Jackpot!

by RoyalCanadianMountie

idea by Chevy Rose

Note: In no way do I own or have any claim to Heartland or any of its characters.

Just saying.

What am I doing?

The truck turned off the highway...

What am I doing?

Slowly, it pulled into the parking lot...

What am I doing?

Ty did not know. Ever since Amy had told him about the phone call from his mother, he had been completely on edge. Fighting an internal battle, debating what to do.

Finally, he had jumped in his truck and found himself here. Here to see someone he really did not want to see.

He parked his truck and watched silently as a horse was unloaded out of a trailer, still arguing with himself.

"What am I doing?" he asked out loud. No answer.

I'm not doing this.

Ty reached for the key and turned the engine over. At least, he tried to. The truck did not start.

Impatiently, he tried again. Again, the truck protested, smoke pouring out from under the hood.

"Come on, come on, come on!" Ty muttered, trying a few more times before disgustedly getting out and lifting up the hood. He waved the smoke out of his eyes and waited for it to clear.

"Looks like you might need a hand with that."

Ty whirled around. Standing behind him was the one man he did not want to see.

His stepdad.

No, not his stepdad, Ty told himself firmly. Wade had nothing to do with his life anymore.

Except if Mom is involved, a voice in his head insisted. And Ty was reminded of why he had even come in the first place.

Without so much as a hello, Wade stepped over to Ty's truck and looked under the hood. The smoke was already dissipating, and he was easily able to find the problem. Ty stood nearby, carefully watching to make sure Wade did not do anything to hurt his beloved "companion". He didn't voice the thoughts that were pounding through his head and maintained a cool attitude.

"Well, your water pump's shot, the generator's not looking too good; neither is the carburetor." Wade glanced up. "It'll be tough to find parts for a '57."

"Yeah, I can get 'em online," Ty replied, a bit too quickly.

Wade did not hesitate. "Well that's gonna be pricey." Just as Ty was about to inform him it was none of his business, Wade added, "Luckily for you, I've got a friend who can help out."

Ty jerked his head up to stare at him disbelievingly.

"For free," Wade continued.

"Yeah, I bet you do," Ty snapped, his anger flaring.

"Aw, Ty, it's not like that. He's a legit friend."

Legit?! Ty's head screamed. After all this, you expect me to believe you have a legit friend?

"Oh, I bet he is," he replied, controlling his anger enough so that his comment only sounded half sarcastic.

Wade shrugged. "Hey, man, if you don't want my help, that's fine." He pretended to be indifferent, but what was that Ty had seen in his eyes?

Was it longing for something lost?

Ty's thoughts were interrupted yet again when Wade tried a different tactic. "Why don't you tell me what you're doing up here?"

Ty studied him closely. It was obvious that Wade knew very well why. Why, then, did he bother asking?

"My mom called," he stated bluntly.

Wade feigned curiosity. "Oh, yeah?" he smirked. "Checking up on me?"

Ty glared at him, but Wade just laughed. "I've gotta tell ya, I find that so satisfying... knowing she's out there twitching." He glanced back over at Ty. " 'specially when she broke things off with me so suddenly."

Who does he think he is?! Ty thought before he responded tersely, "She's worried about you."

Wade turned away, but not before Ty caught that weird emotion again.

He looked back at Ty and said quietly, "Well... you can report back to her that I've never been happier."

Happier? You don't look happy. Ty was about to tell him so when Wade gave him another annoying smile, which reminded Ty he didn't care what this guy thought.

Wade stopped smiling, then moved away, slowly. As if he suddenly remembered something, he turned back around. "Boss has got me working out here for a few days, so..." He paused, then added, "You change your mind about those parts, you know where to find me." He strode off quickly.

Ty watched him for a second, then went back to his truck and slammed his fist down on it.

Stupid truck.

Wade stopped to watch as Ty's truck was hooked up and towed out onto the highway.

He smiled smugly.

He'll come back. He always comes back.

Satisfied, he got back to work.

