*Author's Note*

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

IT's Saturday and I only intended to write a scene or two, but ended up churning out an entire chapter. Back to back updates this weekend, YAY! Anyways, this has a lot of goodies in it so enjoy reading.

You're Bringing On The Heartbreak

Jessa POV:

As a way to make peace for our argument last night, Tolbert told me not to worry about making dinner and that he'd take us to his parents' tonight to eat. Well, I must say that I was excited to eat a meal that I didn't have to cook for once. Oh my god, I missed fast food and DoorDash more then ever now that I was a mom. Damn, if I was in modern times, I'd be getting take out and delivery all the time since taking care of a baby 24/7 is tiring. But I was in 1879 and had to cook, clean, and care for a baby no matter how tiring it was.

After Tolbert got home from making his shine deliveries, he washed his hands and then ushered me out of the door. Currently, we were walking side by side to his parents' house. Silas was cradled on my chest, wrapped up like a burrito in his quilt. "He give ya any trouble t'day?" Tolbert asked, his stormy eyes flittering between me and my baby.

"No." I shook my head. "He was how he is every day."

"Ah." Tolbert nodded as we got closer to the main McCoy cabin. "Ya know poppy's gonna wanna hold 'im for a bit 'fore or after supper."

"Okay." I simply said since I couldn't say anything else. If Randall wanted to hold Silas then he could.

"Y'know he's proud t'be a gran'pappy." Oh no, I hope he's not too disappointed when he finds out that he's not really Silas' grandpappy after I go home with Shaw whenever he's able to pick us up.

"Yea…" I trailed off, my voice a bit airy, as I subconsciously held Silas a tad bit closer to my chest.

Tolbert pointed to Silas while telling me, "Our son's gonna be spoiled rotten by his gran'parents, uncles, an' his cousins." In a chuckle he added in, "Hell, Squirel's already in the process o'makin' him a lil fur coat."

"Mhm…" I hummed, secretly mortified at the thought of my baby wearing some smelly mini version of Squirrel's fur coat complete with squirrel tail tassels.

Tolbert's stormy eyes raked over he as he softly asked in his velvety timbre, "Darlin', is somethin' wrong?"

"No, why?"

"Just askin' cause ya just seem a bit down's all."

"Well, I'm fine." I simply answered as we trudged along the acreage.

"Okay, maybe yer just tired then?" Tolbert asked, looking at me with a slight tilt to his head as if he was trying to diagnose me or something.

"Yea, Tolbert, I'm just tired." I nodded, giving my common law husband a tight smile.

Tolbert didn't say anything, just nodded his head. Quietly we finished our walk to his parents' house. He had us walk all the way to the front porch cause he wanted to see if his dad was outside on his rocker. Of course, Randall was rocking away on the porch while sipping on a cup of coffee. His eyes sparkled as he saw me and his son walking up. "Oh, let me see my gran'baby." Randall said, stretching his arms out after setting his cup down on the ground by his chair.

"Here ya go, Randall." I smiled, passing Silas over to my father-in-law.

"Tolbert, take a seat." Randall gestured to the open rocker next to him. "Jessa, yer more than welcomed t'help Sally and the girls inside. They're makin' a big meal cause Perry and Brenton's comin' ov'r t'et supper t'nite too." He told me while Tolbert sat down in the rocker next to him.

I just nodded at Randall, letting him know that I'd help in the kitchen, before walking over to the door and into the house.

Tolbert POV:

"How's life wit' the lil one?" Poppy asked as soon as Jessa entered the cabin.

"Eh, so so." I shrugged, startin' to rock in a slow, but steady pace.

Poppy looked at me wit' one o'his brows arched high up on his forehead. "What does that mean, son?"

"Means no matter what I do t'help it just ain't good 'nough for my wife." I blurted out, soundin' a bit angrier than I intended too.

Poppy nodded 'fore tellin' me in a wise tone, "It's only been a couple weeks since he's been born, she's still a new mother an's just scared yer gonna do somethin' t'screw up the baby."

Okay that makes sense, but her gloomy mood don't. I looked at poppy as he cooed at my son while sighing, "But she seems to be a bit down too, even tho she claims she's just tired."

