Authors Note

Hey guys! Well, the day is finally here, the last chapter of Commander In Chief, my first ever Heartland story. I just want to thank all of my reviewers and everyone else who has read this story. Thanks for all the suggestions people have given me; I've used quite a few of them. I got some good suggestions for this chapter too but, sadly, I am not able to use them. I already have this chapter planned out and they just don't fit. This is the one chapter that I'm not willing to change.

I want tons of reviews for this chapter since it is the last! REVIEW!

Before I get on with the chapter I have one thing to say:

As a lot of you probably know, today, May 20, 2006, the 131st Preakness Stakes was run. Going into the race, Barbaro was the clear favorite at 3-5 odds; he'd been beating even money all week long. He was fine before the race and just bursting with energy. Barbaro suffered a false start, bursting through the gate that was supposed to have been locked. He was caught fairly quickly and brought back around and reloaded. Barbaro broke cleanly and well the second time around and gained good position. Before the first turn, Edgar Prado, Barbaro's jockey, pulled him up. Barbaro was clearly favoring his right hind leg and missing steps. He was loaded into an Equine Ambulance on the track and taken back to his stables. Vets later said that Barbaro had fractured his ankle in two spots. He was then taken for immediate, and serious, surgery. Barbaro is a great horse and an amazing racer. He won the Kentucky Derby by over six lengths, he had it look easy! There has not been a Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978; Barbaro was to be the next. But the harsh reality is that Barbaro will most likely never race again. His first ever lose shall be his defeat. With an injury as severe as the one Barbaro has sustained he may have to be put down.

It takes a whole lot for me to cry and I almost did. This stuff always happens in books and movies and TV shows but now it's happened in real life. I hope Barbaro is okay. His lose would be horrible, he will be a very value stud. But not only that, he's a great horse, gorgeous, sweet, and doesn't deserve what has happened to him. It doesn't seem enough to say, I hope Barbaro is okay, but there it is. I don't know what else to say. I feel horrible for Edgar Prado too, he was crying after the race when they took Barbaro away in the Equine Ambulance. It's not his fault what happened to Barbaro but he is going to be doubting himself and his abilities for a while, especially if Barbaro does not make it. But the fact is, Edgar Prado did the right thing in pulling Barbaro up right away when he knew something was wrong, without is quick, heroic thinking Barbaro would have less of a chance at survival.

Onto Baldwin Prince, the sequel. It will probably be up in September. The story will be more focused on Ty, should it be his POV or not? And of course, Baldwin Prince. It basically takes you through Prince's Triple Crown races and to the Breeder's Cup, with added twists. Feel free to guess on what might happen but I won't tell if you are right or wrong.

Now… on to the last chapter of Commander In Chief…

-Steph

Disclaimer: Everything recognizable belongs to Lauren Brooke.

Commander In Chief

Epilogue

Two months late

Baldwin Ways

"AAAAHHHH!" I squealed loudly and gripped the hands that had locked around my waist. "Ty! Put me down!" I laughed as Ty picked me up from behind and spun me around.

I felt more then heard Ty's deep laugh. I smiled widely at the sound. This was just too perfect, too good to be true.

And yet, it was.

After the whole Daniel incident two months earlier Ty and I had been practically inseparable. Ty had fussed over my cuts and bruises, courtesy of one Daniel Lawson, so much. It had started cute but quickly bordered on the brink of annoying. But, he cared for me and that was enough.

On the issue of Daniel, he had confessed all his crimes to the police so we were not called to testify against him in court. As for his punishment… let's just say that he is going to behind bars for a long time. I guess I feel kind of bad for the guy though, he clearly loved his horse, Burning Amber. Amber was taken away from him and sold to another farm.

Ty set me down and my feet were once again firmly on the ground. His arms stayed tight around my waist though, not that I had a problem with that. Quite the opposite actually, it was amazing, really, how safe and secure a pair of arms could make a girl feel.

Ty turned me around so that I was facing him. I looked up into his bright green eyes and smiled softly. A small smile graced Ty's perfect lips before be leant down and kissed me. It was a soft, slow kiss but it made my knees weak anyway.

