*Author's Note*

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

OOOooo! This entire chapter is full of shockers, angst, and drama! YAY!

Romeo & Juliet

Allie POV:

While Cap was at work, I found myself pulling up to Abel and Nancy's house. I knew that my husband wouldn't approve of me visiting my brother and his wife by myself, but it was Abel's day off and it'd been too long since I'd seen him. Plus, the other night Cap let it slip that Abel's been complaining at work about Tolbert bumming around at his cabin. I knew it was foolish, but I was curious about what was going on in my brother's household. Why was Tolbert living with him; were him and Nancy scheming against Abel and the entire Hatfield family right under his nose? Oh, I was curious to figure out what was going on, which is why I was visiting my brother and his shrew (and Tolbert by default). Hey, if Nancy could come to my house with fake smiles and sweetness hiding her schemes why couldn't I do the same?

After stopping my wagon, I carefully climbed down from it. Once my feet touched the ground, I let out a long breath and stretched my back, cracking all of the cricks out. Yea, I was due in a couple more months and I couldn't be happier since this pregnancy was taking its toll on my back. After stretching my back, I picked up Captain W. and set him on the ground. Taking his little hand in mine, I led us over to the lopsided front porch of the small cabin (that made a tiny house look big, by the way. Yea, that's how small Abel's shack-like cabin looked.)

Once we reached the door, I knocked and waited for an answer. When the door squeaked open, I expected to be greeted by my shrew of a sister-in-law Nancy, but that wasn't the case at all. Standing in the doorway was a shirtless Tolbert McCoy. Okay, maybe I see why Jessa was attracted to him, he's ripped. Guess lifting barrels and shine crates builds muscles. Anyways, why's he answering the door and not Nancy or better yet Abel, my brother?

Tolbert looked me up and down with a hard look on his face before asking, "What'cha doin' 'ere?"

"I'm here to visit my brother, Abel, and his wife, Nancy. What're you doing here, Tolbert?" I answered the tall ginger, who must've been doing some kind of chores like chopping wood since he was shirtless.

Choosing to ignore my question, he told me, "Abel took Nancy t'visit our Aunt Betty; they ain't gonna be back for a long while yet.", as his hand held onto the doorknob with a white knuckled grip.

"Very well, then I'll just leave and come back another time." I politely told the McCoy (that had caused my best friend a lot of heartache and problems) before turning my back to the door.

I was about to walk across the small porch with my son whenever Tolbert's smooth, but rugged, timbre stopped me with the blurted-out question of, "How's she doin'?"

Looking over my shoulder, I furrowed my brows and asked, "Who?"

"Jessa. I know yer friendly wit' her an' I just wanna know how she is. How Silas is too."

Wow, that took me for a loop. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that Tolbert would ask me about Jessa and Silas. Hell, Jessa told me that he didn't accept the boy and never would during one of our many afternoon tea visits. Seems like Tolbert's concerned about the boy now tho, along with being concerned about Jessa. Can't say that I blame him since she's with Shaw.

Oh my god, if my husband knew that I was standing in front of the enemy contemplating on doing a tell all about my best friend's problems he'd smack me across the head. I know that I shouldn't tell Tolbert the truth about how Jessa's doing since the redhead's a pissy McCoy, but on the other hand Jessa had lived with the man and loved him before Shaw even wiggled and manipulated his way into her life. Jessa had clung to Tolbert's side after we first got to the Tug, hell she even spurned our friendship for him, so I didn't see the harm in telling him what was going on with Jessa. I mean my best friend did pick him first and intended to live as his wife before that blackhearted prick Shaw manipulated her and twisted her up.

"She's healed from the miscarriage, but she's mentally and emotionally burdened by Shaw's alcoholism." I honestly told Tolbert, leaving it up to him if he wanted more details on Jessa's life or not.

Tolbert's face scrunched up angrily as he spat, "That Vance Bastard's nothin', but a plight from hell on her life."

Before thinking it over, I told the shirtless redhead, "Now, pissy McCoy, that's something we both agree on."

His face skewed up sideways as he asked, "Ya don't like yer cousin-in-law?"