"She's fine, just got the baby blues, son." He assured me, rockin' hin his chair wit' my son cradled in his arms like it was the most natural thing in the world t'him t'be doin'. Wait, poppy's got a lot of chil'ren so it prolly is natural t'him at this point to rock a baby.

"The what?" I asked since I nev'r heard of blue bullshit he was talkin' bout.

"The baby blues." Poppy told me 'fore givin' me a knowin' look an' goin' on to say, "Women get a bit melancholy or emotional after havin' babies. It'll pass shortly."

"I sure do hope so, poppy."

"Well, no matter how tense it is 'tween ya'll, ya gotta press on for him." Poppy told me, gesturin' to the boy was cradlin' wit' a slight head tilt.

"I know, poppy." I sighed out in a long breath.

"He's what matters now; yer entire world revolves 'round him." I know that, hell does he think I'm stupid? Givin' me a serious look, poppy told me, "Ya gotta put in more effort t'make yer marriage work cause now ya'll are both tired an' cranky, specially wit' wakin' at all hours due t'a cryin' babe." Wit' a slight smirk he chuckled, "All 'em days of wild lovemakin' are ov'r. Least til he can sleep thru the nite."

I just rolled my eyes at him, shakin' my head at his remark 'bout how I was gonna have a dry spell 'til my son was able to sleep better at nite. God, he would bust my balls 'bout that.

"You've grown up t'be a fine man, Tolbert. Yer make a good poppy." He complimented me wit' a proud smile.

"Thanks." I gratefully told him, proud that he felt I made a good man an' poppy.

Lookin' 'tween me and the boy in his arms, poppy told me in a steady tone, "Watchin' him grow's gonna take it's toll on ya, but yer strong 'nough t'do it."

"Yea, raisin' a child ain't easy." I sighed in agreement right as Perry Cline pulled his fancy buggy up wit' Brenton sittin' next t'him in the front seat.

"Ole Rand'l, I see you're playing the role of proud gran'pappy." Perry said, parkin' his buggy and climbin' out of it. Brenton didn't say a word, just got out of the buggy. God, that guy hated me an' I think I hated him right back. He thought I was some piss-poor dirt farmin' shiner drunk. Stupid ass law clerk, thinks his shit don't stink, but it does.

"Course I am, Perry." Poppy grinned 'fore followin' it up wit' the remark of, "Just ya wait til ya settle down an' have a baby. You'll holdin' yer babe all the time."

"Unless Roseanna looks at him as more than the family lawyer, he ain't settlin' down." Brenton scoffed as he and Perry made their way onto the porch.

"Perry, if ya got eyes for Roseanna then ya need'a let her know." Poppy told the lawyer, causin' him to just nod his head. Hmm, I doubt he'll actually say nothin' tho. He's been givin' my sister sweet looks for years, nothin's come of it tho.

Brenton's neck craned a bit as he took a look at Silas. His eyes widened slightly 'fore he looked at me an' said, "Cute kid, but he looks nothin' like you."

Poppy's eyes darkened an' narrowed at the legal clerk as he seethed, "Brenton, don't be sayin' nothin' bad 'bout my gran'son. He just takes after long-gone family members is all."

"Yea, real long-gone." Brenton muttered under his breath, causin' Perry to snap his head an' shoot him a dirty look.

Suddenly the front door flung open an' Jessa walked out onto the porch. "Dinner's ready." She informed us with a small smile 'fore poppin' back inside.

I stood up an' took Silas from my poppy while tellin' him, "I'll put him in that crib ma's got set up in ya'lls room." I didn't wait for a reply, just went ov'r to the door an' walked on side.

Jessa POV:

Everyone had just finished filling up their plates and had just started to eat whenever a sly look appeared on Perry Cline's face. He began to cut his chicken while telling everyone, "You know today I heard some gossip about Sully's bastard, Shaw Eldridge." My blood froze in my veins upon hearing his words. What the hell did he hear? Hopefully nothing about me planning to run off with him to raise Silas together.

"Oh, Perry, can I tell them?" Brenton asked, his eyes shining with mirth, as he buttered his biscuit. Waving his knife around in the air he told his brother-in-law, "I think it's the juiciest gossip I've heard in months and the fact that a we heard it while working in the office…well…"

"Fine, Brenton, tell everyone what we heard." Perry nodded before eating a bitesized piece of his freshly cut chicken.