"Ahem," someone cleared their voice from behind us. Ty and I broke apart quickly and I turned around.

"Hey, dad," Ty said sheepishly. I ducked my head to hide my blush.

"Shouldn't you two be gone already?" Brad questioned. He crossed his arms across his chest and looked at us. "You're certainly not dressed for hanging around the yard," he added as he appraised our wardrobe.

Ty was taking me… somewhere. He would not tell me where exactly. I had opted to wearing a pair of black pants and a gray cashmere sweater. Coupled with it was by black, wool jacket that fell to my knees and my black and gray stripped scarf wrapped around my neck. My hair was done and blowing in the light wind. We were standing outside so my nose was probably red from the cold, winter air.

Ty looked perfect, God like, as usual. He wore a pair of black suit pants with a black button down. Usually I though that monotone colors was tacky but on Ty… wow. It was hot. The shirt showed off his broad shoulders and muscular chest. His brown hair was in its custom messy form and his green eyes added enough light and color to light up a whole room.

"We were going to leave in a few minutes," Ty told his father. Brad's eyes twinkled with a light just as brilliant as his son's and he nodded his head minimally. I got the feeling that Brad knew what was going on. So everyone knows besides me? Perfect.

"Okay, well you should get going soon," Brad said. Ty voiced his agreement.

"Hello, Amy," Brad smiled warmly at me. "It's nice to see you again." Yeah right. He was probably sick of me by now.

I smiled back. "Thanks, Brad," at first it had been weird to call him by his first name but it came naturally by now.

"Did you want something, dad?" Ty asked.

"I was just heading down to watch Baldwin Prince's workout," Brad admitted. Oh, right. The famous Baldwin Prince that I had yet to meet. Funny, after all the time I'd spent around Baldwin Way's I had yet to meet the great horse. I was starting to wonder if maybe the whole family was insane and had just made him up. "Want to watch?"

"Uh…" Ty looked uncertain.

"Come on!" Brad urged. He started to walk down the path to where I knew the track was. He turned half-way, never breaking his strong side, and waved an arm to us, signaling us to catch up.

Ty shrugged. "Let's go," he said. He grabbed my hand and we ran to catch up with Brad.

We neared the track and I saw several beautiful Thoroughbreds being worked. I searched for the one I knew was Baldwin Prince. Big and black and beautiful, that's all I had to go by.

Brad stopped about six yards away from the fence where a man was standing with a clipboard and a stopwatch. Zach, the Baldwin's famous trainer. I'd met him plenty of time before.

Brad turned around to face Ty and me.

"Are you ready to see the next great horse, Amy?" Brad directed the question to me. "You are about to be the first person ever, outside of the Baldwin team, to watch Baldwin Prince work." With that, he turned and walked the short distance to the fence where he stood side by side with his old friend and trainer. They were talking and kept looking down the track.

I followed their gaze and saw a big, darkly colored horse approaching, the jockey positioned comfortably in the small, racing saddle.

"So, can you find His Royal Highness?" Ty asked once we had reached the fence.

I laughed at Ty's affectionate nickname for the horse that for all I knew could have been a myth or merely a figment of the imagination.

"Which one is he?" I asked eagerly.

"You already know," Ty responded as he followed my gaze down the track.

"What?" I asked confused. "You mean that's…" I trailed off as the horse and rider came into sight. I gaped. So that was Baldwin Prince? The Prince? Wow.

He was huge and magnificent. His coat jet black, only marred by a strip of white across the top of his forehead. He was long and lean and his muscles rippled powerfully with every step he took. His big, elegant head was arched and he toyed with the bit. The rider posted quickly in the short stirrups to match the horse's quick trot, he wanted to move, to go faster but he waited for his jockey's signal. The jockey spoke softly to the big animal and his ear flickered back and forth nimbly.

Ty laughed lightly by my side and he caught my expression. "Yes, that's Baldwin Prince," he confirmed. "Dad says that he's the best breeding successes he's ever had."

"You don't say," I breathed as the great horse halted on the track in front of us.