"Hell no. I can't stand the manipulative jackass. I was actually quite disappointed when he didn't go to the gallows since that would've been Jessa's ticket to freedom." Came tumbling out of my mouth in a big heap of revealing word vomit. Oops, cat's out of the bag now.

"Yer a lot like yer brother." Tolbert chuckled, shakin' his head as he leaned 'gainst the doorframe.

"How so, cause he doesn't like Shaw either?"

"Reckon that 'mongst other things." What did he mean by that? Crazy hillbilly, can't just say what he means in blunt and blatant terms. "Ya really care 'bout Jessa, yer concerned too."

"Yea, but that's only cause we've been best friends since we were girls and I've seen how blackhearted Shaw can be."

"He was a rightful devil wit' that Yankee mail-order bride o'his weren't he?" Tolbert asked, no doubt having picked up on Shaw's mistreatment of Olga from the handful of times he saw them together at events.

"Oh, you wouldn't believe that half of it."

"Yer married t'Cap so I don't trust ya one bit, but yer Abel's sister an' he vouches that yer a trustworthy person." He told me before moving aside and clearing a path to the doorway. "If it weren't for our shared concern 'fore Jessa I wouldn't be invitin' ya an' yer spawn in, but I wanna know how bad Shaw's gotten an' how I'd be able t'win Jessa back."

"Oh, and you trust me to help you with Jessa?"

"We both hate Shaw an' want her freed from 'im, 'sides yer Abel's sister an' I can't see ya double crossin' his fav'rite cousin-in-law." He told me while motioning for me to enter the house.

"Oh, so you're his favorite cousin-in-law now?" I sarcastically asked while walking into my brother's cabin, all the while keeping a strong hold of my son's hand. "Holy shit, this place's a one-room shithole."

"Eh, yer brother's not much of a carpenter." I heard Tolbert remark as he followed me inside of the shack. "Just sit at the table." He told me, closing the door before making his far over to a far corner.

I felt a bit nervous at how civil he was being. I mean I read that he was a cruel man with an uncontrollable temper, so perhaps I was just waiting for his temper to flare. On the other hand, he seemed to respect my brother and maybe that's why he was being civil to me.

Tolbert grabbed a shirt from the corner and put it on. As if he could read my mind, he told me, "I ain't got no trouble wit' ya; won't do ya no harm."

"Cause of my brother." I confirmed with a nod as the shiner made his way over to the stove.

"Partly, but mostly cause ya hate that Vance Bastard same as I." Tolbert told me while grabbing a kettle and taking it over to a small sink.

Okay…that's definitely not a normal answer. Oh my god, what the hell did I get myself into?... Seems like we've got one of those the enemy of thy enemy is my friend kind of things going on.

"Are you puttin' on a kettle for tea?" I asked since that's the impression I was getting as Tolbert filled the thing with water.

"Yea, yer pregnant an' won't want coffee. Least Jessa nev'r liked coffee when she was pregnant." Tolbert told me as he put some tea into the kettle and placed it onto the stove. "Believe it or not, I took care o'Jessa when she was expectin' Silas." He lowly chuckled while grabbing his mug from the counter near the stove and pouring himself some coffee. Placing the coffee pot down, he came over to the table and took a seat. "Now, let's talk 'bout how t'get Jessa 'way from Shaw."

Tolbert POV:

As we waited for the kettle, Allie told me all 'bout the shit Shaw did to Olga (his ex-Yankee woman) 'long wit' how he was bein' wit' Jessa. The blonde was very upset that the Vance Bastard turned her 'way by slammin' a door shut in her face when she went ov'r t'visit Jessa an' t'help her durin' the miscarriage. She also ranted 'bout how he was controlin' Jessa an' isolatin' her; keepin' her under his thumb like a dictator. Right 'fore the kettle went off she confessed that it was unfortunate that Jessa knew how to place a trocar in Shaw t'save him cause she'd be better off if he would've just bled out. Right as the kettle whistled, Allie asked me, "So, why did you stick him in the lung?"