"Well, what we heard was that Shaw's mail order bride that he got last month's now expecting and got herself a job assisting Doc with births as a midwife." Brenton whooshed out in one breath, reminding me of a gossiping old lady at Bingo.

WHAT THE FUCK?! So, Shaw's housekeeper's really his wife? Really? Really! He said that he wanted to be a family with me and our son, but obviously that was a lie. That bastard!

"That's interestin'." Tolbert mused before shoving a spoonful of mashed potatoes into his mouth.

Sally gave me a hard-glaring look as she cut up her chicken with more force then what was necessary.

"I'm sorry things didn't work out 'tween ya'll." Roseanna whispered to me under her breath, a sympathetic look in her crystal blue eyes. "I always thought that ya'll were destined for true love." Hell, she would be aboard the me and Shaw ship even tho I was with her brother.

"There's no such thing as true love, Roseanna." I whispered back, fighting my urge to roll my indigo eyes at her.

"I find the mere fact that he had to get a mail order bride quite funny." Perry chuckled before eating another bite sized piece of chicken.

"Wit' that boys attitude I'm not shocked he had'a get a wife mailed in. Boys disrespectful an' has too much of Jim Vance's tendencies." Randall spat out, shaking his head before eating some of his chicken from his fork. Waving his empty fork in the air he declared, "Boy tried t'fool an' lie his way into my house by connin' my ward, but thank God Tolbert figured out that liar's true identity."

Silas' cries pierced the air, echoing from the bedroom that was only a few yards away. Relieved for a reason to excuse myself from the table (and the pain conversation of Shaw's betrayal), I quickly told everyone, "I'll go feed him.", before standing up and quickly making my way to the bedroom.

Once I entered Sally and Randall's bedroom, I picked Silas up and went over to the rocking chair in the corner. After sitting down, I unbuttoned my blouse, untied my shift, and began to nurse my son. He eagerly latched on since he was hungry. I gently ran my hand along his back as he ate, tying to keep my emotions in check. Learning that Silas wasn't the only baby Shaw was going to have was hard, but hearing that the woman he got pregnant was his mail order bride was harder news to swallow. God, my heart broke into a million little pieces as I looked down at the gold-brown haired baby suckling at my breast since I knew that his real father, who he was the spitting image of, was a liar and would never love us like he said he would.

A melancholy feeling took root in me as I realized that I was duped by Shaw, that I let him charm me and trick me once again. Then I realized that even tho Shaw was my first love (I mean come on I did lose my virginity to him and he was my first real boyfriend) he wasn't any good for me. Tolbert, now he was good for me. He truly cared for me, even took up with me when I was knocked up and scared. Tolbert didn't just care for me, he loved me. I mean our relationship grew slowly, but nevertheless what we had was love. God, I'm so stupid. How could I ever doubt Tolbert's love for me and Silas? For christsake he gave Silas Elliot the surname McCoy and didn't even bat an eye 'bout it. Why was I too blind to see how much Tolbert cares?

I blinked back the tears that were forming in my eyes as I fixed up my shift and blouse before placing Silas on my shoulder and burping him. Once he was burped, I stood up and brought him into the kitchen. Everyone's eyes were on me as I took my seat next to Tolbert. Holding Silas out to him, I asked, "Do you mind holding him while I finishing eating?"

"Course not, darlin'." Tolbert told me, taking Silas and cradling him close to his chest.

Sally's brown eyes glazed over for a minute or so before she blinked, glared at me, and went back to eating her chicken dinner. Oh my god, she's so creepy anymore. What the hell is her problem?

Shaw POV:

I was excited and had a bounce in my step as I rushed into the kitchen this morning to see Olga for what'd be the very last time in my entire fucking life. Bye Bye, Olga! She was standing by the stove as I came to a stop next to her. "Olga, I've got something to tell you."

"Me too." She smiled at me, but I just waved her off.

Pulling a one-way train ticket to Portland, Oregon out of my pocket along with a Western Union from a logging camp outside of Portland with a job offer listed on it, I cheerfully told my ex-housekeeper and bedmate, "Here's a train ticket and a paper with details for you new job."

"What?" She trembled, staring at the papers I was holding out to her like they were gonna bite her.