"Eduardo!" Zach called out to the jockey on Baldwin Prince. The jockey, upon hearing his name called out, turned his head to face Zach and Brad. He nodded his greeting to them. "We're going to practice his starts without the gate. I've got a bell with me, when I ring it he should start just like he does with the gates. If he breaks bad or slow then take him a few furlongs and then bring him back here. If he breaks good then let him run. Take him once around and let him out on… the end of the stretch."

"Si," Eduardo agreed simply in a distinctly Spanish accent.

Eduardo nestled himself above Baldwin Prince's withers and crouched low over his neck. Baldwin Prince immediately became focused on the track ahead and his muscles tensed and he was like a spring waiting to explode.

Bring!

The bell rang out loudly and Baldwin Prince immediately gathered his haunches underneath of him and launched forwards. He soared threw the air before his hooves touched the sandy track again. He was off and running in the blink of an eye. His long, black tail floated in his wake like streamers.

At the end of the straightaway, Eduardo let Baldwin Prince have his head and Baldwin Prince stretched his neck out and his already long, ground eating stride all but doubled. He flew around the turn and down the back stretch. Baldwin Prince's hooves pounded into the soft sand and carried him forwards almost effortlessly. He thrust his front legs forwards and his hind legs back and his neck stretched straight out. The muscles in his chest were incredible.

Baldwin Prince seemed to gain speed as he raced towards us.

He flew past us and Eduardo stood up high in the stirrups and eased Baldwin Prince back to a canter. They cantered a ways before Baldwin Prince finally slowed. Eduardo turned him around and they trotted back towards us. Baldwin Prince's amen bounced up and down on his neck and he was hardly even breathing deeply.

"Wow," was all I could say.

"Yeah," Ty agreed. His green eyes held awe and respect for the horse. "That's how I feel as well, even after watching him go everyday."

Handlers rushed over to Baldwin Prince and grabbed his bridle. Eduardo vaulted out of the saddle and nimbly landed on his boot clad feet. He gave the horse a last pat on the next before he walked over to Brad and Zach, his crop tucked under his arm.

Eduardo, Brad and Zach exchanged words and a grinning Zach showed the other two the stopwatch. Brad whooped in excitement and Eduardo was practically bouncing on his heels.

I looked down and with a glance at my outfit I quickly remembered… "So, are you going to tell me where we're going yet?" I asked casually, not drawing much attention to my question in hopes that it would catch Ty off guard and he would tell.

"Nice try," he laughed, looking back down at me. I pouted. "We should go though."

"Oooookay."

Ty walked away from the fence without another word and I trudged after him.

"See you later, dad, Zach, Eduardo!" Ty called over to them.

"Have fun, guys!" Zach called back with a wave.

"Don't do anything stupid," Brad warned as he looked at us critically. I blushed a little. "Have fun!" he added cheerfully.

"Adios, little boss man!" Eduardo called out cheekily.

I covered my mouth with my hand to conceal my laughter.

"Ha-ha, aren't you hilarious?" Ty said sarcastically. Eduardo grinned and saluted Ty with his whip. "See you later!"

I stood there for a moment before realizing that Ty was no longer by my side.

"Are you coming?" his voice called out to me.

I looked around and finally located him standing a little ways down the path. I rolled my eyes at his grin and ran to catch up with him. I slipped my arm threw his as we walked to his Escalade EXT.

"After you, madam," Ty said in a phony and exaggerated British accent as he opened the door for me.

"Why thank you, sir," I returned in an exaggerated form of my voice. I smirked triumphantly at Ty. My accent sounded real. Ha. Take that Ty.

Ty closed my door once I was inside the car and walked around the front of the truck to the drivers' side. He slide into his seat and put his key in the ignition. He backed skillfully out of the driveway and then drove down the long driveway. Once we reached the main rode he turned left.

"So, are you going to tell me where you're taking me yet?" I asked once again in a hopeful manner.

"No," Ty answered simply. Again.

"For all I know you could be kidnapping me," I pouted.

"Would you object if I was kidnapping you?" Ty asked thoughtfully. He turned to face me briefly and his eyes glinted.

