A/N: Ok this is my first chapter Heartland fic. It may seem kinda confusing to start with but bare with me! It will make sense in the end! Er, I hope anyway! Also I know the title is kinda similar to KittyCatt-Equineluv's 'The College Life' and it may sound similarish (in summery anyway) but its not, It is an original story and I checked with her that its ok to use the title and it is, so no comments about that please!

Summery: Amy is now in her third year at Virginia Tech and schools going great, but that's all that is. There's problems at home, and with Ty, and the cause? College. Can it all be worked out? Or is Amy about to leave Heartland forever.

Please review, good or bad, all comments are welcome as long as they are constructive(ish) and not outright mean - Claire

The World that is College

Chapter 1

Ty approached the door slowly, bracing himself for what he had to do. He wished he didn't have to, that he could be back at Heartland working. He wished he hadn't witnessed, hadn't been a part of what had happened just a few short hours ago. He was still having trouble believing it had happened and he had seen it with his own eyes.

He looked up at the number on the door in front of him as his eyes clouded with tears again. But he wouldn't let them fall, not yet, not here, not until he was home and alone. He took a deep breath and squared his shoulders, he raised his hand and knocked on the door.

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Earlier that day

Scott frowned deeply as he examined the little pony. Lou was crouched at the pony's head, doing t-touch on his face and whispering to him gently. Ty was crouched by him on the opposite side to Scott doing t-touch along the pony's neck as he closely watched the vets troubled expression.

"Can you do anything?" Jack asked from the stable door where he stood. Scott didn't look up or answer but the look in Ty's eyes as he glanced up at him was enough. Jack leaned back against the frame of the door and stared sadly at his granddaughter.

"You have to make Sugar better Scott. You have to." Lou pleaded with her husband. Scott sat back on his heels and looked at the little Shetland lying on the stable floor in front of him. Slowly he looked up at Lou and shook his head.

"I'm sorry Lou. I can't. Not this time. It wouldn't be fair on him to try." He looked at her sadly. He knew just how much Sugarfoot meant to her, and he knew how hard this was going to be for her to accept. "I'm almost a hundred percent sure he's cracked a bone in his hind leg. He's in a lot of pain. With the location and type of injury there wouldn't be much I could do even if the horse was much younger and healthier. I'm sorry but the only kind thing I can do for him is to put him to sleep." He looked at her deep sadness etched in his face. "I'm so sorry Baby. There's really nothing else I can do." He reached out a hand to her but Lou pushed it away.

"No!" She cried in disbelief. "You can't, you can't put Sugarfoot down." She looked back at the pony's face and began to work her fingers across his face once more. She started to sing softly to him.

"Lou, sweetie, it's the best thing for him. That's what you want right." He stated softly moving a little closer to her.

"How can the right thing be killing him?" She asked distraught. Scott looked at her sadly, his heart breaking for her, for the pain she was going through. "It's not my choice anyway. It's Amy's decision, she's the one who makes the decisions about the horses. She has to be here. She has to give you permission." She said not taking her eyes off of Sugar.

Scott looked to Ty for help, he didn't want to put his wife through this. It was the one time Scott truly hated his job. Ty realized that as professional as the vet wsa trying to be it was going to break his wife's heart to do it and that wasn't something he could do. Ty moved to kneel by Lou at Sugar's head. The pony's muzzle was resting on the straw bed, his eyes clouded with pain. "Lou" He started softly, "Amy's not here, she can't make the decision."

"So call her, get her here!" Lou snapped anger sweeping over her features.

"That mean's keeping him alive for at least two hours until she gets here. That's not fair on him." He responded calmly, "And it's not fair on Amy to here over the phone that he needs to be put to sleep. As much as she would want to be here, she wouldn't want him kept alive, in unnecessary pain just so she could be. You know that. Lou you have to be strong for Sugarfoot here. As hard as this is for you it is better for him. It's the only humane option." Ty paused watching her closely, "You know it's the right thing to do Lou. It's exactly what Amy would do, no matter how hard. Think of Pegasus. Amy grew up with him, adored him too and she had to make the same choice you do now and she did because it was the best thing to do for him. It's the hardest thing to do Lou but it's what has to be done."