"I can't believe this." Ty put the wrench down and wiped his hands off on a rag. "I spent the last of my savings getting the truck towed. Now how am I going to get it fixed?"

"I'm sorry about your truck," Amy said softly, but Ty could tell from her tone that that was not what she wanted to discuss. As Ty leaned against the fence next to her, she confirmed his suspicions by asking, "Hey, um... what happened with Wade?" Her bright blue eyes searched Ty's green ones for an honest answer. "Did you end up seeing him?"

Ty turned away. "Yeah," he replied as nonchalantly as he could.

"And?" Amy prompted gently.

Ty gave a half-shrug. "And nothing." At Amy's skeptical look, he said quickly, "He's fine. I already called my mom and told her that there was nothing to worry about. I just wish that she didn't get you involved."

Amy smiled. "I don't mind. She's your mom; I care about her, too."

Ty sighed. "Well, one thing's for sure." At Amy's questioning glance, he went on, "I'm going to sleep better knowing that he's not in her life anymore."

As he started to walk away, Amy held up her finger. "Oh, Lou wanted me to tell you not to forget the dinner she's planning."

Ty stopped. "What's the occasion?"

Amy looked surprised. "You."

Ty pointed at himself. "Me?" Catching Amy's meaning, he said, "Oh, Amy, you know I don't like those things."

Amy rolled her eyes. "Come on. Vet school; you're starting in a few weeks..." As Ty put his arm around her, she continued in a playful tone, "it's time to celebrate, ya know?"

"I haven't graduated yet. Amy, I still have four years, and that's if I pass."

"It's just dinner, right? Come on, now." She leaned forward and kissed him before adding impishly, "You worry too much."

Next day, to his surprise, Ty found himself on his motorcycle, driving -again- to Paladin Transport.

He found him with no difficulty. Wade was busy rinsing off a trailer he had just washed, but glanced up as Ty parked beside him.

"Well, look who's here." He did not pause in his washing. "What's the matter, Ty? You miss me already?

Ty unbuckled his helmet, saying, "I wouldn't be here if I had any other option."

"What can I do for ya?"

"I need the name of your friend who collects the old trucks. I can't get the parts online."

Wade looked thoughtful. "You know, usually, when people ask me for a favor, they say 'please'."

Ty gave him a disgusted look.

"But- since you asked me so nicely- I'll see what I can do for ya."

Ty shook his head. "All I need's a number, Wade."

"You know, my buddy, Darrell, is a bit on the eccentric side. Probably better if I do the talking."

Again, Ty shook his head, but more forcefully. "You know what? Forget it." He walked briskly back to his motorcycle.

Wade turned the hose off and called after him, "Aw, come on. You want the parts or not?"

Ty didn't listen. He mounted his motorcycle, started it, and drove off without a backward glance.

The sound of a motor distracted Ty from the work on his truck. He knew. almost without looking, that it was Wade.

"What're you doing here?" he asked as soon as Wade shut off the deafening engine.

Wade took his sunglasses off and put them carelessly on the dash. "Aw, come on now, is that the way to greet the man who just-" he stopped as he unbuckled his seat belt, "-solved all your problems?"

Ty put his tool down and stepped to the fence. Doubtfully, and incredulously at the same time, he inquired, "You've got the parts?"

"Yeah, I've got the parts. Well, sorta," he added hurriedly. "I've gotta go pick 'em up. Well, come on. Climb in; let's go. What're you waiting for?"

Ty exhaled slowly, impatiently. "Just give me the address, Wade, I'll get the parts on my own."

"Aw, no, man, you'll never find it. It's way out, in the middle of nowhere."

The look Ty gave him could only mean 'yeah, conveniently.'

"Come on, let's get in, take talk." He snapped his fingers.

Don't do this, Ty told himself, you can't trust him. Yet, at the same time, something else told him to go. Urged him to go.

His hesitation must have been obvious, because Wade sighed and put his glasses back on. "All right." Using the words Ty had spat out earlier, he said, "Forget it."

"Hold on."

Wade smiled. He had been hoping for just those two words.