I was speechless. "Well, what are we going to do?" I asked once I had recovered myself.

"Stuff."

"Stuff? What kind of stuff?" I asked for clarification.

"You'll see," Ty laughed.

"How do I know you're not going to murder me or something?" I inquired.

Ty burst out laughing. I scowled. "Sorry," he gasped after a few long moments of laughing. "I'm not going to murder you," he said still laughing. Finally! Some clarification! Not that I thought he was going to murder me in the first place… man this is frustrating.

"You're so frustrating," I voiced my opinions aloud to Ty.

"Am I?" Ty asked thoughtfully.

"Yes! You won't tell me where you're taking me!"

"Patience," was all he said.

I sighed and finally gave up. I flipped on the radio and turned it up; at least Ty wasn't one of those guys who was like overbearing of his radio. The song Monsters by Matchbook Romance filled the car. I love this song! It's so catching with the clapping and all in the beginning.

Around half an hour later Ty said, "We're almost here."

I looked around expectantly, expecting to see the city or a town or something. But no. there was nothing. There were a couple old building on the sides of the road that said things like 'Lucy's Yarn Shoppe' and 'Fresh, Cold Beer' but that was it.

"Erm… okay," I said.

"You don't remember?" Ty asked seeming somewhat hurt.

I sighed and looked around again. There were big, grassy fields on wither side of us and in the distance I could just see… whoa. Those fields are the fields that the horseshow had just been at. Wow, aren't I the smart one?

"Oh… Oh!" I exclaimed when we pulled into the Fairgrounds Marina Port and the bronze statue of a yacht with a man standing on the bow looking through a telescope greeted us.

"Do you know where we are now?" Ty asked as he parked.

"Yes but…" here Ty got out of the car and closed his door. I groaned in frustration and unbuckled my seatbelt. I could have easily gotten out of the car but I waited for Ty to come around and open my door for me. He seemed to like when I did this and who was I to complain? I have a perfectly hot, funny, intelligent and gentlemanly boyfriend. That's more then a lot of girls could say.

His arm snaked around my waist as we walked. Ty greeted the guard that was stationed by the entrance of the… area where the boats were docked. We walked past all the boats silently until we came to the one I had been on only once before. I smiled up at Ty.

Ty smiled back before pulling down a little ladder. He gestured for me to climb up.

"What?" I asked in surprise.

"Did you not get that we're going on my sailboat yet?" Ty asked in an amused manner.

I rolled my eyes. "I got that part but what I don't get is why."

"You'll find out soon enough," Ty laughed.

Resigned, I climbed up the ladder and swung my leg over the wires and ropes that constituted for a railing. Ty climbed up after me and pulled the ladder back over the side. The muscles of his arms were so… ahem.

I shook my head and turned away from him and looked around the rest of the lovely boat.

"So," Ty said as he came up behind me and slipped his arms around my waist and lowered his head so that his cheek was pressed against mine .

"So… what?" I asked lamely. It was hard to concentrate fully when he was that close to me.

"Do you want to know what we're doing now?" he laughed lightly and his cool breath blew against my cheek.

"You'll tell me now?" I asked hopefully but not too hopefully just incase he was teasing me again.

"I suppose," Ty mussed.

"Tell," I said eagerly.

Ty laughed again. "Well," he said, straightening up and taking my arm and leading me forwards. "Are you hungry?"

"No," I answered quickly. Like I was thinking about food at a time like this.

"Well then, since it's only…" he checked his Breitling watch, "Three o'clock, we can go out in the lake and do… whatever. There's a really good restaurant on the other side of the lake, we're going there later," he told me.

"O-okay," I managed to say.

"So," Ty continued, "You just sit over there," he pointed to the front bow of the sailboat where there was a little couch thing, "And look pretty," he requested. I raised my eyebrows. Ty grinned. "Make all the people on the boardwalk jealous," he snickered.

"You're so bad," I laughed along with him.

"What?" Ty feigned innocence. "With the name on my boat they'll know who owns it and with a beautiful lady sitting on the front…" he trailed off. I looked up and met his sparkling gaze. He winked brightly at me and punched him in his arm lightly.

