*Author's Note*

Thank you for all the follows, faves, and reviews.

Sorry this took a little longer then usual, but I started a Breakfast Club story (When Love & Hate Collide. It's a Bender/OC story) and was a bit preoccupied with that even tho I had half of this written when I started on that. Yep, that's what happens when I watch a movie I love, but haven't seen in forever…I write a story for it.

Anyways, read and enjoy this new chaper.

Expecting

Allie POV:

A few weeks have gone by since Peggy Eldridge's dramatic funeral (where Tolbert's cruel and blunt remarks caused Shaw's paternity to come out into the light; Jessa breaking up with him too) and Christmas was right around the corner. When I say right around the corner what I mean is it was only a couple of days away. I was exited since Christmas was my favorite holiday, but I was also exited cause I was positive without a doubt that I was pregnant. I had my suspicions a week or so back, but this morning I was convinced I was pregnant since A. I was late; hadn't had my period since I got married in November and B. I've been sick to my stomach every morning (AKA morning sickness).

The cute thing to do would be to wait until Christmas to tell Cap the news, but I couldn't do that. I was busting at the seams to tell my husband the good news. After I was down hacking and spitting up this morning (yay, the joys of morning sickness) I cooked up a quick and simple breakfast of bacon, eggs, and buttered toast. I was setting the table whenever my bedroom door, which was off of the kitchen, opened up followed by the sound of my husband's heavy bootsteps. "Smells good, darlin'." Cap complimented with a slight smile as he made his way over to the table.

"You say that about everything I cook." I teased him, slightly nudging his arm as he sat down at the head of the table.

"Cause it's true." He smirked as I took my seat next to him.

"Well, I got something to tell you." I blurted out as Cap picked up a slice of bacon and took a bite out of it.

"Nothin' bad I hope." Cap remarked around his small mouthful of bacon.

"No, it's not bad. It's actually something very good." I told my husband causing him to just nod and gesture for me to spill the beans. With a big smile I told him the phrase all expecting fathers heard, "I'm pregnant."

"We're gonna have a baby?..." Cap's voice hung out in the air in a deep awe filled tone. A large proud grin split his face in two as he told me, "I'm happy, Allie. Truly, I am."

"I know, Cap. I'm happy too." I smiled before nibbling on my buttered biscuit.

"The family's gonna be over the moon when we tell 'em on Christmas. Mama gonna be takin' ya under her wing now more then she already does since you're carryin' her first grandbaby." Cap gushed in between eating his breakfast.

"I think the entire family's gonna be keeping a watchful eye on me since I'm carrying a baby Hatfield."

"Yea, ya maybe right 'bout that, darlin'." My husband told me in a slight chuckle. "So, are you gonna tell Vera when ya see her today?" Cap asked with a curious smile, knowing that I was going to bring over a crock of soup for the sick and ailing Granny Rue and would end up having girl talk with my new best friend Vera.

"Yea, since you know I don't see why I can't tell her."

"Looks like I'll be able to tell Skunk Hair, Abel, and Shaw then today since you're tellin' Vera."

Cap was joining the men to finish up work on Shaw's house. They were gonna try to get it all done today since Shaw and his siblings needed a place to live soon and quick, especially since he had a for sale sign in the front window of his late mother's diner. Can't say I blame him for wanting to dump that place, I'm sure it must hold more upsetting memories then comforting ones for him. I mean I heard (from many men in the Hatfield family) that Peter used to smack Shaw around a lot as a kid; only stopped cause he got sent off to school.

"Yea, you can tell them." I smiled, overjoyed that he wanted to tell them about the baby.

After breakfast I cleaned up the dishes, pots, and pans and did a few simple house chores before making my way over to Vera's house. The wagon ride wasn't that long, which I was grateful for since the late December weather was cold and numbing. I was used to cold winters in Oklahoma, but the Appalachian Mountains seemed to have a biting chill in the air during the winter. Oh, and it rained a lot; snowed too depending on how cold it was. The winters of the flat plains was different, that's for sure. Eh, I'm sure in time I'll get used to it.