Lou looked at Ty and then to her husband "There's nothing else you could try?" She asked desperately trying to cling on to some form of hope. Scott shook his head slowly. Lou looked down at Sugar again, tears streaming down her cheeks. After a few moments she nodded her head slightly and, voice barely a whisper, said "Ok."

"It's the right thing." Scott said quietly as he pulled the syringe from his bag and loaded it with the dose required. Lou started to sing softly to him again and the pony relaxed slightly at the sound of her voice. He blew out small puffs of warm air on to her hands. Scott gently injected the needles contents in to the little pony's bloodstream.

"I love you. I love you so much, I'm so sorry Sugar, so sorry." Lou cried. Sugar let out a big sigh and became still. Scott listened for a heartbeat with his stethoscope before looking at Lou sadly.

"He's gone." Scott murmured. Lou let out a loud cry as Scott pulled her in to his arms and held her, rocked her telling her he was sorry and proud of her, that she was brave to make that call. Ty backed away to the door tears in his eyes, he left the stable with Jack to give them some privacy.

"Amy needs to know." Jack said, "But you were right she shouldn't hear it on the phone but I don't think she should have to wait until she next comes home."

"No she shouldn't" Ty agreed, "Sam and Joe will be fine taking care of the horses for the rest of today, they know everything that needs to be done. I can go." Jack nodded adding that he could help out with the yard work to make things a little easier. "Yeah, ok. I'll just grab my keys and go." Ty said striding towards the house. Jack glanced back towards the stable where he could still hear Lou's anguished cries before heading for the back barn to let the stable hands Sam and Joe know the situation.

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Amy heard the knock at the door but didn't even glance at it. She was sat at the desk in her half of the room with a laptop in front of her along with several textbooks and notes from lectures. She was working on an assignment that was due at the end of the following week and didn't want to be disturbed. Her room mate was out, probably with her boyfriend, and likely wouldn't be back until the following day so Amy was making the most of the peace and quiet. The person at the door however clearly had other ideas and knocked again, louder and longer this time.

Amy sighed heavily and moved towards the door as the person knocked yet again, "I'm coming, I'm coming" She muttered under her breath. She opened the door and was surprised to find herself looking at a very familiar, worn, navy jacket she glanced up and sure enough found herself looking up at the even more familiar features of her boyfriend. "Hey," She said quietly looking back at the floor, barely managing a smile for him, "What are you doing here?" She asked without looking at him trying not to sound annoyed with him.

Ty doesn't say anything but gently puts his fingers on her chin and tilts her head back a little so she's looking at him. Amy reluctantly looks at him and only then does she notice the tightness in his features, the pain in his eyes and suddenly she realises that he's not there about them this time but something more important, more serious. "What's wrong?" She asks beginning to worry. He still says nothing and instead places a hand on each shoulder and gently pushes her back in to her room. "Ty what's going on, you're scaring me" Amy demanded. Her legs hit the edge of her bed and with another gentle push from Ty she sits down. He still hasn't said a word and wont meet her eyes adding to Amy's fear. "Ty, what the hell is going on?" She demanded again as he knelt on the floor in front of her.

Ty sighed and looked at the floor before taking her hands in his. He really didn't want to do this, but he'd delayed it as long as he could. "Amy," He started finally meeting her eyes and seeing the worry there, "I'm sorry, really sorry, but Scott had to put Sugarfoot to sleep this morning." He watched the disbelief and shock run through her eyes and wished he could stop or heal the pain this would cause her. Problems or not he still loved her.

"No." Amy whispered pulling her hands out of Ty's.

"I'm sorry." Ty said his voice chocked.