"You heard me; you're gone as of now." I roughly told her, shoving the ticket and Western Union in her face so she'd have to take it.

Grabbing the papers, she asked in a soft, but curious quiver, "But why?"

"Cause I don't need your help anymore."

"But Shaw-" She began only for me to hold my hand up and silence her with a firm, "Don't but Shaw me, Olga. You're gone, I don't need you anymore." Her brown doe eyes dulled as what I told her sunk into her empty head. "Now, you can take the mare hitched on the post and ride to Charleston. You can even take it with you; board it onto the train's cattle car since I paid for that service." I told her, making my way over to the hooks by the door, grabbing my hat, and placing it on my head. "I'm going; save travels and good luck in Oregon." I told her before waltzing right out the door.

Hallelujah, I was finally a free man. I was finally free to go fetch Jessa and Silas, free to reunite with my family.

Olga POV:

I just shook my head as I watched Shaw walk out of the house. I tossed the letter an' train ticket onto the counter since I wasn't gonna use 'em. I had a job now wit' Doc; he was pickin' me up soon so I'd be able to assist wit' checkin' on his pregnant patient Mrs. Leighton. Also, since I was pregnant wit' Shaw's baby I weren't leavin'. He was gonna take r'spons'bilty for our baby. I knew he claimed that he couldn't love me cause he was still in love wit' that Jessa girl, who was married t'somebody that hated his entire family, but I'm sure that he can learn t'love me in time now that I'm carryin' his child.

I weren't givin' up on him an' my dream o'bein' a wife an' mother. I lost my Roland to a gang fight and our baby to a miscarriage back in the Five Points, but I won't lose myself 'nother man nor baby. I'm gonna be a wife an' mother no matter what.

"Mornin', Olga." Todd told me as he walked into the kitchen.

"Mornin', Todd." I told him, forcin' myself t'give him a smile as if nothin' was botherin' me. "I made oats, are ya hungy?"

"Not really, but I'll eat the oats…" The dark haired lil boy sighed as he took a seat at the table.

"Hi, Olga." Mary greeted me, walkin' into the kitchen as I was grabbin' a bowl outta the cabinet.

Lookin' ov'r my shoulder, I asked the lil blonde haired girl, "Ya want some oats t'et?"

"Okay." She simply nodded, takin' a seat next to her brother at the table.

"So, how would ya feel 'bout b'comin' an aunt an' uncle?" I asked them, bringin' the bowls ov'r to the stove and scoopin' out some cooked oats for their breakfast.

"Don't matter how we feel 'bout it, if your knocked up we're gonna be that ain't we?" Todd quipped, soundin' much too old an' brash for the mere age of 10, as I made my way over to the table wit' bowls of oats in my hands. "Question is how does my brother feel 'bout it cause I've only ever seen him smile, laugh, an' look lovey-dovey wit' one girl an' it sure in hell ain't you." The boy, who acted older then his age, bluntly told me as I set the bowls down infront of him an' his sister.

"Shaw still really likes Jessa." Mary told me in her girlish voice 'fore plungin' her spoon into her bowl of oats.

"We'd take her over you any day." Todd mumbled under his breath as he shoved a spoonful of oats into his mouth.

My eyes widened at the boy's words. How could this boy be so rude? Dear lord 'bove if I acted like he did growin' up my mama'd smack me in the mouth an' after she died an' I was taken in by Jenny an' Amsterdam, well, they'd smack me in the mouth too if I showed any rudeness. Todd's a rotten apple. Hopefully he don't rot his sister's attitude wit' his rude ways.

A knock sounded at the door an' I just knew it was Doc. "I gotta go wit' Doc on my midwife job. Can ya handle bein' by yerself for a bit?"

"We've been by ourselves since our ma died, we can manage just fine." Todd spat at me, cuttin' his honey eyes at me from ov'r his breakfast bowl.

Dear lord 'bove… I just nodded and went ov'r to the door, determined t'make a good impression on Doc this mornin' at the appointment he was takin' me on for Mrs. Leighton.

