A/N: Before anyone comments how much they hate this story, the characters or setting, let me remind you that there are over 550 Heartland stories on this page and you don't have to read this one. I don't see the point of reading something you don't like when you could use that time with something else, something that leaves you feeling happy. I'm in no way in charge of making you feel happy with this story and have no control of the story they tell in the show, especially things that have been written after I started writing this fic, so don't assign that role to me. I'm just trying to tell one story with these given twists and turns, not the best and most likable story of all time that will please everyone. Before you comment, think does this need to be said? Does this need to be said by me? Does this need to be said by me now?

For the rest of you - enjoy!


With summer approaching slowly but surely, the light from outside kept increasing inside the ranch house. As Amy listened to the melting snow slide down from the roof and thudding on the ground and the water drip down from the drains while she was peeling carrots inside the kitchen, she kept hoping the darkness inside her would become easier to bear as well now that spring was well on its way.

But the other thing about light was, that it had a tendency to bring out everything that had been hidden throughout the winter too.

"What did the forecast say for tomorrow?" Lisa asked as she kept preparing the salad over the counter and glancing outside. "Sunny, right?"

"I believe so", Amy said as she placed another peeled carrot aside.

She glanced over her shoulder toward the living room where Lyndy was playing with Katie while Jack was getting his artificial flies ready for a new season of fishing, simultaneously making sure the girls were behaving. With the two, there was really not much to be done anyway as they were playing with their dolls and having good time together, so for Jack it was an easy "side gig" while the two women in the kitchen were preparing for the lunch.

"I should probably wash the windows", Lisa commented. "I mean, look at them. It's a miracle we can even see through them!"

Amy glanced at the windows, but instead of focusing on the dirt on them, at the distance she saw Lou driving in through the gates. Her heart felt heavier again now that she knew she was going to be in the presence of her sister soon. They had not talked since yesterday, and Amy wasn't sure how long it would take for Lou to actually say something to her. If she knew her sister at all, it was going to take a while because they both stayed mad for a long time if they were ever crossed. With a situation like this, Amy didn't think it was going to be over anytime soon, but at the same time she tried not to get too defeated about the odds.

She had heard from others that Lou had decided to take the role of a trail boss today now that she had driven Mitch away from the Dude Ranch and basically given him the boot.

"Yeah..." Amy commented, trying to distract herself with something else. "I might go for the town tomorrow. Lyndy's been talking about getting a bike ever since she saw Peppa Pig riding one of them. I'll need one her size with training wheels."

"Isn't Katie's bike in the garage?" Lisa recalled. "Well, if you can call it hers... It was bought to her, but she barely used it at the time. I guess the novelty wears off quickly with kids... They insist on having something, swear to you they'll use it as much as they claim, but then they get it and after a week it's already forgotten", she said and made Amy smile a little bit. The young mom tried to keep Lyndy's toys to a minimum, but bike was something that could become useful this summer now that Lyndy was starting to explore more of her surroundings. "But the one Lou bought for Katie is barely used, so almost like brand new. Maybe it's a little bit big for Lyndy now, but she'll grow into it quickly. By the summer, she might actually reach the pedals."

"Maybe", Amy commented, but wasn't sure. If the situation was different, she could see Lou having no problem with it, just like she had had no problem with giving Katie's old clothes to Lyndy, but Amy's relationship with her big sister wasn't what it used to be. "It's just... I'd have to ask Lou..."

"And you two are not talking?" Lisa finished Amy's sentence.

Amy nodded. Everyone knew what was happening between the two sisters, just not why it was happening. Even though the light might have crept through the windows on this sunny day, there was still that dark cloud hanging above Amy's head all the time.

Lisa looked at her granddaughter with a mixture of confusion and pity because she didn't know what was going on, but it almost seemed like Lou was mad at everyone back home at this point, so maybe it wasn't all their fault. Maybe Lou had things she was struggling with as well and was lashing out on people for that reason as well.

Lisa knew, for one, she had not been able to talk to Lou yet about her plans with the Dude Ranch because the timing had not been the best for it - but she would have to do that before Lou would return to New York. When that would be, she didn't know, but the clock was ticking. So much relied on Lou's mood. Lisa was hoping that it wouldn't be under these circumstances, but instead when Lou would - hopefully - feel confident leaving the Dude Ranch into her loving care.

As the older Fleming sister conveniently parked her SUV in front of the house, Lisa saw an opportunity.

"Well, whatever it is, I'm sure it'll smooth over soon. Things between sisters always do, no matter how bad they seem. Trust me, I know", Lisa said with an encouraging tone, knowing from her own experience with her sister.

As Lou walked inside the house, huffing and puffing, and took off her hat and boots, no one inside the house could ignore the dramatics of her entrance - just like Lou had probably planned. She wanted everyone to know right from the go that the trail ride had been a disaster and she would do the talking and she would not take any further questions about the humiliating experience.

"Well that was a disaster", Lou began as she sense Lisa's presence in the kitchen all the way from the mudroom.

"What happened?" Lisa asked.

"Well, the woman - the guest - had a wish to see wild animals during our trail ride - and she in fact ended up seeing them; we encountered a moose, but her horse spooked and she fell. Good thing she didn't got hurt, and we make them sign those waivers before the ride or we'd probably have a law suit in our hands right now..." Lou muttered as she turned around and walked to the kitchen.

"Which horse did you use...?" Amy asked out of curiosity.

Lou stopped at her tracks, not only because she had not expected to see Amy in the kitchen as well, but also because it was hard for her to understand how her little sister even dared to talk to her after yesterday, as if nothing was going on.

"Rio", Lou answered tensely.