"I went ov'r t'see Jessa, but he got the jump on me. I stuck 'im cause he was beatin' on me." I explained while goin' ov'r to the stove an' grabbin' the kettle wit' a mitt. "I came 'ere right after, been 'ere ev'r since." I added in while gettin' a teacup from the nearby cabinet an' pourin' out the tea. "I saw Jessa few days after thinkin' he'd be dead or close to it, but he weren't an' she was madder then a wet hornet. Threatened t'sic her dog on me so I left." I admitted, fixin' up the tea an' bringin' it ov'r t'Allie. Eh, I had no idea how she took her tea an' I didn't really care, but I just fixed it up the way Jessa always took it.

"Her dog's a brown fuzzy mutt puppy named Chewie; I doubt he'd hurt you." She giggled, picking up her tea while I sat down at the table.

"A pup? She done gone run me off wit' a pup." I scoffed, shakin' my head in disbelief.

"Tea's not that bad. Wouldn't expect that from a shiner." Allie, Abel's lil sister, told me in a tone o'both shock an' disbelief after take a sip o'tea.

"I used t'make tea for Jessa ya know. Hell, made her a cup that cold an' rainy December 23rd she showed up t'my cabin cryin' an' scared 'bout bein' knocked up."

Allie didn't say a word, just nodded her head. She took another sip of the tea before a long look crossed her face. "Shaw manipulated her to get her from you. I confronted him about it once after seeing her leaving his office while you two were still together. Turns out he was blackmailing her; made a deal with her that he wouldn't go after you if she'd bring Silas to the livery to see him."

I felt like all the air had gone outta my lungs. Jessa tried t'protect me; made a devil's deal to do so too. "What?..." Whooshed outta my mouth 'fore I could stop it.

"Yea, she was trying to keep you safe, but ended up back with him cause he's the king of lies and did a number on her."

"Typical Vance." I sniggered in disgust, grabbin' my coffe cup from the table. "So…" I sipped on my coffee. "Ya really think she'll leave 'im an' stay wit'cha?"

"Yes. I mean she's sick and tired of his drinking and I offered her my help, which she thanked me for."

"Don't mean she'll leave 'im." I bluntly sighed, placin' my cup down wit' a small thud.

"Believe me, Tolbert, she'll leave him. I know my best friend and she doesn't want his bottle problem around her kids." Kids? Jesus, she's taken on his bastard as her own. Course she did, she always wanted more chil'ren. Cuttin' her eyes at me, Allie advised, "If you want a chance to make things right with Jessa then you better back off the booze too."

"Ah…" I nodded, already knowin' that my drinkin' was nowhere as bad as that Vance Bastard's. I weren't no bottle or bottle an' a half a day drunk like he was. Shit, he must spend quite a bit o'his payday on corn likker. "Thanks for the advice, but why're tellin' me how t'get her back? Shouldn't ya be damnin' me t'hell or wishin' she finds a new man?"

"When we were stranded in the Tug as a result of that wagon train accident Jessa clung to you; formed a bond with you that was strong enough for her to turn her back on my friendship for a while." Yea, reckon she's right 'bout that. Me an' Jessa were thick as thieves til Shaw lifted his head up like a snake in the grass. "Even tho I don't like you, being that you're a hot-headed McCoy, I think that maybe you and Jessa do belong together. Like star-crossed lovers or something." Christ, now she's compairin' me an' Jessa t'Romeo an' Juliet.

I nodded and sipped on my coffee. Placin' my cup down, I bluntly told the blonde, "I ain't got no house t'bring her to. I ain't got shit right now, god's truth."

"Go out west to Oklahoma. There's homestead acts and land runs where the government gives free and discounted land to settlers." She said matter-o-factly 'tween sippin' on her tea.

My eyes bulged right outta my head at her words. "Injun lands! Sam's Hill, ya crazy? Likely get scapled goin' out there."

"Then go to Montana or Wyoming near Yellowstone." She suggested 'fore addin' in, "It's ranchin' land, you know for rasin' cattle."