Jessa POV:

Tolbert was out making some shine deliveries today while I was inside tending to the baby and doing chores. Currently, I had bread dough rising in a covered bowl on the table as I swept the floor. I was currently sweeping the dirt from the kitchen out of the backdoor whenever I spotted Shaw in his large black Stetson making his way over, cutting thru his cousin Floyd Hatfield's yard most likely since his property ran up to mine. He waved at me, a large grin splitting his bearded face in half, but I just ignored him and continued with my sweeping.

"Honey, didn't ya see me wavin'?" Shaw asked, coming up to my side. Before I could tell him to go away, he blurted out in an excited tone, "I'm bringing you and Silas home with me today so let's pack up ya'lls clothes."

"No, Shaw, we're not packing up anything cause we're not going home with you." I coldly spat at him, causing his eyes to go wide and his body to coil as if I just poured scalding hot water on him.

His mouth gaped open and shut like a fish out of water before he came to his senses and asked in a deep strangled objection, "Why not, Jessa? We've been planning this for weeks, what changed your mind?"

Clutching the broomstick in my hand with a white-knuckle grip, I furiously told him in a biting snap, "You having a pregnant mail order bride that's Doc's new midwife assistant is what changed my mind."

A puzzled look crossed over his face. "What the hell are you talkin' bout, honey? I'm single as fuck and the only kid I've got is Silas Elliot."

"Don't you dare play dumb with me; you know full well what I'm talking about you goddamn liar."

"I'm not playing dumb, Jessa. I'm telling you the truth, I'm not with anybody." Shaw told me, his deep timbre rising an octave due to his riled up and panicked state.

I shook my head, narrowing my indigo eyes at him while hastily scowling, "That's a lie cause I heard different last night at dinner."

"What?" Shaw squeaked out, sounding like a mouse that'd just got caught in a trap.

"Last night at dinner Perry-" I began to say only to get abruptly cut off by Shaw sneering arrogantly, "Oh hell, you can't believe a word that comes out of Perry Cline's mouth. That lawyer's a goddamn skunk."

"It wasn't Perry Cline that told everyone at the McCoys' dinner table that you got a pregnant mail order bride working with Doc. It was his brother-in-law Brenton Landon that spilled the beans." I informed him, petulantly moving my arm around; making the broomstick I was holding look like it was dancing Fantasia style.

"Brenton?!" Shaw loudly exclaimed with wide honey eyes. Quickly his honey browns burned black with angry as he ranted, "That fucking asshole's my dad's best friend. Fucking Sully told him some bullshit lie cause he wants me to hook up with the housekeeper he brought into town for me. This is just some scheme Sully cooked up in order to meddle with my life."

You're such a lying sack a shit; I don't believe a word you're saying." I told him, holding back the angry tears that were welling up and threatening to fall.

Fear shone brightly in his honey eyes as he placed his gently cradled my face in his hands and pleaded, "Please, Jessa, please you have to believe me. I love you; want to be a family with you and Silas too."

I jerked my head back, causing his hands to fall from my face, as I decisively told him, "Silas already has a family, me and Tolbert."

"Bullshit." Bitterly rolled off Shaw's tongue like a heavy rock flinging out of a slingshot. His bottom lip quivered as he howled, "Tolbert's no fuckin' good for our son. I'm his daddy; I'm the best thing for him."

"Go home to your wife and play daddy with the baby that she pops out come spring." I told him in the hardest, coldest tone I could muster as I pointed my broomstick to the side, gesturing to West Virginia.

Shoving his left hand in my face he growled, "I don't have a fuckin' wife! See, no ring on my finger!"

"Get your hand out of my face and get off my property right now!" I shouted, whacking his hand with my broom handle.

Shaw's honey eyes went wide and he stared at the broom like it had just burnt him. Dropping his hand to his side he told me in a deep, but strained timbre, "You make sure this is what you really want cause once I leave, I won't be back. No, not after you fuckin' beat me with a broom like I'm a bad dog."

"Leave and don't come back, Shaw." I ordered in a low hiss, my teeth grinding as I clenched my jaw angrily.

"I'll always love you, Jessa. You might not believe me, but you're the only woman I'll ever truly love." Shaw told me in a mere whisper, his head hung down low, before turning his back on me and walking away.

