Warning: This program contains scenes of nudity, sexuality and adult subject matter.Viewer discretion is advised.

As October progressed, Amy felt like her life had finally resumed a normal rhythm. Lou wasn't upset with her; on the contrary she was interested in the oils that Amy was using to help Ty. She was apparently interested in the human connection that could be made with Heartland's regular practices. There was more than just one kind of oil because, though the rosemary helped for the first week – Ty had noticed a different feeling of relaxation after a session – the effects wore off and they were forced to find a different oil. This had happened again more than once per week, but they continued scouring the books in the feed room for different choices.

Ty returned the wheelchair to the hospital after a doctor's appointment in the second week of the month. Doctor Carson was impressed and intrigued by the alternative methods Amy and Ty had implemented.

"It seems to be working well so if it does work, keep doing it," Doctor Carson said, leaning across his desk slightly, talking to the pair. "Did they ever find the men who were in the bush?"

"They found a burnt out campfire and a bunch of beer cans just off the road," Amy answered, looking at Ty who nodded in confirmation. "That's all they could tell us."

"That's to bad," Doctor Carson looked down at the file on the desk in front of him before flipping it closed and looking back up at the pair expectantly.

"So that's it then?" Ty asked eagerly. Amy knew he had been looking forward to getting the all clear since he'd booked the appointment a half a month previous.

"That's it," The doctor repeated, rising as Amy and Ty stood. "Just take it easy for a little bit, call or come in if you have any concerns." He walked them to the door.

Amy's mind was already back at Heartland as they entered the parking lot and headed in the direction of Ty's truck. She was brought back to earth when she felt Ty take her hand in his, his thumb brushing over her ring. The announcement of Amy and Ty's engagement was overshadowed by the wedding preparations for Scott and Lou's upcoming wedding. Neither Amy nor Ty cared; they agreed – much to Amy's chagrin –nothing would be changing until after Amy graduated in the spring.

Amy smiled up at Ty, his good mood easily infectious.

"I want to do something special tonight," Ty said, squeezing Amy's hand gently before dropping it when they parted ways to get into the truck.

"Isn't a massage enough for you?" Amy feigned hurt as she climbed onto the truck bench.

"Lets go for a trail ride," Ty suggested, turning the key in the ignition and letting the truck idle a minute in the cool weather before backing out. "And I'm cooking you supper."

"That's right," Amy said in realization. "Grandpa's at Scott's and Lou and Nancy were looking at…" Amy held up her hand and as she listed off the different items she counted them on her fingers. "Flowers, dresses, make-up, hair dressers, caterers, photographers… ugh." She paused and narrowed her eyes at Ty who was chuckling. "I refuse to do any of that, it's all up to you."

Ty skillfully switched the conversation to supper and a disagreement ensued about what they were going to have. They were still at odds when they pulled up the drive of Heartland so they went straight for the kitchen and pulled out a few cookbooks. After disagreeing on every recipe, Amy sighed in exaggerated frustration and flipped the book closed on Ty's finger. Walking over to the refrigerator, she pulled out a casserole dish and handed it to him.

"Microwave's over there," She huffed, pointing to the counter.

"I love you," Ty said with a chuckle, leaning over the dish to press a kiss to her forehead. "Hash brown casserole it is."

Amy moved to the armchair in the corner of the kitchen and sat with her knees drawn up to her chin, watching Ty move easily around the kitchen. A smile formed involuntarily on her lips while she watched him casually reach for a couple of plates and forks. His motions around her house were so fluid that she'd have sworn he'd been doing them for years, not weeks. Ty looked over his shoulder at her from the cupboard and grinned quickly before his eyes returned to the glasses he was pulling out. He poured them each a cup of orange juice and after stacking a few loose pieces of paper, laid out the place settings, serving the now steaming casserole.

Amy showed no signs of moving from the chair so Ty approached her and after placing a hand on either of her knees, he bent forward and rested his chin on his hands.

"Your supper is ready," He said, moving his palm a fraction and pressing a kiss to her knee.

"Who're you going to ride?" Amy asked, standing and following Ty to the table.

