I'm a little self-conscious about this one…be gentle!

Disclaimer: Own nothing!

October 1878

BANG

Evelyn reopened the eye that had been squinted closed and heaved, eyeing the target in front of her disgruntledly. It remained untouched and unscathed, hanging completely still as it dangled from the tree and tauntingly reminded her that she had been completely off her mark.

"Lord, Farmer." Will said behind her in amusement. "One might think ya never fired a gun before…"

She turned to him with a quirked brow and resisted the urge to stick her tongue out at him or worse – he'd been making teasing jibes like this all afternoon. Evelyn knew he was just trying to motivate her to do better, but it was really started to get old. "I haven't. In case ya forget, I'm a girl, Hatfield – shootin' ain't exactlymy territory."

"Well it's gonna have'ta be if ya wanna travel back 'n forth without gettin' yerself killed." Will said as he stepped into her line of sight.

He took a moment to eye her in a very unimpressed way then extended his hand to her, motioning for her to hand over the pistol. Evelyn hesitated but did so grudgingly, crossing her arms as he turned to face the target. She watched as he raised his arm, his gaze locked on the target some twenty feet in front of him, then jumped when another loud BANG sounded in the air the moment he pulled the trigger. The target was jolted backwards as the bullet made contact dead in the center and then swung to a fro, making Will turn to look at her triumphantly.

Evelyn huffed and then snatched the pistol from him again. "Well, good fer you." She snapped irritably. "Ya can shoot a damn block'a wood."

Will let out a hearty laugh, clearly enjoying her irritation. "Language, Evie. Language." He chastised.

Ever since Will Hatfield had personally seen to it that she arrive safely home, the two of them had managed to slip back into their former, easygoing friendship. The transition had started slow at first. They'd idly chat if they passed one another in the streets or Will would randomly accompany Cotton whenever he came to visit Evelyn at work. But as time passed by and trust was reestablished, eventually she found herself sneaking off with Will to their old spot in the forest when time permitted or getting up to some form of mischief with him and Cotton if they weren't hampered down by work and chores.

It was risky being openly friendly with the Hatfields but that was the beauty of working so far away from home – the McCoys that she associated with were none the wiser of her choice in friends and Evelyn was going to make sure it stayed that way.

"Let's try again." He suggested. "And remember, aim like yer shootin' at somethin' past the target." Will continued as he stepped up next to her. He wrapped a hand around her arm to force her to raise her gun then stepped behind her again. "Relax yer shoulders," he commanded next, placing his hands on her shoulder to force them down, "and breathe."

"I am breathing." Evelyn said evenly, glaring at the target.

"Ya wanna learn or not?" He asked snippily.

Evelyn closed her eyes, took a calming breath, and then nodded once she'd opened them again. "Sorry."

"S'alright." He responded. Will took his hands off her shoulders and took a step back away from her. "Try this – release yer breath when ya pull the trigger. Got it?"

Evelyn nodded and then focused on the target again.

Shooting the object in front of her seemed like it should have been much easier – it was just a block of wood hanging from a tree, for God's sake. But three fired bullets later (four if you counted Will's shot), she still hadn't managed to make contact with her target and her frustration level was through the roof. She'd never been so terrible at something and the fact that she couldn't master this was highly annoying.

The teenaged girl took a few calming breaths, closed her right eye as she took aim with her left, and placed her finger on the trigger again. Breathe, the redhead reminded herself. After she took a few concentrating breaths, Evelyn sucked in a last deep one before slowly releasing it. As soon as her lungs felt deflated she pulled the trigger for a fourth time, sending birds flying when yet another loud BANG echoed through the trees. To her satisfaction, the bullet managed to cleanly slice one of the ropes that supported the block, making it drop down on one side and then sway unevenly.

"Better." Will conceded when Evelyn faced him with a satisfied expression. "But not great."

"At least I hit somethin'."

"True." He agreed. "Ya got one more shot – make it count."

Evelyn glanced at the lopsided target before shooting him an incredulous look. "I can't even hit it when it's upright, let alone lopsided!" She argued, waving her gun at the target dubiously.

"Sure ya can." Will said with assurance written all over his face. "I have faith in ya."

She looked up at him with a skeptical brow but his only response was to cross his arms and watch her expectantly. Evelyn let out what had to be her hundredth heave of the day before shaking her head and raising her gun again. "Here goes nothin'…" She said before taking aim again. Her last bullet, unsurprisingly, went sailing unthreateningly past the target.

It took all of her willpower not to throw the gun at the stupid block instead.

"Don't fret, Evie." Will said, patting her back soothingly when he saw the scowl on her face. "It's our first lesson – you'll get better."