"Montana's got 'em Siouxs; they the one's that got Custard." I reminded her. Sam's Hill, didn't she ev'r talk t'her brother 'bout his time in the army wit' all 'em injun raids?

"For the love of god, just pick a western state or territory and go there for the land grabs." She ordered while slammin' her cup down wit' a loud clunk. "Just tell my brother to send me word of where you've decided to go and I'll make sure that Jessa gets there."

I raised a brow an' skeptically asked, "So, I'm s'posed to trust that yer gonna send Jessa on after me in the middle of only God knows where in the Western wilds?"

Allie gave me a hard an' cuttin' stare. God, if I was stone, I'd be chiseled that's how deep her blue eyes cut into me. "Yes, so either comply with my idea or don't. I don't care what you do; I'm just trying to help my friend get away from a hateful manipulative prick that's the worst thing that's ever happened to her."

"Fine, I'll mull it ov'r; have Abel tell ya my decision." I relented since I didn't have no other options in gettin' my woman back.

Allie nodded an' stood up from the table. "I better get going."

"I'll tell Abel an' Nancy ya stopped by." I assured her as she made the short walk ov'r to the door wit' her hell spawn.

"If you really want to win Jessa back pick Oklahoma. Tulsa, Oklahoma." She told me 'fore walkin' out the door.

Tulsa, Oklahoma? Really, a settlement in injun territory was how I'd get Jessa back? Oh god, why can't things be simple? Hell, I need a quick slug o'my flask t'regain my wits.

Abel POV:

I spent most of my morning and afternoon at Betty Blankenship's since Nancy wanted to visit her old aunt; wanted me to meet the woman too. Once we got there it was hard to leave since Aunt Betty lived by herself and didn't get many visitors and did everything in her power to make us stay as long as we could. God, Aunt Betty interrogated me about my intentions with Nancy and all of this other shit since I was a part of the McCoy family now. Geez, I never thought getting married would earn me a game of 20 questions from every single person I encountered that was McCoy kin.

Overall, tho, the visit with Aunt Betty went well. Hey, she makes some of the best butter cookies I've ever had so she's cool with me. The only thing that made me feel uncomfortable was when Aunt Betty started asking questions about kids (like when me and Nancy were going to have them), but Nancy made sure to give her aunt the right answer about that (which was soon if the lord's willing).

Once we got back to our cabin, Nancy went inside of the house and I tended to the horses. I was almost done in the stable whenever I heard footsteps coming towards the stable. Looking over my shoulder I saw Tolbert. Great, now what does he want? I didn't say a word, just tipped my hat in acknowledgement since I didn't want to be bothered with my cousin-in-law, the couch surfing bum.

"Nance said ya were out 'ere puttin' up the horses." Tolbert told me as he came up to my side, no doubt as a way to make small talk.

"Mhm…" I nodded as I finished brushin' Nancy's horse, Ida.

"Yer sister stopped by t'visit ya earlier." Oh no, of course Allie came over when I wasn't home. Hell, I hope that all hell didn't break lose between her and Tolbert. "I asked her how Jessa was an' we got to talkin' ov'r some coffee an' tea."

A weird look crossed over my face as I blurted out a loud and surprised, "What the fuck? You and my sister had hot beverages and talked like civilized people? Really?"

"Yep." Tolbert answered, poppin' his p, as I hung the horse brush onto a wall hook in the stable. "She wants Jessa t'get 'way from Shaw 'bout as bad as I do."

"Oh, that's just great, ya'll are scheming together even tho ya'll hate eachother. Yea, nothin' can go wrong there." I sarcastically rolled my eyes, feeling that whatever was going on wasn't very smart on either Allie or Tolbert's side.

"Allie's a lot like ya, ya know."

"Reckon so, she's my sister." I deadpanned, rolling my eyes at my cousin-in-law. "So, what're you and my sister cookin' up when it comes to Jessa?" I asked, crossin' my arms and giving Tolbert a pointed look.

"Yer sister told me t'go outwest an' that she'll make sure Jessa goes wherever I go." Tolbert told me as if he was givin' me directions to the local E-Z Mart.