Holding a large crock of chicken soup (that had to be homemade since Campbell's doesn't exist yet) I walked up the porch and knocked on Vera's door. After a couple of minutes my friend opened the door. She smiled as her eyes fell on the soup I was holding. "Oh, you're so nice to bring that over for Granny Rue."

"How is she doing? Better I hope." I asked Vera as she took the soup crock from me.

Shaking her head, she gave me a solemn look and sighed, "No, we think she's gettin' worse."

"Oh no. Has Doc seen her yet?" I asked, following Vera into the house that felt warm due to the fireplace cracking. I bet the stove was fired up too.

"Yea, he says it's a bad case of pneumonia. She might not make it." Vera told me, placing the crock of soup down onto counter while I took a seat at the table.

"Oh, Vera, I'm so sorry." I sincerely told my friend; watching her put a pot of coffee on the stove.

"Tom wants us to get married 'fore Granny Rue crosses over the river Jordan. He'll be askin' Cap to be his best man today." Vera revealed as she walked over to the table and took a seat across from me at it.

"I know Cap'll accept the offer of best man." I told Vera before smiling and adding in, "I'll be your maid of honor too."

"Thank you." Vera gratefully told me. "It's going to be small and at Judge Wall's office." She informed me while looking at a door from over her shoulder. Most likely she was checking to see if her granny was still asleep or something.

"Is your granny staying home since she's sick or is she going to be at the wedding?"

"No, she'll be stayin' home in her sick bed."

"Well, she'll be happy to see your wedding ring and marriage certificate once ya'll get home." I told Vera encouragingly with a supportive smile. "Well, I'm pregnant so I guess you're gonna be a godmother." I blurted out as the coffee pot went off with a loud bubbling whistle (meaning it was done).

"Oh, that's wonderful." Vera told me in an elated tone as she went to get the coffee pot off the stove. "Of course, I'll be the godmother." She cheerfully told me while grabbing some mugs from a cabinet. While pouring us the coffee she added in, "And my Tom'll be the godfather."

Cap POV:

Before I could tell everyone about Allie's pregnancy Skunk Hair announced that he was gonna be marrying Vera soon. He even asked me to be the best man; of course I said yes. I was happy that he and Vera were gettin' hitched. It was the right thing to do, 'specially with Granny Rue bein' near death in her sickbed.

I pounded a nail into the wall panel piece I was puttin' up as I told Skunk Hair, "I'm gonna be a pa."

"Allie's expectin'?" Skunk Hair asked as everyone, but me, stopped hammerin'.

"Yea, she told me just this mornin'." I smiled with pride. I was happy to become a pa and wanted everyone to know.

"Shit, that didn't take long." Abel chuckled, shaking his head at me. "I figured I'd become an uncle sooner rather than later."

"Congratulations." Shaw curtly told me, his voice havin' a hint of jealousy and malice to it, before roughly hammerin' a nail into the wall panel he was workin' on.

"Damn, Shaw, don't be gettin' all pissy with him cause he's got an old lady and you don't. Not his fault Jessa left ya after you forgot to tell her who your daddy is." Abel spat at my cousin while giving him a tilted look and waving his hammer at him in a scolding type gesture.

"Shut up, Abel." Shaw harshly ordered 'fore cuttin' the dark-haired man a hard stare and snappin', "At least I got a house, that's more then what ya got."

"Why should I got into debt to my eyeballs to buy land and build a house when I can live with my family and save up my money for something nice? Hmm…"

Shaw stopped his hammer only to glare at my brother-in-law. Pointing his hammer at Abel, he spat lowly and harshly, "You got a job, Abel, so I think you can manage a mortgage. You just want to mooch off my family."

Abel quickly defended himself with the remark of, "Hey, they're my family too. My sister married into it, remember."

"Oh, I remember." Shaw sneered, his eyes cutting at Abel hatefully.

"Will ya'll stop bitchin' so we can work in peace?" I rhetorically snapped at my bicker kin while bending down and grabbing a nail out of the jar that was by my foot.