Ty simply shrugged his broad shoulders and headed towards the little room with all of the controls. I shook my head but followed Ty's request and sat on the creamy white cushions. I leant against the railing that was opposite the boardwalk, I'd play along with Ty for awhile. I put my feet up next to me so that my legs made a 'V'.

The sailboat started forwards and the wind blew my long hair around my face.

As we passed the boardwalk we did get many admiring glances. Though most were probably for the boat, not me. No one seemed to be paying attention to the side of the sailboat though. Oh well.

At the end of the boardwalk there were a lot of people, including, I realized with a grin, Ashley and her whole group. She was with her 'posse' and the boys Varsity Lacrosse team, the football guys were forever loyal to Ty and refused to be part of her I-Hate-Ty-Baldwin group. the Lacrosse guys only followed because well… it was Ashley and her clones.

I made a point of ignoring Ashley at school and wherever else I saw her but I couldn't resist now. To waved lightly at them. Ashley glared at my comfortable, laidback position on the boat.

She stalked forwards to the fenced side of the boardwalk and opened her mouth to yell something at us but was beaten to it by an overeager tourist who had been starring at the boat for the longest time. The words on the side finally registered in someone's head.

"Oh, my God!" she screeched. "Look!" she pointed towards us eagerly and was practically jumping up and down. She managed to gather everyone else's attention and suddenly we had hundreds of eyes focused on us. I tried hard not to laugh and am pleased to say that I was almost successful. "Look!" she yelled again. "Baldwin!" she gestured to the gleaming side of the boat with the customary hunter green print.

Chatter rose up from the crowd and Ashley scowled.

Someone on the edge was gesturing wildly at us and… oh my God. It was Hawaiian Shirt Man!

I jumped off the settee and walked gracefully across the desk to where Ty was. I leant over the steering wheel. "It's your friend from last time," I laughed and gestured my head over to the boardwalk. Ty looked over and laughed loudly. He then surprised me by stopping the sailboats already slow movement completely and standing up from his little stool.

"I can't just ignore him now, can I?" Ty raised an eyebrow and walked over to the side of the boat that faced the boardwalk.

"How's it going, James?" Ty called over to Hawaiian Shirt Man. Wow, he remembered his name. Heh, go Ty I guess. I guess he has to remember a lot of names, with his family being who they are and everything.

Hawaiian Shirt Man looked just as surprised as I was that Ty remembered his name. He beamed.

"Hey, Ty!" he yelled back. "Just got to tell ya something!" he yelled. "I'm going to the Kentucky Derby in May!" he said excitedly.

"Great!" Ty enthused politely. "Remember my horse," he added.

"Of course! My money's on him!" Hawaiian shirt man exclaimed. "Any chance of getting some of us in to see a workout this week?" he asked hopefully.

"Sorry, no can do," Ty said apologetically and the faces of many fell. "Dad's got him on strict times and plans. He's only been viewed by the Baldwin team and Miss Fleming here," he gestured to me and smiled.

I tapped Ty on the shoulder and pointed down the water where a police boat was approaching.

"Mr. Baldwin!" the policeman yelled up at us. "This is a no loitering permitted in this area. We must ask you to start up your boat and get on your way!" then he sped away, his little speedboat zigzagging across the dark water.

"Got to go," Ty told his admirers. "Just remember this name, Baldwin Prince. He's the next great one," Ty promised before going back to the control booth and restarting the boat.

The second time around we left with no interruptions though people were still screaming questions at Ty.

We traveled for about twenty minutes before Ty moored the sailboat in the middle of the lake. He released the sails so that they had some slack and they billowed in the light wind. I had no doubt in my mind that we created the picture perfect image.

Ty shut off the sailboat's engine and he joined me at the front.

He sat down besides me and I meant into him and his arm slid around me protectively. I smiled at the perfect-ness of it all.

A sudden and strong gust of wind blew over us and my hair flew around madly. I laughed as I tried to bring it back under control. Ty caught a piece of my hair between his fingers and twirled it around.

I immediately stopped laughing as his smoldering eyes met with mine and locked there. I couldn't have moved even if I had wanted to. But I didn't have any desire to move at this moment so it all worked out in the end.