"Dexter needs a workout. I think he can take it," Ty replied, sitting across from her.

Amy nodded thinking of the Appaloosa who had come to Heartland to be retrained after an early retirement that had resulted from his previous owner's death. The six year old was accepting their methods, but needed to rebuild some muscle after being in a pasture for several years.

&

"Ty what's wrong?" Amy asked, slowing Ceilie's pace for Dexter to pull beside them.

"Nothing, why?" Ty frowned, keeping his eyes on the reigns in his hands.

"You're an awful liar," Amy commented, looking back to the trail.

"Ugh," Ty groaned in frustration as the pair brought their horses to a halt at the top of Clairsdale ridge. "Amy, I have to go out of town for a while."

Amy looked up in shock. "Why?"

"Remember when I went home on Tuesday?"

Amy thought a moment. Ty had not heard a word from his parents since September, over a month and a half ago so on Tuesday – when she had been at school – he went to his house. The day had been busy and Amy had forgotten to ask him what had happened. Thinking back she remembered that a few of his personal effects had come back to Heartland after that trip.

"What happened?" She asked.

"The house was empty," Ty replied bluntly, looking out over the treetops and hills in front of them.

Amy's eyes widened but she remained silent.

"Everything was gone, the only thing left was my room, everything in there was completely untouched," He reached forward and played with Dexter's mane. "I called Brad's company and was finally forwarded to him. He didn't say much but he sent me a plane ticket and said I had to get out there as soon as possible."

"Out where?" Amy asked quietly. Looking down she noticed that her hands had started shaking slightly.

"California," Ty sighed, turning Dexter towards Heartland.

"Cal–" Amy paused and swallowed. "When are you going?"

"Monday," Ty looked quickly at Amy just in time to catch her jaw drop open a fraction.

"Ty, its Friday now,"

"That's sort of the reason Jack and Lou are going to be out late tonight," Ty explained, dropping his eyes guiltily. "But I'm coming back no matter what."

"How soon?" Amy asked. This is his home just as much as mine. She rationalized to herself. He won't stay away forever.

"As long as it takes… whatever it is," Ty answered, relief showing on his face as he realized that Amy wasn't upset.

Silence fell between them as Amy tried to imagine next week without Ty.

"Are you angry?" He broke her thoughts as the trail opened up at Heartland.

"Of course not," Amy reassured. "It's your family, you have to go."

Ty bit his lip, obviously holding back his response.

They led their horses to their stalls and after quick rubdowns and grooms, took the saddles to the tack room.

"Some family," He said in frustration as he dropped Dexter's saddle onto the rack. He turned away raking his hand through his hair and Amy knew he was livid.

"Ty," She sighed softly. Approaching him from behind, she wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her forehead between his shoulder blades and held that position until she felt his muscles relax. He turned in her arms and placed a kiss on the tip of her nose.

"Lets do the feeds and call it a night," Amy suggested.

"That's probably the best idea I've heard all day," Ty nodded, Amy noted that his eyes looked tired. "Were we going to change the oil again today?"

"I already picked one out, no smelling involved," Amy answered, dropping her hands and leading the way to the feed room.

"I'll trust you," Ty said, though by his tone Amy knew he was a bit suspicious.

"It's a surprise," Amy said placing emphasis on the last word.

"I trust you," Ty repeated firmly.

&

"Ty?" Amy asked, peeking her head through the ajar door. The room was quite dark, lit only by the light of the moon, which streamed in through the window. She laughed when she saw that he was already lying on his stomach in the middle of his bed.

"I know the routine," He said, his voice muffled slightly from his arm.

Amy left the light off and with a small smirk, approached him but rather than sit at his legs she crawled onto the bed and straddled his waist.

"Amy, w–" Ty started, twisting to face her but she cut him off by covering his lips with hers. Pulling back after a quick kiss, she held up a cobalt vial and kissed him again before pulling back and taking some of the oil in her palm, warming it between her fingers.