"Yea, I'd like to get this done early 'nough today so I can go home and rest 'fore I gotta do my watch duty shift at the loggin' camp tonight." Skunk Hair told Shaw and Abel, reminding the men that he shouldn't even be here fixing up the house since he had a night shift to work tonight.

Whippin' his head 'round and lookin' at Skunk Hair, Shaw snarled in a loud boom, "If ya wanna leave early then go. I can manage without your help, Skunk Hair."

"Shaw, don't be a dick cause you're upset you're alone and the rest of us have women." I scoldved my cousin on his attitude since I didn't want to deal with his moodiness. Ain't anybody's fault he lost Jessa, but his own. He needs to stop broodin' 'bout it. Hell, he didn't tell her the truth 'bout him and she reacted bad; thought he lied when she found out the truth. He's got to deal with it cause bein' a moody sum bitch is gettin' old.

"I ain't the only one alone." Shaw scoffed before pointing to Abel and announcing, "He's alone."

"I'm fine being alone cause my head got fucked up in the army. I ain't ready to settle, unlike you." Abel bluntly told Shaw, giving him a sneer like smirk, before grabbing a nail out of the jar that was by him.

Oh god, my kin were gonna be bitchin' all day. I can see it now. Damn, I gonna have such a headache when I get home. Skunk Hair let out a heavy sigh while I pinched the bridge of my nose as Shaw and Abel bitched and quarreled over the sounds of our hammers pounding. Looks like me and Skunk Hair's completing the walls of this house since the other two and fighting.

God, and I thought the news of Allie expectin' would make today light and happy. Looks like I was wrong.

Jessa POV:

After breaking up with Shaw my days seemed to run into each other. Every day I did the same routine (chores at the main house and at Tolbert's house); no longer got to take breaks or go to town. I felt shitty that I let myself be hoodwinked by a handsome man (well hot cowboy jock's a better word, but we're not in Tulsa anymore). I can't believe I ate up his charming lies with a spoon. One thing I realized was that Tolbert was right about Shaw being shady.

Talk about Tolbert, in the few weeks following my abrupt and sudden breakup with Shaw he was actually nicer than usual to me. He kept asking if a was okay every time he saw me and more then once he asked me to stay and have lunch with him. He was trying to be a good friend, that much I'm sure of by how he was keeping his temper in check and going out of his way to make sure I wasn't sad. Unfortunately, the moody redhead couldn't erase the feelings of melancholy that I harbored. I didn't mean to still be moping over Shaw, but I was.

I should be happy and excited since Christmas is a couple of days away, but in fact I'm the exact opposite. How can I be happy when I'm alone and, well for a lack of a better word, in a delicate condition. Yea, I've been queasy nearly every morning for weeks now and I'm late…I'm in so much trouble. How can I tell the McCoys without being thrown out on my ass? They'll be so disappointed. I needed to make my problem disappear, but how could I when I lived in 1878?

So far nobody knew I was pregnant, but I knew that in a couple more months that wouldn't be the case. I couldn't hide it, I was gonna get big and…Damnit, I didn't know what to do. My worries had been keeping me up at night, tossing and turning. Tonight, was no different, I couldn't sleep. Taking a deep breath, I sat up and decided that I needed to get some advice; that I needed to talk to Tolbert about my problem. I knew that he was gonna be livid, but I needed somebody to unload my problems on. If I could talk to Roseanna I would, but I couldn't cause I knew she'd be too shocked to listen or give me any advice. I mean Tolbert's been with whores so he can't really judge me on my out of wedlock pregnancy.

After leaving my room I walked down stairs, grabbed my shawl, and tip-toed out the door. I was halfway to Tolbert's house whenever it started to rain. The rain was cold and razor sharp as it poured down on me. My raven hair went flat against my head as a result of getting soaked. I was involuntarily shivering as I power walked in the cold to Tolbert's house at the far edge of the McCoy land.