"Yeah, he might have not been your best pick", Amy said. "He can be skittish sometimes."

Lou scoffed. "And how was I supposed to know that?"

"Maybe if you would have asked if you should use him", Amy suggested, shrugging. If Lou had come to her and asked the favor, she might have said yes, if only for the sake of the guests that deserved nothing but the best, but since she hadn't and had went into it headfirst alone, Amy had figured Lou had not wanted any help. She wasn't completely clueless around horses and it was her business after all, so to what had she needed Amy for anyway?

"And maybe if you hadn't fired Mitch, he would have been there to tell you", Lisa said, still feeling sorry for the guy who had given nothing but his all for the place in the absence of Lou. He had spent hours upon hours with those horses and knew their quirks, likes and dislikes. For Lisa, firing Mitch had seemed like a rushed decision and Lou had been very emotional when that had happened, so she wasn't sure if Lou had actually made the best decision in the best state of mind.

Lou's lips pursed tightly together as she held back for a second before speaking out. What was this? Some kind of ambush?

"Aren't all the horses at the Dude Ranch supposed to be bomb proof? And if we have "skittish horses" there, and for some reason I'm the only one available to be a trail boss, shouldn't I be aware of it so I don't set the guests in danger?"

"Rio's fine with an experienced rider, that's why he's typically used by the trail boss, but if an inexperienced rider is riding him, he might sense their tension in scary situations, which might have been what happened here", Amy wanted to make it clear. "Or what level riders were the guests...?"

Lou clenched her jaw, knowing the answer wasn't doing her any favors, but she wasn't about to back down and admit defeat. "Beginners. But still! This is not how you run a business! I'm mortified of what happened."

"I want to make it clear that everything's been fine while you've been gone", Lisa assured, not wanting Lou to think they had made mistakes like this when she had been in New York and had not just told her. "This was just a typical case of miscommunication. Thankfully no one got hurt."

"So, what? You're saying I'm the problem?" Lou asked from Lisa.

Lisa furrowed her brows. It was like Lou was looking for a fight. "What? No. I'm just saying that this is a new situation, for all of us. What we can learn from this is that communication is the key."

"It's not like it's going to be like this for long, seeing you're going back to New York", Amy spoke to Lou. She had seen this before; Lou coming in with all these ideas of how things should be done all while having one foot out of the door, when in fact she had no clue. "Not sure what your point was kicking Mitch out when you're just going to have to look for a new ranch hand anyway before you leave. Or do you just expect us all to take care of your businesses, like you have until now?"

Lou scoffed and walked closer to Amy. "You would defend him, wouldn't you..."

Lisa felt the tension in the air and felt like she needed to step up - literally - between the two women having a scornful battle with their eyes. "Okay, let's just take a breather, shall we...?"

"It has nothing to do with what happened, I'm just saying you might want to get down from your high horse", Amy said. "We've all been doing our best to keep things running here in the middle of this chaos, while you just prance in and act like you have it all figured it out when you've not even been here and made the same effort we all have! So how about you show us a little bit more respect?"

"Oh yeah? Respect?" Lou sparred. "Well, why don't you show a little bit more spine and tell everyone here what you've considered is "doing your best" in the middle of this chaos. - Huh?"

Amy swallowed, feeling like Lou was digging in her daggers and she couldn't do anything but let her. She wanted to say something, but nothing came out because the guilt of everything still weighted too heavily on her. She might have made herself believe that at least she was taking some kind of high road by being honest with Lou, but that made her in no way a better person altogether.

"No?" Lou asked. "Didn't think so... If I were you, I would be careful who I would cast my judgement over. And don't think for one second that what I do is just for me. If it weren't for me, this ranch wouldn't even be running anymore. And you wouldn't have Dude Ranch or Maggie's as a back-up to keep your head above water, just so you can continue working on mom's dream, even when you're struggling. Maybe you would be making some money if you actually focused on your career instead of kissing my ex-boyfriend."

Lou turned around and walked over to her room, leaving Amy in the ruins. She had had her say and that was as far as she would be willing to go with this conversation. She couldn't believe the ungrateful attitude of Amy when the reality was that if she had not come back home about twelve years ago, mom's dream would have ended there. Yes, the younger sister had since then found some fame and success, but even after everything, she was still stuck here, struggling to find any customers after a professional rut and grasping to form any meaningful relationships after her friends had moved elsewhere, gotten married and found lives of their own. And after all that she had the nerve to preach her about how to run her business when she was just branching out in New York with one of her diners and starting a new life on her own? Unbelievable!

Back in the kitchen, Lisa looked after Lou, letting her words sink in.

Kissing Lou's ex-boyfriend...? Amy kissing...? Mitch?

"Lyndy", Amy called out with a shaky voice, reaching out her hand and wiggling her fingers already so the girl could see it and know it was time to go. "Come on, let's go home."

The girl was too caught up with her play with Katie to hear. Amy waited, holding back her tears but feeling like the floodgates could open any minute now. Not yet. Not yet, she kept chanting inside her head. "Lyndy... Please."

Lyndy's eyes went up when she heard her mother's trembling voice. She got on her feet and ran to her. Amy picked her from the floor and walked to the mudroom, pass Lisa, then putting on her own boots. She didn't bother putting anything on Lyndy because she would be carried and they were going to go across the yard to the loft anyway.

Lisa looked after them as well, feeling speechless as she was still going over the whole situation and filling in the blanks. It was all starting to make more sense and she felt a little bit stupid for not realizing it sooner.

Jack had turned around on his seat in the corner as well and exchanged worried expressions with his wife as Amy stepped out of the house and slammed the door shut behind her and Lyndy.

This family was falling apart more than ever.