She started at his shoulder blades and immediately felt his body react to the earthy, spicy with a hint of floral scent that filled the air. Hearing a small groan escape Ty's lips, Amy smiled to herself. She had spent her lunch hour searching the internet for oil combinations specifically for men. She hadn't been concerned about how they would help his circulation or his muscles; she had looked for something that a man would enjoy. Something Ty would enjoy.

When he was instructed to do so, Ty rolled over. Amy still had one knee on either side of his waist as she massaged the oil into his toned stomach, chest and shoulders.

"What is that?" Ty asked. Amy looked up to see his eyes were half closed, but focused on her face.

"Whew," Amy sighed, thinking. "There's Frankincense, Rosewood, Jasmine, Vetiver, Ylang Ylang, Sandalwood, Cedarwood, Clary Sage and Rosemary."

"What am I, your guinea pig?" Ty asked, his hands reaching up to rest lightly on Amy's hips.

"I did some research today," Amy explained, her fingers working on their own accord, her eyes now on Ty's. "This is just for you."

A smile spread across Ty's face and his hands reached out to stop her. He sat up and she slid into his lap, once she was there he kissed her deeply, his hands releasing hers so she could wrap her arms around his neck while his hands started massaging her shoulders with light pressure.

Amy closed her eyes at the feeling and after a moment, felt his hands travel to the front of her pajama shirt. The movement was slow and she knew he was watching her so she opened her eyes just enough so she could find his mouth and greedily take it. His hands slowly unbuttoned her shirt and before she had pulled back to breath from the kiss, she was sitting half naked in Ty's lap.

"Ty, I –" Amy started but he stopped her as his mouth found hers and his hands moved cautiously to her chest. Amy gasped against Ty's mouth when she felt his warm hands kneading with a gentle but firm pressure. Ty pulled back from her lips and with a small smile, bent his head and after cupping her breasts in his hands, he lowered his mouth to them, his lips first brushing, then kissing then pulling slightly on one nipple, then moving to do likewise to the other.

"Ty…" Amy hissed, her hands tangling themselves in his hair as his fingers trailed lightly along the taught skin of her stomach, stopping to knead very low on her back. His fingers splayed and he lifted her quickly, laying her back on the bed, kneeling between her knees. "Ty…" Amy repeated, reaching for him as his hands moved to the top of her pajama bottoms. She raised her hips slightly as an invitation.

Both her pajama bottoms and underwear were removed in a single motion and after Ty had dropped the pair to the floor he pressed his lips to her ankle. Amy moaned quietly as he moved to her calf, then her knee. He left an intense trail of tingling fire in his wake and Amy arched her back, a gasp escaping her as he continued north, pausing only briefly to press a kiss to the apex of her thighs before he moved to her stomach, chest, neck and finally her mouth. Amy relinquished her grip she'd had on the sheets and wrapped her arms around Ty. She realized quite suddenly that Ty had discarded his boxers at some point.

"Amy," He whispered her name directly in her ear, his lips brushing her earlobe. Amy's hands traveled up his shoulders until they were on either side of his face. She held him back slightly, only just seeing the desire in his dark green eyes with the dim moonlight. She knew the expression was a mirror image of her own. As soon as she released his face, his mouth sought her neck where he kissed and nipped down to her collarbone and back up to her jaw.

Amy slid her hands down to rest on his arms which caused her breath to catch in her chest as she realized just how well defined the muscles were, how much stronger Ty was than she, and how easily he could hurt her if he chose to.

"Amy," Ty's voice was suddenly quite serious. He pulled back from her neck, his eyes meeting hers and she knew that he could tell what she was thinking. Amy reached up and tried to kiss away the serious expression that had taken over his face and after responding to her deeply, Ty pulled back again. "Amy, are you sure?"

Amy knew he was completely serious, but she also knew that they were both considerably past the point of no return. She nodded quickly then recaptured Ty's lips. His tongue slipped expertly into her mouth, caressing her tongue with such passion that she moaned into his mouth. She felt him move so his hips were perfectly fitted between her thighs and again he pulled back from her lips.

"Amy you know I'd never hurt you, right?" He spoke with such uncertainty that Amy's eyes darted to his. She exhaled softly, directly in his face which caused his eyes to droop slightly only for a second before he was looking at her with intensity from his question.