When my indigo eyes finally landed on his cabin my teeth were chattering out of control due to me being freezing. I clutched tightly to my shawl, but it was worthless since it was soaked along with my cotton white shift. Hell, even my slippers were wet and muddied. None of the lights were on so I knew that Tolbert was in bed, sleeping. Quickly, I rushed up the porch and over to the front door. I made a fist with my hand and knocked, a bit frantically, on the door. I stood in front of the door, clutching my shawl tightly, as I waited for Tolbert to open the door. I could hear footsteps echoing from his cabin before the door flung open. Tolbert, standing in his doorway bare chested with his long-john pants hanging slightly around his hipbone, gave me a wide-eyed look. "Jessa, what're ya doin' here out in this mess?" He asked me with a worried tint to his tired velvety timbre.

"I'm in trouble and don't know what to do. I need to talk to you, need some advice."

Tolbert POV:

Seein' Jessa look like a drowned rat on my front porch durin' a winter rain storm was one thing, but hearin' her tell me she was in trouble an' needed to talk t'me was a different thing. Hell, I had an idea what was wrong an' how she was in trouble. I mean I've heard knocked up girls refer to their situation as bein' in trouble when they weren't married, so I was guessin' that was the case with Jessa. I hoped it wasn't, but none the less I think it was.

Noddin', I moved aside and told her, "Come on in. I'll make a fire an' get'cha somethin' dry t'change into." Jessa didn't say a word, just nodded and quickly rushed inside my house. I closed the door before walking to my room and telling her, "Follow me, if ya wanna get outta yet wet clothes." I knew she was following me from the soft pitter-patterin' of steps mixin' with my loud footfalls. When I re, ached my bedroom door, which was off the kitchen, I looked back over my shoulder only to see Jessa standin' 'hind me with her arms tightly wrapped 'round her chest as her teeth chattered a bit. I turned my head back 'round and opened my door. I walked right into my room with Jessa hot on my heels. "I can give ya a shirt t'wear. It should fit ya well 'nough, maybe go mid-thigh, since yer small." I offered while goin' over to my dresser.

"Thanks, Tolbert, that'll be fine." I heard her tell me as I rifled thru my draw, grabbin' her my dark brown shirt.

"I'll be out in the main room puttin' on a fire an' boilin' some coffee while ya get changed." I told Jessa, handin' her the shirt after walkin' over to her.

"Can I have tea?" She asked me, biting her lip nervously. Yep, she's knocked up. Only pregnant women pick tea over coffee. At least they do durin' the early part of their pregnancy cause the tea don't make 'em feel sick like the strong coffee does.

"Yea, I'll make ya tea." I told her 'fore pointin' to my dresser and tellin' her, "There's towels out already so ya can dry off." I always kept a few towels folded up on my dresser next to the wash basin since I didn't have t'hunt for 'em I the early dawn hours after gettin' up. Now more then ever I'm glad I have that habit.

Jessa just nodded at me an' I knew that was my cue to leave an' let her get outta her wet clothes. Quietly, I left the bedroom and went to take on my tasks of buildin' a fire an' puttin' on some hot drinks.

Jessa POV:

Tolbert's brown shirt was big on me and I felt like I was swimming in it. The thing fell about midthigh on me, like he thought it would, and the sleeves were so long that I had to roll them up a few times. I was grateful that he gave it to me so I wouldn't be stuck in wet clothes. I mean not all guys would be nice enough to do that.

I could smell both the aromas of coffee and tea wafted in the air as I finished toweling my hair dry. Deciding my hair was as dry as it was gonna get, I tossed my used towel into the corner where Tolbert kept his dirty clothes, and collected my wet clothes off the floor. I figured I could drape them on a chair by the fireplace to dry them. With a deep, but shaky breath, I went over to the door and opened it. As I set foot into the kitchen, I saw that Tolbert had a fire roaring along with a few wall scones lit. He was actually in the kitchen making us our drinks as I silently walked further into the room.

"I got a chair in the corner by the fire for yer clothes t'dry on." Tolbert told me, never once taking his attention off of the tea and coffee cups he was fixing.