While Will went to go and take down their target, Evelyn shoved her pistol into the deep pocket of her skirt and paced her way over to the river bed instead, kicking any rocks or sticks in her path along the way. When she finally reached the wide river she sucked in a soothing breath and let the scenery ease her nerves.

Even though her lack of gun-shooting skills bothered her to no end, Evelyn felt her frustration melt away when she stepped up to the banks of the river and was greeted with the sound of the rushing river. It was a particularly pretty day on that chilly October afternoon. The leaves had turned to jewel toned colors of red, orange, and yellow, and the sun warmed her skin despite the crisp, fall air. She should have been working right then but Dr. Tiller had apparently gotten tired of watching her stare longingly out the window for the entire morning and decided to have mercy on her – he'd practically kicked her out of the office when it was clear she wouldn't be getting any work done.

This had always been her and Will's secret spot when they were kids and it was still her absolute favorite place in the world. The small clearing sat directly next to the Tug, was untainted, surrounded by thick trees that had always been perfect for concealing them from the judgmental, prying eyes of the outside world, and positively beautiful. On one side of the clearing sat two aged logs that they had moved in for times that they just wanted to sit and chat while on the other was a make-shift, mossed-over fort that they were now far to big for. Just looking at it now brought back a flood of fond memories and warmed her to her very heart.

"Is yer Pap gonna be mad that ya left the timber cart?" Evelyn asked when Will came trudging up next to her.

"Prolly." He answered with a shrug, making the target flung carelessly over his shoulder wobble with the motion. "Wouldn't be the first time; sure as hell won't be the last." They shared a conspiratorial smiled before he jerked his head to the side. "C'mon, its startin'ta get late. We should head back."

Evelyn didn't want to leave – going home meant having to leave Will and always brought on the disconcerting uncertainty of when they'd be allowed time like this again. But the sun would begin its downward trek soon enough and she knew that they'd already been there for far too long, so the girls nodded and took a last glance out at the river before following after Will.

"Oh, hey," Will asked, glancing back at her over his shoulder as he led the way through a thick brush, "Uncle Ellison was askin' 'bout that horse ya got off him couple months back." He revealed. "How's it workin' out fer ya?"

"Great." Evelyn said with a huge grin, thinking about the copper-colored horse that was waiting for her back at Dr. Tiller's office. "I'm pretty sure he's heaven-sent, actually."

Ever since she'd come to possess Copper, her life had been made much easier.

Like Will had told her, Mr. Ellison had been more then willing to bargain with her when she'd approached him about buying his horse. She still didn't have a ton of money seeing as half of her wages went to Randall McCoy, but since the Hatfield was fond of her he'd refused to accept any more then twenty-five of her hard earned dollars. It was a steal and she knew it, but there had been no changing his mind. In the end, the new addition had wound up working out even better then she might have thought – she had more freedom to see her friends and Evelyn didn't have to rely on anyone to cart her back and forth anymore. Also, if work required an overnight stay or she didn't want to make the trek home, she could spend the night in the office without anyone making an unnecessary trip.

Of course, Mr. Randall was never too pleased when Evelyn bunked up at work but he had long since stopped arguing the fact – as long as she was home by Wednesday night, there were no problems between them.

"Uncle Ellison'll be pleased to hear it." Will responded. Then he frowned at her curiously. "How'd ya convince McCoy to let ya get 'im, anyway?"

"Well, fer starters, I didn't tell 'im who I bought Copper off of." Evelyn said pointedly. "And I mighta had a bit of help…"


After he'd forgotten to pick her up from work, Tolbert didn't show back up at the McCoy house until the following morning. Not only did he look worried and regretful, but also most definitely worse-for-wear, signaling he'd indulged in a bit too much alcohol the night before. The first one to greet him upon arrival was Randall McCoy – the second was Randall McCoy's belt. And it was only after receiving a half-hour long lecture from the McCoy patriarch that Tolbert finally found the courage to seek her out and begin his apologizing.

"C'mon, Evelyn, ya can't stay mad at me forever."

So far, his pleading hadn't gotten him anywhere with Evelyn Farmer.

She ignored the McCoy that was following her and continued on with her chores, picking up errant clothes here and there and shoving them into the basket propped against her hip. "Sure I can." She responded dully.

Tolbert let out a sigh of exasperation and quickened his pace until he could plant himself directly in her path, forcing her to halt. Evelyn rolled her eyes before locking her annoyed gaze on him. "Ev, I've said I'm sorry a hundred times – what more do ya want? Blood?"