Amy sat there on the bed in shock for a few moments, her hands either side of her bracing her weight. Then the tears began to flow and once they started she couldn't stop them, great sobs tore through her body and suddenly Ty was sat next to her on the bed and his arms were wrapped tightly around her. She found herself clinging tightly to him, grabbing at his shirt pulling him closer. Ty leant his head on top of hers and his tears fell on to her hair as he kept murmuring to her.

Ty moved back to the back of the bed to lean against the headboard pulling Amy with him. After a while her sobs began to quieten and she moved her head from its place, resting on Ty's firm chest to look up at him through teary eyes. She moved slightly further up, snuggling closer to him and kissed him hesitantly, worried he may push her away. Ty hesitated for a moment before kissing her back softly. Amy moaned softly as he did and deepened the kiss a little, bringing one hand up to play with his hair and relaxing her body further in to his. Ty ran his tongue across her lower lip begging entrance which she eagerly granted.

Ty knew in the back of his mind that this was a bad idea but he had missed her and it felt so good to have her back in his arms. He brought one hand up and tangled it in her hair pushing her closer to him to deepen the kiss further. His other hand was resting on the small of her back and his fingers drew small circles on the bare skin there where her t-shirt had ridden up. He'd forgotten how perfectly she fit in his arms, how soft her skin was, how good she smelt this close. But it was a bad idea. And the more he thought that the more he wanted her.

Amy shifted so her torso was over his and one leg rested between his and Ty moaned in appreciation at the extra contact and moved his hand off her back and slid it down to the back of her thigh before moving it back again. Again the thought ran through Ty's head that this was a bad idea, that they were doing this for the wrong reasons and as good as it felt in the moment afterwards would be a very different story. Things had been bad enough between them lately and he didn't want to make it even worse. "Stop" He said softly as he moved his hands to push reluctantly at Amy's shoulders.

Amy paid no heed to him as he pulled his lips off hers and started to work her way along his neck instead remembering how good he smelt. Ty Moaned again in pleasure and she lightly grazed her teeth across the sensitive skin before flicking her tongue across it. "Stop, we should stop" Ty said breathlessly but with more conviction than before, and with a slightly more forceful push on Amy's shoulders.

This time Amy listened and pulled back a little and, breathing hard, said "Why? Why do we have to stop? I don't want to and you can say it but I know you don't want to either" She moved slightly to push herself against his erection as she finished and smiled slightly as Ty groaned and put his head back a little. But he quickly recovered and used his greater strength to push Amy back so she was lying on her side beside him.

"You're right, I don't want to stop. I'd forgotten how good this felt but we can't. You know we can't" He said still breathing hard, trying to control himself. With her still so close he was in great danger of saying screw it and letting him lose himself in her anyway. It wouldn't take much for his resolve to break.

Amy sighed, tears filling her eyes and threatening to fall again. "I don't care! I want you. I miss you. Please Ty, please." She begged quietly, but knew he was right.

"I miss you too. And all I want right now is to be with you but this is bad timing. You wouldn't have kissed me if Sugar hadn't died this morning. As much as I want to comfort you it can't be that way. Things are bad enough and this will make them worse. I don't care how good it would feel right now" He said trying to convince himself more than her. "But I don't want this with you until it's for the right reasons. And not just for comfort" He added seeing her about to argue with him.

Amy looked away trying not to cry again and angry that he was right. He was right about everything. She moved closer to him and tentatively placed an arm across his chest. He's taken of his coat at some point but still had his shirt on. She rested her head on his chest as well feeling his tense up. "Ok, you're right. But you're not going anywhere tonight right? Please?" She sniffed.

Ty gradually relaxed and wrapped an arm around her shoulders and held her close. "No, its ok. I'm staying tonight." He said softly laying a light kiss on her hair. As he held her rubbing circles on her bare upper arm, he tried to tell himself that this wouldn't lead to problems in the morning. He was tired of fighting with her and just wanted to go back to the way things had been but knew that too much had happened for that to be possible. As he felt Amy relax and her breathing deepen as she fell asleep, he wished for everything to work itself out. He just wanted her back.