"Of course," She whispered back, kissing his chin. Ty nodded slightly and Amy felt a light pressure at her entrance, which made her entire body shivered with pleasure.

"Amy, I don't want to hurt you, but this is going to hurt," Ty mumbled against her shoulder. He pulled back and reached a hand up to brush the side of her face with the gentlest of caresses that she was sure he was afraid to break her. "I don't know how much… I swear I'll make it better. I'll make it –"

Amy assaulted his lips with hers to stop his ramble. When she pulled back Ty was searching her face, his breathing now slightly uneven. "I trust you. Ty, I love you."

Ty smiled and she felt the light pressure return. He kissed her deeper than before pulling back to catch is breath quickly and whisper, "I love you," back to her before, with a single quick and fluid motion, he entered her.

Amy gasped and pulling back from Ty's kiss, bit her lip. She clung to his back as she was suddenly thrown into a world of pain. She sucked in a sharp, shuddering breath as a tear leaked from the corner of her eye.

Ty had completely stilled all movement of his lower body and kissed away the tear, kissing back up its salty track, pulling back when he'd reached the source. "I love you," He whispered.

He stayed completely still within her, kissing her face as the pain settled. Ty seemed to know when she was ready because, without indication he started to slowly pull back. A new feeling rapidly replaced the painful throb and Amy instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist. Her movement allowed him to penetrate further and as he pushed her back against the mattress a small-strangled sound came from her throat, her nails digging into his back.

He stilled immediately, misinterpreting her reaction.

"Ty…" She groaned, her eyes locking with his a moment before she closed them again in ecstasy. "Please…"

He required no further prompting as he drove deeply into her before pulling back and repeating the motion. Amy lifted her hips to meet his thrusts and quickly a rhythm was achieved.

Ty continued to kiss down her neck, but Amy was too busy focusing on maintaining her gasped breathing to respond much. He suddenly started withdrawing himself until only the very tip of his head was still within her.

A small cry came directly from Amy's throat and her hands applied pressure to his lower back. "Ty…" She pleaded but she didn't need to say more for, with sudden force, Ty slammed back into her and they regained their rhythm.

A spring deep within her began to tightly wind and Amy wondered if Ty could feel it too because as soon as it began to intensify, he sped up. The enhanced speed was all she needed to be pushed over the edge and the most unimaginably concentrated feeling of pleasure saturated every particle of her being. Following the feeling of a sudden spurt within her, the feeling of her climax was prolonged as Ty continued to thrust into her, riding out the waves of his peak.

As his motions slowed to a stop, Ty withdrew himself quickly, leaving Amy feeling empty but at the same time fulfilled. With his arms still holding Amy securely to himself, Ty rolled onto the bed, pulling her with him so they lay on their sides facing each other, the only sound breaking the perfect stillness of the room was their ragged breathing.

"You're trembling," Amy observed when she felt confident that her voice would finally work.

"I'll live," Ty whispered in an equally shaky voice. He pulled her close, holding her against the entirety of his warm body. Amy rested her head against his chest where she could hear his heart pounding so hard she thought it was trying to escape its cage.

"Amy?" Ty's whispered voice drew Amy's face up and she was met with a concerned expression. "Are you alright?"

Amy sighed, reaching up to press her lips against Ty's. "Perfect," She whispered when she pulled back.

A relieved smile covered Ty's face and he kissed her forehead. "I love you."

"I love you more," Amy challenged, reaching a hand up to caress his jaw.

Ty reached back and pulled a quilt to cover them. Placing a hand at her back, he started tracing gentle lines over her back.

"What're you do–" Amy asked. She stopped suddenly as his motions became firmer, massaging her lower back.

"Mmm," Amy sighed. She reached up and kissed him, shivering slightly at the feeling of his tongue caressing hers and his hand working on her back. She pulled back, licking her lips and looked straight into his eyes.

"You –" Ty paused, kissing her lips quickly. "Are amazing," He finished, tightening his embrace on her. He kissed her forehead before she curled up in his arms and with her nose buried in the crook of his neck, Amy felt the most satisfying sleep envelop her.