Evelyn pulled a thoughtful face, seriously considering his suggestion before nodding her head. "That's a good start, yeah."

"Come on…"

"Tolbert, ya forgot me." She reminded him, a glower making its way onto her young face. "You left me in town, alone and at night, to fend for myself while ya got drunk with yer half-wit cousins. Do ya even know what might've happened to me on the way home?" Evelyn left out the part where she'd actually gotten a ride and had never been in any real danger – the guilt trip of her having to 'walk home alone' seemed to have been working in her favor thus far. "I coulda been thieved or raped or killed, damnit. How would you have liked that?"

Tolbert had the good grace to look ashamed of himself and reached a hand up to rub the back of his neck awkwardly. "Wouldn'tve like it at all, Ev." He muttered guiltily.

When she tried to move around him, he placed to surprisingly gentle hands on her shoulders to keep her from going anywhere.

"Listen, I'm real sorry." He said, sounding more sincere then she thought he was capable of. "I made a mistake and I'm an idiot, alright? Just tell me what I have'ta do to make it up to ya and I'll do it. Swear."

Evelyn eyed him for a long moment as a plan formulated in her head. Mr. Randall was strict when it came to her boundaries, so she knew getting him to agree to her buying a horse would be difficult. But maybe if she had Tolbert's help, they might be able to get the job done. She pursed her lips for a moment, thinking it over one last time, then raised her eyebrows at him. "Alright, I'll tell ya what you can do – ya can help me convince yer Pap to lemme get my own horse and travel myself back and forth between work."

"What?" Tolbert asked in disbelief, looking highly confused by her request. "Ya been bitchin' 'bout havin' to find yer own way home and now ya wanna do it permanently?" When he saw the warning look begin to creep in her eye, he held his hands up in front of him defensively and changed tactics. "Who ya tryin'ta get this horse from anyways?" He asked curiously.

"None of yer business." Evelyn snapped. Then she shuffled her basket to one arm and stuck a hand out to him. "Do we have a deal?"

Tolbert didn't look thrilled about agreeing to it but he spit in his hand and shook hers anyway. "Deal."

Evelyn gave him a disgusted look and wiped her hand on her skirt. "And stop wipin' yer spit on me, McCoy." She berated.


It had taken a hell of a lot of convincing, but they'd finally gotten Mr. Randall to agree after about an hour of pestering the worn looking man. The dust settled between her and Tolbert after that, but sometimes she still liked to throw it in his face whenever they argued. She'd discovered that it was a good way to shut him up whenever he was being a pain in the neck.

"I don't think that was punishment enough." Will said once she'd finished her story. His bothered tone didn't surprise her – he'd always disliked Tolbert and had never attempted to hide it. "He shoulda been grovelin' at yet feet fer what 'e did."

"Tolbert? Grovel at my feet? The day that happens is the day pigs'll fly."

Will had lead her to a grown over trail as they journeyed to the steep hill separating them from where they'd left his horse, and as casual conversation fell between them, Evelyn couldn't help looking around with a curious expression on her face – this wasn't the same course they'd taken when going to the clearing but everything around her still seemed strangely familiar. It had been years since she'd made travelled through this particular part of the woods but some of the trees and ponds were still recognizable to her. And just when the nagging feeling of familiarity became too much to ignore and Evelyn was about to question Will about their whereabouts, that was when she spotted it.

To her right, resting at the end of a long unkempt path, sat the old abandoned home that she and her deceased father had lived in when she was a child.

The happy, relaxed state that had engulfed her and her friend for the entirety of the afternoon seemed to darken in an instant and she came to an abrupt halt, her eyes widening at the sight of it as her mouth dropped open in surprise.

" – and then Skunk started yellin' at the top of his lungs and – Evie?" Will stopped short when he realized he was talking to himself and turned to face her in confusion. "What's wrong?" When he followed her gaze though, a grim expression came across his face. "Oh…shit, Evie, I'm sorry." He said guiltily. "I forgot it was here, otherwise I wouldn't – "

Evelyn ignored what he was saying and began to slowly make her way to the house. She didn't feel the twigs that scratched against her skin when she pushed past the once maintained bushes or hear the leaves that crunched under her feet while trudging down the deserted dirt trail – all she was focused when she finally came to a halt was the rundown house some fifteen feet in front of her.

It had been over six years since she'd been there and the place looked like a ghost house. It was eerily dark inside, some of the windows adorning the front were shattered, either from storms or from rowdy passerby's, the left behind possessions that littered the porch were covered in dirt and dust, and there was even some abandoned laundry hanging from the clothesline to the right, but they were so molded and dirty that they were well beyond repair now. Not that Evelyn would have wanted to take them anyway; she could see that the abandoned clothes belonged to Edward Holstead, which is why they'd been left there in the first place.

