Cassie either hadn't noticed or didn't care, as she stood stock still while Chloe pranced around in her stall.
"Looking good, Clo!" Ty enthused, "But what about her legs?" He asked, spying the clumps of mud still clinging to the pony's feathers.
"I hadn't got there yet, silly Daddy!" Chloe giggled, as she turned back around and reached down to brush them.
Ty watched her for a moment, watching as her blonde head bobbed from side to side as she worked. She was chatting quietly to the pony as she brushed, he realised, only with her back to him he couldn't figure out what she was saying.
His heart swelled with pride as he watched her; sometimes he was hit with the realisation that yes, this really was his and Amy's daughter. Yes, he really was a father. She was such an amazing little girl, so like her mother and yet already distinct in her own personality. She was a firecracker some times, headstrong and determined, and absolutely crazy for horses. It was a good job, then, that they lived on a horse ranch.
His only wish was that Jack could've met her. He would have loved her.
Sighing, he made to push off from the door, when he remembered what he'd actually come here for.
"Hey, Clo?"
"Yes Daddy?"
"When you're done, remember to untie Cassie, put your brushes away neatly, and then go up to the house and help your Momma. She's tidying in prep for Auntie Lou's visit!" He told her, watching as she spun round to him, her face lighting up.
"Auntie Lou's coming to visit!?" She cried, then looked horrified. "Oops, sorry Cassie!" She clapped her hands over her mouth, eyes wide. Cassie hadn't even flinched, making Ty smile as Chloe leant forwards and repeated herself in a stage whisper.
"Yup! Holly will be staying in your room, so you'll have to be good and help Momma tidy it!"
Chloe nodded enthusiastically. "I'll go right away!" She said, rushing towards the stable door.
"What about Cassie?"
Chloe froze, looking heavily conflicted. "Momma won't mind if I...?"
Ty smiled, "Of course not, honey. You finish that pony right up, then go help!"
Chloe beamed at him, then turned back to Cassie.
Smiling, Ty drifted away from the stable. He still had time to work with one of the horses before Lindsey arrived, only which one? Ember was probably the closest to being able to go home, so Ty decided to give him another once over before he and Amy made the decision.
He slipped into Ember's stall, chatting to himself to relax the pony. Ember was a strawberry roan gelding who hated having his legs handled. When he'd first come to Heartland he would kick out at anyone who tried to pick up his legs – apparently his owner had always needed to sedate him whenever he'd been seen by the farrier.
It had taken Amy all of thirty seconds to figure out what was wrong with him, and some ringing round of previous owners to confirm her suspicions. Ember had been hobbled when he was much younger, which had developed in him a fear of having his legs touched. The owner before the one who had brought him to Heartland had tried to use whips to break the fear, and so they'd only succeeded in making a sweet natured pony become vicious when anyone went near his legs.
It had taken a lot of time, patience, and T-Touch, by Ty had finally come to a breakthrough with the little pony. He had been working T-Touch into him, starting at the pony's shoulder and gradually getting lower and lower. As soon as Ember showed any signs of reacting negatively, Ty would start going back up again, keeping the same rhythm as he did so. He breathed into every circle, helping to solidify the connection between man and horse, and helping to keep a steady speed.
Now, however, he took the time to rub T-Touch into the gelding's strong neck, still talking softly. Once the gelding's head lowered and his ears turned floppy, Ty turned his T-Touch into an open palmed stroke, running his hand all the way down to Ember's hoof.
Ty smiled as he straightened up, rewarding the little pony with more T-Touch. It was such an incredible feeling, reaching that breakthrough. Ty would never tire of it, no matter how many years he worked at Heartland.
Ty worked with the pony for half an hour, distantly hearing the sound of Chloe leaving the barn somewhat early on into his session. He was just finishing up with Ember when he heard the sound of someone else entering the barn, and knew it to be Lindsey.
Giving Ember one final pat, he slipped out of the stable and went to meet her and debrief her on that day's work.
A/N: I plan to combine most of my old chapters into approximately two/three new ones, instead of the old seven, considering how short they all were! I left his one at this length, however, just to test the waters!
I'd love to hear from you; I promise I don't bite!