A three hour trip. With Wade. Alone.

Ty was sure he had never spent this much time with him before. Ever.

He hoped that it wouldn't drag on, or that they would get into a major argument. Oh, well. Wade had assured him he drove fast, but Ty didn't know if that was a comfort or not.

At least there was the radio.

They arrived in good time, to Ty's relief. The two really hadn't talked too much, but, surprisingly, the silence wasn't awkward.

In fact, Ty grudgingly admitted, it had been kind of peaceful.

As they strode purposefully down the road, Wade kicked a stone away, frustrated. "Darrell told me there'd be a '57 around here somewhere."

"I thought you said he was a collector." Ty picked up a stone of his own. "It's just a bunch of junk." He tossed it at a nearby car.

Wade shrugged and grinned. "One man's junk, another man's treasure." Finally, he spotted what they had been looking for. "Ha. Jackpot. Right there."

Ty studied it. "Well, it looks like the right year," he admitted.

"What did I tell ya?" Wade smiled that superior grin of his.

Ty, not wanting Wade to think he'd always be right, asked, "Yeah, well, who knows what condition the engine's in?"

Wade made a face that clearly stated, "We'll see."

Ty lifted up the hood and peered inside. "...actually, it's in pretty good shape."

Excited to find the right parts for free, he ignored Wade's smug, "Mm-hmm" and went on to say, "Might not be a waste of time after all."

"Don't look so surprised." Apparently, Wade wanted to rub his victory in.

No, sir, you are not deflating my good mood. Not after I found all the right parts, for free. Ty smiled slightly. "Let's get to work."

"Generator, water pump, carburetor, distributor..." Ty said disbelievingly as Wade handed them to him, followed by all the other items on his list. "I've got everything I need, plus back-ups."

"Well, I told ya, Darrell always delivers." Wade helped him put the stuff in his back-pack.

"Yeah, where is he, anyway? I should probably thank him."

Wade glanced up suddenly. "Never mind about that," he said hurriedly. "We should, uh, we should get going here."

"Okay, well, give me a hand with this." Ty obviously hadn't seen -or heard- what Wade had.

Wade walked slowly away.

Ty looked up to see why he hadn't answered, and noticed Wade wasn't paying attention.

Suddenly, Wade took off.

"Come on! Come on, get in here!" Wade yanked the truck's door open and slid quickly over the seat to the driver's side, glancing back to make sure Ty was following.

Ty craned his neck to see what in the world had made Wade run like that. His eyes widened with a mix of fear and shock as a brown-and-tan mutt raced toward him, and he dashed for the opened door, jumping in beside Wade and slamming the it shut.

The dog barked loudly and scratched at the door.

"Wh-wh-what is that?!" Ty exclaimed, fear from the almost attack still evident in his voice.

"Dog," Wade said simply.

"I know it's a dog! What's it doing out there?! Why didn't Darrell tie him up?!"

"Darrell doesn't exactly know we're here."

Ty stared at him in astonishment. "I thought you said he was a friend of yours!"

"He is a friend of mine. He's in Arizona; I couldn't get a hold of him." Wade was handling the situation a lot more calmly than Ty was.

Ty shook his head and groaned, meaning, simply put, "I can't believe I trusted you."

"Look, I knew he'd be fine with us coming out here and helping ourselves; I just forgot about the dog." He pointed at the beast, who still hadn't stopped barking its head off.

"I knew coming here with you was a bad idea." How could I have been so stupid? You know what he's capable of, Ty, you know! He was the reason you wasted good years of your life living in jail...

Wade huffed impatiently. "Re-lax. You got a cell phone, right? Call up your vet buddy and tell him to get out here with the tranquilizer."

Oh, no. Ty threw a look over his shoulder out the back window. "It's in my hoodie."

The dog, seeming to know that its temporary doom lay in that hoodie, preceded to tear it apart.

Wade followed Ty's look. "Well, I think the dog just ate it for lunch."

Silence fell, both inside and outside the truck, as the two each separately tried to formulate a plan.