When her eyes lastly landed on the graveyard of empty whiskey bottles that littered the ground at foot of the porch, the wall that she had built up between her and her past life suddenly and violently came tumbling down.

Rage like Evelyn had never known before filled her.

Rocks, sticks, old pieces of wood – anything she got her hands on was chucked in the direction of the house and a torrent of emotions welled up inside of her as memories she'd long suppressed came flooding back to her. Evelyn remembered the days when her mother had been alive and suffered at the hand of a man that had never loved her. She recalled the volatile and unpredictable nature of her father, who would beat her if she so much as dropped a plate or burnt their dinner. She remembered the day that her mother had died and how her father had celebrated the fact. Horrible memories of abuse swarmed her and she began shouting obscenities, cursing her father's name with every bad word she'd ever known until her voice was so hoarse that it cracked with each shout.

At some point, Will came up behind her and grabbed her by the arms. Evelyn struggled against him at first, thinking he was attempting to restrain her, but ceased her squirming when she realized all he was trying to do was press his own gun into her hand. Evelyn looked at him for a second before turning back to the house, raising his gun, and firing bullet after bullet on her former home until all she could hear was the clicking of the empty barrel.

The silence that followed was almost jarring and a stark contrast from the hurricane of emotion that had just torn through the area. The only sound that filled the air now was that of her hard, quick heaves, and it was only then that she realized she'd been crying through the whole ordeal.

A gentle hand came to rest on her back. "Evie…"

Evelyn wordlessly turned her face into Will's chest when he slid a comforting arm around her shoulders and clung to him desperately, letting the rest of her emotions out in the form of tears as she cried into his shirt. Will was silent while he allowed her the time she needed to let everything out, resting his chin on top of her head and running a soothing hand up and down her back just as he had done when they were kids and she'd come to him after a bad incident with her father.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, her crying died down and she turned her head to take another look at the house. Evelyn's rage hadn't inflicted much physical damage to it other then new bullet holes and a few more broken windows, but the knowledge that she'd made some sort of dent brought on a wild sense of satisfaction, like she'd just defeated an evil monster or something of that sort. It registered in her head then that she was still clinging to Will and she stiffened, afraid she'd intruded on his personal space – after all, they hadn't hugged each other like this since they were kids. But Will seemed to pick up on her tension and tightened his hold on her, silently telling her that he had no problem with their closeness.

Evelyn relaxed again, partly relieved to know she had his support but also feeling a bit guilty for having thrown their time together for quite a dramatic loop. "I'm sorry." Evelyn said wearily. "I didn't mean'ta ruin the afternoon…"

"Don't apologize." Will said quickly, keeping her tucked firmly in his protective embrace. "I think ya needed that."

Evelyn nodded. "Me too." She said in agreement.

They stood in silence for a long moment, wrapped up in each other's arms and staring at the house, and then –

"Well, yer aim's improved."

Evelyn couldn't stop the watery laugh that escaped her throat and shook her head, squeezing him in an even tighter hug. Anyone else would have that she were crazy and ran for the hills, but not Will. He'd offered his support without judgment or interference and, like always, had known what Evelyn needed at the exact moment she needed it. And though Evelyn was exhausted from what had just taken place, she felt calm, contented, and lighter then she had in years standing in the consoling embrace of her friend.

As she gazed at her old home, a sense of closure that she hadn't even realized she'd needed washed over her. Themental hurt that had lurked deep in the recesses of her mind suddenly began to subside and the part of her spirit that had been torn to pieces as a child felt like it was beginning to mend itself back together. Had this all been apart of God's plan? Had he brought her friend back to her so that she would finally be able to pick up the pieces of her life and begin to move on with him by her side? If it was, she had to commend the good Lord on a job well done; at that moment in time Evelyn felt complete and simply didn't see how she could have ever felt so without Will's friendship.

"Will?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad we're friends again." Evelyn admitted, looking up to meet his eyes.

His eyes met her teary gaze, one eye blue and the other solid white, before he smiled down at her. "Me too, Evie." If their rekindled friendship hadn't been solidified before then, it certainly had been in that moment. "C'mon. Let's get outta here."

Evelyn nodded, returned his gun to him, and offered him a grateful smile when he led her away with a reassuring hand placed firmly on her back. Neither of them so much as spared the old house one more glance as they headed back to the main trail, leaving the scene behind them with no intentions of ever returning.


Bah. That wasn't too out of left field, was it? What do you guys think?