Rogue, as Marie now called herself, sat in a truck stop looking at a picture of her and Lou taken a few weeks before she left. Louisa's arms were around her and they were hugging, their faces turned to the camera grinning.

"This is the best idea eva!" Marie said as she and Louisa tacked a map up on her wall.

"Now we can actually see out trip around the world planned out!" Lou said giddily. "A little lower on yer side…perfect." They put in the tacks.

"Where to first?"

"CANADA!" They said in unison.

Well, she was in Canada now, but no Louisa by her side. "This would be more fun with you here, Lou." She said wistfully staring at the picture. "Ah miss you."

"Hey, kid, you want a ride?"

She looked up at the burly woman driver, "Yeah, sure."

"Where ya headed, darlin'?"

"Don't matter none." Rogue said.

"Hop in." She said opening the door of her rig for the girl.

George Strait came on the radio as they drove. 'Heartland'. Rogue began to softly sing along. The woman smirked and turned it up belting it out herself.

Marie worked backstage at the school talent show watching from behind the curtain while Louisa was on stage singing a medley of song. All pure country: 'Redneck Woman', 'Bumper of my SUV', 'God Bless the USA', and 'Boondocks'.

"For my last selection, ladies and gentlemen, I'm going to need some help. Marie D'Ancanto."

'NO!' Marie mouthed as one of the teachers nudged her out there. She didn't even know what they were singing. Then the strains of 'Heartland' began to play and she relaxed. This was their song.

"When you hear twin fiddles and a steel guitar…" Louisa started singing in her contralto.

"Yer listenin' to the sound of the American heart." Marie came in, in her lovely alto.

"And Opry music on a Saturday night brings a smile to your face and a tear to your eye…"

"Sing a son about the heartland, the only place Ah feel at home."

"Sing about the way a good man, works until the daylight's gone."

"Sing the rain on the roof on a summer night, where they still know wrong from right."

"Sing a song about the heartland. Sing a song about my life."

"There's a place where the mornin's are an endless blue,"

"And you feel mother nature walk along with you…"

"Where simple people livin' side by side still wave to their neighbor when they're drivin' by…" Marie was getting more into this.

There were whoops from James in the audience and that relaxed her even more. James made her feel comfortable. He was familiar.

Louis continued. "Sing a song about the heartland, the only place I feel at home."

"Sing about the way a good man works until the daylight's gone…"

"Sing the rain on the roof on a summer night, where they still know wrong from right."

They sang the last sentence together. "Sing a song about the heartland, sing a song about my life!"

It was comforting singing along to 'Heartland' now and she felt like that, wherever Louisa was, she was still her friend, still thinking about her.