After commenting on not being able to hear the dog, Wade announced, "Look, I've got a plan." He then went on to explain that seeing how the dog was from the late nineties and probably odd and deaf, they could wait for him to fall asleep and then make a run for it, according to his logic. Ty, however, had never been able to see Wade's logic.

"That's it?! That's your plan?!" Ty could not believe how stupid this all was. Why couldn't he just get trapped in a truck with

Amy instead?

Scratch that. Not Amy. You wouldn't want Amy in this situation either, but for very different reasons. Well, why not Jack then, or even Tim, or...

But Wade was saying, "Well, if you've got a better one, let's hear it." The challenge was obvious.

Ty didn't take it. He didn't have time to. Instead, he answered, "No, I don't but that doesn't make your's stink any less!" Stop it, Ty, he chided himself. Any more of this and you're going crazy. Just calm down... calm down... don't let him get to you...

"Give me a break, will ya? I didn't know this was gonna happen." Wade's frustration and anger was starting to show, although he was trying his best to contain it.

Ty stopped trying. "Every time I get involved with you, Wade, something goes wrong. Every time!" His eyes dared Wade to contradict him.

"I was trying to help you out." The hurt that was briefly in his eye's was quickly replaced again by frustration with his stepson. "I had the best of intentions, I did," he assured him.

"Oh, right, I'm sure you did." Ty was sure to emphasize his sarcasm.

"I just can't win with you, can I? No matter what I do." Wade glanced disgustedly his way, then looked back out the window and said quietly, "I-I'm always gonna be the boogie man to you."

"That's right. Except you're real." And that's a whole lot worse. Ty wanted to tell him exactly how much of his life had been ruined by his so-called stepdad, but Wade was saying,

"I get it Ty, I was a bad stepdad, but you," he pointed his finger at him, "you were no ray of sunshine yourself." He sighed exasperatedly and leaned back in his seat. "We both had our share of mistakes."

Ty finally voiced the thought he had had minutes earlier, "I can't believe I got stuck in here with you."

After making some progress by asking about Ty's truck and why he hung on to it, Wade had a feeling they were getting somewhere. So when Ty later told him that Amy was the best thing that had ever happened to him, Wade decided it was all right to tell him that he felt the same way about Lily, and that he had asked her to marry him again. And that she had said no. Ty hadn't acted surprised, and replied by saying that they had something in common, seeing how he had asked Amy, and she had wanted to wait.

Wade could tell Ty was opening up some. Just a little bit, but some was better than none, right? He smiled slightly, before noticing that he could not hear the dog anymore.

"You hear that?" he questioned.

Ty looked around a bit before responding, "He stopped barking.

"Must be asleep." Wade opened up the truck door and slowly stepped out. Ty did the same.

"I think he's gone," Wade whispered.

"All right, let's go." Ty appeared to have forgotten how crazy he had thought the plan was earlier as he and Wade went to the bed of the truck and collected the parts.

But almost immediately, the dog jumped up from his hiding place and scrambled up and after them.

"Go!" Wade yanked on Ty's arm as he took off, but Ty didn't need any of his urging and was already close behind him.

The dog was gaining on them as they reached the gate. So, since there was no time to open it, Wade jumped on it and quickly climbed over it, Ty following almost in unison.

They collapsed on the other side as the mutt skidded to a stop and barked at them indignantly.

"What're ya gonna do 'bout it? Huh?" Wade asked it teasingly, and Ty laughed with him.

Talking with Amy later that day seemed to help bring Ty back to his senses as he went over the confusing day in his mind.

When she told him that his mother had refused Wade's proposal out of fear of losing him, Ty decided that maybe Wade wasn't the guy he had once been. Maybe he had changed.

So when he came over to Ty's place and helped him fix up his truck, Ty decided he was too old to believe in the boogie man.

And as Wade drove off after the truck was finally fixed, Ty knew he was finally ready to let go of the past, and maybe...

Maybe he could consider Wade family. Maybe even consider him a friend.

The End