"Thank you, Tolbert."

"You're welcome." He simply replied as I went over to the corner chair to drape my wet clothes over it.

After I was done hanging up my wet things, I took a seat at one of the arm chairs Tolbert had pulled up in front of the fireplace. A few seats after sitting down Tolbert appeared in front of me; silently handing me a cup of tea. "Thanks." I softly told him as I took my cup from him, our fingers brushing slightly as I did.

Tolbert didn't say anything, just nodded and then took his seat in the chair next to me. I took a slow sip of my tea as he took a quick sip of his coffee. "Do you want a blanket? It might warm ya up quicker."

"No, I'm fine, Tolbert." I shook my head politely.

Tolbert POV:

Jessa turned down my offer of a blanket, takin' me aback slightly since I figured she'd want it cause she was cold an' wet from gettin' caught in the rain. I just nodded and took another sip of coffee, showin' her I accepted that she didn't need a blanket. I let out a long sigh 'fore lookin' her right straight in the eyes an' askin' her, "Okay…so what do ya needa talk t'me 'bout, darlin'?"

She chewed on her lip and looked into her tea cup as if it held all the answers in the world. When she looked back up at me her indigo eyes were brimmin' with tears. "I'm pregnant and I don't know what to do. I can't tell your parents; they'd be so mad and disappointed in me."

I had a feelin' that's what was wrong wit' her. I didn't want it to be so, but it was. "It's Shaw's?" I asked even tho I knew the answer was yes. I just wanted her to say it, make it real.

"Yea…" Jessa sighed, her sweet tone drifting off. Her pitch got a bit high and squeaky as she whined, "We only did it one time tho."

"All it takes is one time, darlin'. Didn't anyone teach ya anythin' 'bout where babies come from?" That came out a bit meaner then it should've. I wasn't my intention to be nasty wit' her, my remark just came shootin' out 'fore I could think better of it.

"Yes, I know where babies come from and that it only takes one time, but I didn't think I'd be the one getting pregnant my first time." Jessa snapped at me, her indigo eyes dark and full of despair. Her head hung low 'gainst her chest as she sighed, "I can't have this baby, Tolbert." Lookin' up at me, tears threatenin' to spill from her eyes, she shakily said, "You know whores so you must know somebody that can tell me how to get rid of my problem."

"Ya want me t'help ya get an abortion?" Flew out of my mouth quicker then ya can say Mississippi. She just nodded her head sheepishly. Oh, of course she'd want me to get her in touch wit' a whore that's had one; could tell her how t'get it too. Yea, ain't happenin'. "No, I ain't helpin' ya do it."

Anger and hurt flashed in her eyes before she told me in a panicked screech, "What? But, Tolbert, I can't have this baby."

"Ya can't have an abortion either, Jessa. They're dangerous. Women bleed out an' die while others become barren from 'em." I lectured her, soundin' more like my poppy then I would've liked. Damn, I'm gonna make one hell of a poppy… I just couldn't live with myself if I helped Jessa get an abortion an' somethin' went wrong. "I can't let ya risk yer life or never havin' chil'ren 'gain cause ya got Shaw's bastard in yer belly."

"But, Tolbert, I can't have it. I'll get tossed out on the street." Jessa spat at me, her face trembling as she sounded like she was on the verge of tears.

"No, ya won't get tossed out on the street." I firmly told her, makin' her give me an odd look. God, my idea would sound stupid to some, but it's the only thing I could think up wit' that'd keep Jessa safe an' her honor intact. Giving her a serious look, my stormy blues locked onto her indigo eyes, I told her, "Yer gonna live wit' me an' we're raise the baby as ours. Nobody'll know the truth an' now shame'll befall ya."

"You'd do that for me, but why?" Jessa asked me in a whisper, her face lookin' a bit puzzled, as she stared at me with a slightly furrowed brow.

"Why not, Jessa? I love ya; ya know that I wanna be wit'cha anyhow." I did love her, vert much so. If I had'a deal wit' a baby then so be it. At least I knew she'd be able to have more babies, my babies, once she was done birthin' her first born.