I watched Shaw's tall sinewy black Stetson wearing form get smaller and smaller until he disappeared into the vast distance that was Floyd Hatfield's property. I felt a pang in my chest as I saw nothing, but wide-open space and green grass spanning out in front of me as I stood looking out my back doorway. Tears streamed down my cheeks, staining them with watery track marks, as I finished the last of my sweeping. It hurt knowing that I was hoodwinked and played by Shaw, what hurt even more was that the innocent part of me that still believed in happy endings, first loves, and soulmates was shattered. I wiped away my tears and closed my door. Placing my broom against the wall I came to terms with the fact that there isn't such a thing as an undying love, but there is such a thing as a fond love.

Tolbert's love was safe and stable, grown out of fondness for each other which is more then some people'll ever have.

Shaw POV:

I was beyond pissed at Sully. How dare he meddle in my life and have his best fucking friend forever help him do it too? Who does he think he is? Hmm?! Damnit, I'm gonna give that man a piece of my mind. God, my nostrils were flaring worse than an angry bull's as I pulled up in front of the goddamn schoolhouse. I knew my dad was inside it cleaning and preparing for opening day, which was coming up in a week or so (I didn't remember the exact date and right now I didn't give a shit). I jumped down from my wagon and marched over to the door, determined to confront my backstabbing dad about his scheming.

"Shaw, what brings you here?" Sully asked, his head poppin' up to look at me, as I shoved the door open with a loud bang and stormed into the schoolhouse.

"Your fuckin' meddling in my love life's what brings me here." I growled, narrowing my eyes at my dad as he just looked at me with a weird look. "What gives you the right to send Brenton to the McCoys for dinner with the scheme to tell those people a lie 'bout me?" I asked him, my deep voice as hard as steel. My blood ran hot with anger as I spat out, "A lie saying that I got a pregnant mail order bride that's working with Doc."

"Son, I didn't send Brenton over to dinner with that message. Whatever he told the McCoys he did on his own accord." Sully told me, trying to act like he was innocent in the lie that was going 'round the Tug quicker then wildfire. His brows raised then lowered as he sighed out in a low whistle, "But, he ain't lying about Olga working with Doc."

"What?!" I shouted so loud that I think I broke my own ear drums let alone his.

Sully nodded, his face tilting a bit, before explaining, "Yea, Doc went to pick her up a little while ago. She got a job as his midwife after helpin' Allie birth Captain W."

"Jesus…"

"Brenton works in a law firm; he must've heard it from somebody that overheard Doc talkin' or setting up an appoint for somebody." Sully told me as an explanation as to why his best fucking friend forever (who I don't trust anymore) said the shit he did when eating with the McCoys.

"But Brenton said that the Five Points bitch's pregnant!" I exclaimed in a roar, upset that rumor is being spread around.

Sully POV:

Dear god almighty, why won't Shaw just take a few calming breaths and act like a man instead of a 12-year-old boy throwing a tantrum cause I wouldn't buy him some stupid Call Of Duty PS4 game?... Cutting my eyes at him, I suggested the possibility of, "Maybe she is pregnant and somebody overheard her talking to Doc 'bout it."

"What?" My son gasped, nearly choking on his own spit. His head frantically shook back and forth, causing his hair to smack him in his face. "But she can't be pregnant."

I gave my son a pointed look, crossing my arms over my chest while sighing, "Son, did you sleep with her? If so, then yes she can be pregnant."

"She warms my bed on occasion, but I'm careful with her cause I don't wanna keep her 'round." He admitted, sounding in my opinion like a dumbass. There is now being careful in the 19th century, birth control doesn't exist yet. Well, it does, but that's in the form of abstinence and I doubt my son's a big fan of practicin' that.

"Well, son, look at it this way, you might be stuck with a girl you don't really like, but she's nice and she'll be giving you a son. You know that all the men in the family make boys first." I told Shaw in one of those look on the brightside type tones.

"I already have a son." Shaw answered, his deep tone a bit biting, as he stared me down with his honey eyes.

Well, to say I was shocked would be an understatement. Schooling my features, I forced my tone to be as level as possible while asking the questions of, "You already have a son? With who?"

"Jessa, I knocked her up last year during Thanksgiving and she had to have a risky c-section to have Silas a couple weeks back." Shaw answered me in a voice that was oozing with unchecked emotions, millions of them, as his honey eyes stated to develop a far off look in them.

