"Hey Mom," Eric said, walking into the Green house. "Lizzie around."

"Yeah she is up in her room. Has been all day working on something for you I believe."

"Yup. That's what I need to talk to her about." He headed toward the stairs. "Hey Eric," Gail said. "Jake, Lizzie, and I are going to the ranch and hang around the horses. Do you want to join?"

"Can't Mom. Lots of stuff to do at town hall."

"Oh ok I just thought maybe we could talk." He hated when Mom said they could talk. She must know that everything between him and April aren't like they used to be. Then on cue, April appeared at the top of the stairs with Elizabeth behind her. April was coming down to give her report on Johnston and Elizabeth was coming down because she knew Eric was there. "I am going to need to get some stronger antibiotics, but I don't know how much I can get him," April said.

"Do what you can April," Gail said. "Thank you so much. Eric how about something to eat."

"Really can't Mom. Got a lot to do back at town hall."

"We can go back together," April offered. Eric paused before answering. "No I gotta stay and talk to Lizzie. I'll talk to you some other time." And with that April was gone. Elizabeth looked down the stairs at her brother. "What," he asked.

"You know," she answered as she glanced at the door. Eric looked back at the door knowing what she was getting at. "Do you have that citation ledger for me," he asked, changing the subject. Elizabeth handed him the book. "You are going to need a new one. That was is pretty full. I finished organizing the complaints by category and severity. Should help you get through them a lot faster? Wanna take a look?"

"Good. Thanks Liz. I would, but we have a whole town hall of people looking to make a complaint. I should have a whole other book ready for you to organize by tonight. We can over it tomorrow or something."

"Do you want to come down there," Elizabeth offered. "I could just put the complaints down as they come in. It would be easier."

"No way. Some people are getting violent. Besides I don't want you to have to rush through this and screw up your system. Then I'll have to live with you."

"Wow bro you're a funny guy. Its cool I get it. I'll just hang out with Mom." Eric walked up the stairs and kissed his sister on the cheek. "Thank you so much for your help Liz." He gave his mom a kiss and was gone. "Lizzie," Gail said. "He's right. You shouldn't have to deal with the violence." She noticed that Elizabeth had a disappointed look on her face. "That's not it ma."

"Eric and April."

"Yeah. There is something going on there." Even though Elizabeth had a very good idea on what was going on, she didn't want to let her mother know.


Gail, Elizabeth, and Jake were working on the farm, sharing stories about when they were younger. It made the time pass fast and also made the work easier. Jake took a break to go behind the barn to get some water. "Lizzie do me a favor sweetheart and grab that rake over there."

"Sure ma." Gail stopped working for awhile. It had been a while since she had more than one child helping her with the farm work. It had been even longer since Jake helped out. Her train of thought was interrupted by a sound in the barn. There was something wrong with the horses. She was just about to open the barn door when the horses busted out and started to run away, knocking Gail down. Elizabeth heard a strange sound behind her and turned just in time to see her mom fall to the ground. "Mom," she screamed. "JAKE!!!!" Jake dropped his water when he heard his sister scream. He ran around the bar to see the horses running around with his mother on the ground. "MOM STAY DOWN," he screamed to her. "Elizabeth stay where you are." What only lasted a few seconds seemed to last a few minutes. A group of guys, on top of horses, came out last. Jake made sure all the horses were gone before he and Elizabeth ran over to his mother. "Mom are you ok," Jake asked. Gail went to sit up and winced as she touched her arm. "Yeah. Lizzie?"

"Yeah. They didn't get near me."

"I'll get Mom home," Jake said. "Lizzie go get April."

Luckily April said that Gail did not have a broken arm. April wished she could give Gail something stronger then Aspirin, but that was all she had. Gail even refused the Aspirin. "Well know we know where Lizzie gets it from," April said. She was referring to the fact that Elizabeth had a thing about admitting she was in pain and doing something about it. "Come on Gail. You gotta follow doctor's orders," Johnston said.