Jessa POV:

He loves me, Tolbert actually loves me? I couldn't believe my ears, I was dumbfounded. I knew he liked me, but love me?... Why couldn't he have just told me this months ago? If he did, I wouldn't even be knocked up by Shaw right now. I knew that I should've melted and given Tolbert a grateful reply, but I didn't. Instead my jaw hung open in shock as I muttered, "But the baby ain't yours."

"No shit." The redhead scoffed, clutching his coffee mug with a vice grip. He let out a sigh, his shoulders tensing and then slumping, before telling me in his velvet drawl of a tone, "But I'm willin' t'help ya raise it in order to keep ya safe."

"You mean that? You'll really raise it as your own and be with me?" I asked him, needing to be sure that he meant it before I agreed to his terms.

"Yea."

"Okay, but I don't want to get married just cause I'm pregnant." And I meant it, I didn't want to be one of those girls that got married just because she was having a baby. I wanted to get married cause I wanted to, not because I had to.

"No shotgun wedding then." Tolbert mused, his lips pulling slightly into a lined smile. I narrowed my eyes at him since I didn't find his little jeer funny. "We can just live together, claim common law marriage til yer ready to saw actual vows." Tolbert told me, surprising me that he wasn't going to make me rush down the aisle with him. "All we gotta do for common law is live together, ya use my name, wear rings, get a bank 'count together, an' of course raise a child." He explained before taking a long sip of his coffee, that had to be near lukewarm by now.

"Okay, but what're your parents going to say when we tell them we're doing common law instead of lawfully wedded?"

"Poppy ain't gonna be too pleased, but mama'll just be happy that I'm settlin' down that she'll overlook the fact we're forgoin' a ceremony for now." Tolbert told me with honesty oozing from his velvety timbre before taking another sip from his mug. "Everyone knows I was tryin' t'court ya so us gettin' together ought'a make everyone happy rather than mad."

"Yea…" I simply nodded, not knowing what else to do or say.

Tolbert stood up and snatched my teacup from my hand, startling me a bit. I raised my brow at him curiously, which caused him to tell me, "I'm gonna put these in the sink." As he made his way into the kitchen, he told me, "We've had enough talkin' over coffee and tea."

"Oh, okay, well I guess once my clothes are dry, I'll go home." I told Tolbert, turning slightly in my chair so that I could watch him place our cups into the sink.

"Yer home's here now, darlin'." Tolbert curtly told me, walking thru the kitchen and back into the living room.

"But Tolbert-" I began to protest only to be cut off by his gruff voice telling me, "Don't but Tolbet me. I told ya this is yer home now; yer stayin' with me."

I just nodded since I didn't know what else to say. I mean what could I say? He wanted to take care of me and my baby, wanted to protect me from gossip and shame all because he loved me. I mean if he says his home is my home then I reckon it is.

Tolbert stopped in front of me and took hold of my hand in his. In one swift swoop he pulled me up onto me feet. Our eyes locked as I looked up at him and he looked down at me. "I should've done this months 'go, so 'cuse me for bein' late." Tolbert told me, his gruffy tone slightly husky, as he dipped his head down and pressed a kiss to my lips. Instantly, one of my hands wrapped around his neck as I pressed my lips against his, reciprocating the kiss.

As fast as the kiss started it ended. Tolbert, after pulling away from me, leaned his forehead against mine and told me, "Yer stayin' the nite now an' forever, Miss McCoy."

"Okay, Mr. McCoy." I softly smiled, happy that I wasn't alone anymore. Actually, I was happy that Tolbert still wanted me despite my baggage.

AN:

Well, I did say that something big and dramatic was going to bring Tolbert and Jessa together. Nothing more dramatic then an unplanned oopsie pregnancy. At least Cap and Allie are happy. Shaw, yea he's a jackass… Anyways, I plan on doing some Christmas stuff for both the Hatfields and the McCoys next chapter.