My blue eyes bugged out of my head as I asked in a stunned whisper, "Silas? She named the boy Silas?"

"Yea." My son nodded, his golden-brown hair ruffling slightly. "Silas Elliot, but it doesn't really matter tho cause I'll never get to see him let alone raise him cause you decided to get me a mail order bride. Jessa's doing to me the exact fucking thing mom did to you, but not because I flaked out, but because she thinks I don't love her anymore and moved on with that Olga bitch you sent for." Shaw ranted, his voice loud and quaking worse than the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. He shook her head while darkly chuckling, "Thank you, dad, for ruining my fucking life!"

"Shaw don't blame me-" I began to say only for him to cut me out with a scoff of, "Save it for somebody that gives a shit." Turning his back on me he sighed, "I need a stiff drink.", before storming out of the schoolhouse.

Well, seems like my grandson Silas (who is recorded on an old Kentucky State Prison visitor's log as Silas Eldridge) has been born. Hell, I didn't see Jessa being his mother coming tho. Wait a minute, does that mean Jessa was Silas' mother back in the Tug during the historical timeline before I started messing with it; trying to fix it? Hell, and I thought bringing Jessa's family to 20th century Tulsa when she was a baby would help with fixing the feud. Her mentally unstable mother was able to get on bipolar meds and her father got a good job as a professor at the local university instead of drowning to death in the Tug during that wagon train accident. Jessa seemed to get pulled drown stream no matter what I did, but this time she was best friends with Allie when they separated instead of just acquaintances so I guess that makes them being on different sides of the feud harder than before.

Damnit, I wanted to prevent Jessa from getting with Tolbert, but it happened anyways. I thought she got with him cause he wooed her after his family broke her and my son up, but it seems I was wrong. Jessa latched onto Tolbert cause my dumbass son knocked her up. Damnit, Shaw was way too much like me for his own good. At least, unlike him, I have a level head and I'm more cunning. My son's too brash and headstrong, too much like Uncle Jim Vance if I'm to be honest. Hell…that's not good, not good at all with everything going on.

I'm wondering if Tolbert, Jessa, and Shaw were in some kind of messed up triangle or something in the first timeline (the one I read about and decided to change)? How did they even meet? In the original timeline Shaw was very introverted and opened up a livery cause he couldn't be a butcher or a cook cause he sliced a finger or two off in an accident at Peter's butcher shop when he was 12-years-old (but the accident never happened cause I took him with me back to 20th century Tulsa before it could). Jessa was Tolbert's wife; how did she get with Shaw back then to have Silas? Dear god, I thought I did flawless research, but it seems I have some holes in it that might be responsible for some changes (maybe bad, but I'm not too sure) that'll have a major impact on the feud. Like instead of being introverted with a snappy attitude and a maimed hand Shaw's a confident dickhead that's extremely charming and athletic.

Wait a goddamn minute, Allie told me she was told by Shaw's great-whatever-grandson during the fieldtrip that he married a feud widow after killing her husband so that means my son must marry Jessa after executing Tolbert in '82 after the election day murder of Ellison. Oh hell…why didn't I ever print out and read that one old article I found titled Blood Feud's Vow: Woman Marries Man Who Shot Her Husband. When I stumbled on it, I didn't think it was important, but now I think I made a very big mistake ignoring that article.

Shit, now I need to keep my son out of jail and try to get him to forgive me for meddling in his love life (which was screwed up in the first timeline too, but whatever). Maybe since he has Olga, who's most likely gonna have his baby, he won't go after Jessa once Tolbert dies. Hell, everything's a goddamn mess. This changing history shit's a bit more complicated then I thought it'd be.

AN:

Oh, Sully's BFF Brenton Landon has no loyalties huh. Well, the guy is Perry Cline's brother-in-law and his daughter Nova is married to Perry's friend Senator Billings so…Yea basically Brenton's only out for himself and is playing both sides of the feud. Oh, Jessa's reaction to the Olga stuff was priceless huh? Yep, Jessa and Tolbert are together for the long haul (or at least for as long as he lives…). Olga seems determined to have the picket fence life with the nice house, husband, and kids, but will she actually get it? Oh, and that confrontation with Shaw and Sully, what did you guys think of that? Shaw's brother Todd…yea you can tell Shaw's been raising him, lol.