"This is perfect," Ty whispered in a husky voice as he leant forwards.

Before I could respond Ty's lips met mine in a deep, passionate kiss. I gasped at the sensations that flowed freely through my body and kneaded my arms around his neck and through his thick hair. Ty's arms held me tightly against him as he deepened the kiss.

We only stopped when the need for that annoying thing called Oxygen became too strong.

I only had time for one short breath before Ty kissed me again. Even more sensually then the last time.

"You know," I whispered in what I hoped was a seductive voice when we broke apart for a second time. I looked up at Ty, somehow I had ended up on my back with him on top of me supporting most of his weight on his arms. Quite a comfortable position. I glanced around and was relived that we were the only ones around, the closest boat was at least a mile off in the distance. We'd be providing quite a show for anyone had they been watching.

"You never did show me the cabin…" I said softly as I ran my hands threw Ty's hair and they came to rest on either side of his face.

I watched Ty's face carefully, to gauge his reaction to my subtle suggestion. God knows I didn't want a repeat of last time and I was fully ready to plead insane but the words died on my lips as I caught the look in Ty's eyes. It was indescribable and I felt no desire to butcher it with words. The emotion that stood out the most though, was love. Technically, he had already told me he loved me, well more like yelled it at me, but he hadn't said it since that horrible day. I knew it was true, he's just never said it to me yet.

Ty ducked his head so the it rested in the crook of my neck. "How rude of me," his deep voice rumbled against the tender skin of my neck and I shivered. A good shiver mind you. "Can you forgive me for my rudeness?"

"That depends," I whispered back. "You can try to… fix it."

"Can I?"

Ty was suddenly off of me and the cold air rushed into all the spots he had previously been warming. He pulled me to my feet and led my over to the door that led to the man cabin. He opened it and ushered me down the stairs. Ty followed me down, closing the door behind him.

I walked slowly down the narrow stairs. When I reached the bottom I was met with a room that much resembled a living room. There was a huge leather couch and with mahogany tables. There was a big TV and a radio and expensive artwork lined the pale walls. There was a small kitchen off to the side and a smaller door that led to an office, the door was opened. Why Ty needed an office, I have no idea but now was not the time to ask stupid questions. Off to the other side there was a door that led to the bedroom.

"May I take your coat, madam?" Ty asked, again mimicking his really quite bad English accent.

I unbuttoned my coat and unwound my scarf from my neck. I handed them both to Ty with a gracious smile. He hung them, along with his coat, in a little closet.

As Ty was busy hanging the garments up in the closet I walked slowly around the magnificent room. Tiny portholes revealed the water sloshing below us. The slow, gentle rocking of the boat was soothing and calming.

Ty came up behind me and his arms slipped around my waist from behind. My heart fluttered wildly as he kissed my neck, his hands held my hips against him firmly but gently.

"I love you," he whispered into my ear and I swear my heart stopped for a moment.

That's when I realized, my mom might have died and that would always hurt and my dad might have all but abandoned me and Alex but everything was getting better.

I turned around in Ty's arms and looked up into his beautiful face. His eyes were bright and hopeful and I smiled softly.

"I love you too," I replied before I stood on my tiptoes and kissed him.

Everything would be okay. At least until life threw another curveball at us.

a/n: so? Pardon the crap ending, I can't end things for my life. But, that's it until Baldwin Prince. It might be up in a couple of weeks but maybe not until the fall. So yeah. Basically, what happens next is up to you guys. They don't necessarily have to do that. They good play My Little Ponies or Ninja Turtles or something. I'm sure Ty good manage to fin some Barbie's or Polly Pockets or action figures if you guys really want. It's the magic boat. Well I really hope you guys liked this last short chapter of CIC. Everyone review! That's your challenge, everyone who reads this should review! I know it won't happen but hey. Thanks for reading this story! Check out Baldwin Prince when it's up and until that happens you could always read and review some of my other Heartland stories… hinthint. If you haven't already that is. Feel free to email me or anything if you want. Talk to you guys later!

-Steph