"Yeah, you gotta follow doctors order," Gail said nudging her husband in the side. Jake, after hearing his mother was going to be alright, turned to leave. "Where are you going," his mother asked.

"Mitch Cafferty," was all he said.

"Then what," Elizabeth and Johnston asked at the same time. Jake didn't answer because he didn't know. Eric mentioned something about the horse thief might not even be Mitch, but Jake was sure it was. "Jake you can't get anywhere near him," Elizabeth begged. "Your not that guy anymore."

"I'm not."

"She's right son," Johnston agreed. "The last time the two of your got together a boy died and you left." The room got silent. No one expected anyone to bring that up. Elizabeth went to sit down in a chair in the room. Looking at her brother from a different angle, she saw he was holding that guy. "I thought you weren't that guy anymore Jake." Jake saw that he had noticed the gun. "I'm not." He looked at the floor and then back at his sister. "I need to take care of him before he comes back because he will come back."

"So what you're the family protector now. Why don't you let the law take care of him like it should have done five years ago?

"Elizabeth, come on. Listen.."

"No you listen. I am tired of the macho guy act from you because it usually gets you in trouble. For once do you think you could stay out of trouble." That hit Jake hard as Elizabeth stormed from the room. He had been getting into trouble most of his sister's life and she was the only one who never brought it up. If she was around and someone brought it up, she would find a way to change the subject. He winched as he heard her bedroom door slam. "Shit Lizzie," he said, going after her. He was stopped right outside his parents bedroom by his brother. "Jake don't. Just give her time and it should blow over. You just got to give her the time to shake it off, ok?"


Elizabeth needed to clear her head. The best way for her to that was to get back to work. She had spent that past few hours going over her mini fight with Jake and now she just wanted to get it out of her head. She told her parents she was going to go down to the town hall and get some more work done on organizing the complaints. Gail didn't like the idea, mostly because of what Eric said about people getting violent. Elizabeth assured her that she wasn't going to take the complaints from people. She was just going to organize was already there. Johnston loved how his daughter was helping her brother out while he was stuck in bed, sick. Well, she didn't actually go to town hall, at first. She grabbed her basketball bag from her room and went to the court. It was the best place for her to clear her head. She cleared her head so much she lost track of time. She must have been there at least an hour of so. She packed up and headed to town hall where to her surprise stood her whole family, with the exception of her father. "What's going on," she asked, but didn't need an answer. Sitting in one of the cells was the one and only Mitchell Cafferty. His face looked someone ran a brick into it. Actually it was two fists, Jake fists to be exact. She figured that out just by looking at him. "I should have killed him," Jake said.

"Jake stop it," Gail said.

"I should've."

"DAMM IT JAKE," Elizabeth screamed. "You gotta stop this crap. It has to end now before someone does die." She was going to add again to the end of that, but decided against it.


Everyone had gathered at Stanley's house to help him harvest his corn crop. Elizabeth saw this to be the perfect time to talk to Jake. He was on water duty and was handing out cups of water to those working. "Jake wait," she said. "I need to apologize for…you know…what I said."

"No you don't. You were right, both times. I'm the one who should be apologizing." Elizabeth couldn't disagree with that one. "So are we cool," she asked.

"Of course." Elizabeth was happy that there whole mini fight was over. She looked to her right and saw Eric and April working next to each other. She decided to go see what they were talking about. Hopefully it was something that would bring the two closer. "Come on your slow, out of shape, old people," she said. "You can do better than that." Eric and April looked at each other and rolled their eyes. At least they were communicating. "Well excuse us miss jock," Eric said, putting emphasis on the work jock. Elizabeth took offense to the word jock. "I am not a jock," she protested. "I am an athlete who had happens to be obsessed with a certain sport. That's all." She walked away to see what her mother was doing. "Jock," Eric called after her. Elizabeth found herself slowing down so she could hear the conversation between Eric and April. She wasn't much of a eavesdropper, but sometimes you have to. She wished her hadn't the second she heard the word divorce.