"Yea, only problem there is she's still with that crazy dude." I pointed out the big problem with the plan him and my sister hatched up.

"Not for long, least that's what Allie said." The redhead told me with mirth in his Appalachian accented timbre.

"What? Really?"

"Yea." Tolbert nodded before going on to say, "She says Jessa's fed up wit' the Vance Bastard's drunken blackhearted ways an' she'll be leavin' soon 'nough. Even said she offered her help too for wen that time come."

"Okay, but why would Jessa make up with you tho? Um, if you don't recall you inadvertently caused her miscarriage and you're a drunk too."

"Allie said as long as I went West, I'd win Jessa back."

"How, by removin' yourself from the feud?"

"Reckon so, but I dunno for sure." Tolbert shrugged.

"Going out West ain't easy for a man, Tolbert, let alone a woman with small children. If you and my sister's plan's going to work then Jessa needs to either sign up for a wagon train or go trail blazing with you, but I don't she'd do the latter cause she hates you." I told him since I knew for a fact (from what I learned in history class) that a lone wagon ain't surviving the trails. It's just unheard of.

"She don't hate me, just thinks she does cause she's been hurt." My cousin-in-law told me while lettin' everything else I told him go over his head like a tsunami wave.

"God, I hope that you and my sister knows what ya'll are doing, cause if this shit goes sideways, we're all gonna be Benedict Arnolds in the Tug Valley."

"Huh?"

"Treasonous traitors, you mushhead. We'll be traitors and nobody'll want anything to do with us." I snapped.

"Shit ain't goin' sideways." Tolbert waved off my worries. With a newfound resolve, he announced, "I've got a chance at gettin' Jessa back an' I wanna take it."

"Even if it means goin' West?" I asked, wanting to know how serious he was about getting his ex back.

"Well, I don't wanna go West, but if it means gettin' Jessa back I'll do it." The couch surfing bum honestly told me. Holy shit what kind of hold does Jessa have on men? I mean both Shaw and Tolbert are obsessed (I mean madly in love) with her. Damn, does she have a golden snatchbox or something? Sheesh.

I just nodded before arching a brow and asking, "How far West are we talking 'bout?"

"Allie named off some places, but she said that by goin' to Tulsa, Oklahoma I'd surely win back Jessa."

"Yea…Tulsa's where they were headed before being stranded here in the Tug."

"Oh…" Tolbert trailed off, his face falling slightly as he remembered the wagon train accident that happened a few years ago. Yea, the one that Sully told them to use as an alibi after he poofed them right in the middle of it. "Reckon I'll be pickin' Tulsa when it's time for me t'go West."

"Do whatever you want, but if this scheme gets my sister hurt or in trouble, they'll be hell to pay." I told Tolbert before walking out of the stable, leaving him there by himself.

"Allie said t'send her messages thru ya 'bout what I decide to do." Tolbert's voice rang out in the fresh spring air.

"Sure, I'll tell her you picked Tulsa." I reluctantly agreed before walking up my porch steps. Once I reached my front door, I flung it open and marched inside. "Tolbert told me that Allie was here when we were visitin' Aunt Betty and you know what happened?" I remarked to my wife as I slammed the door shut and took my hat off of my head; slinging it onto the wall hook.

"She left and told him she'd be back later t'visit." Nancy seriously answered from her spot at the kitchen table.

"No, they ended up talking about Jessa and their shared hate for Shaw only to come up with a way for Tolbert to get her back." I informed my wife while going over to the table and taking a seat across from her at it.

Her eyes widened slightly. "Oh, now that's intriguing."

"No, it's not, it's risky. If she got caught…"

"Don't worry so much, I'm sure she just wants to help her friend find her way back to a good man." Nancy said nonchalantly while picking up her teacup.

"Easy for you to say, ain't your sister getting neck deep into shit that can get her named a traitor." I snapped, raising my hand up to my neck for dramatic effect and emphasis.

"If you're so worried then talk to her or better yet invite her ov'r for a visit." Nancy suggested in a helpful tone before sipping on her tea.

"Yea…I know, Nance…" I sighed, running a hand thru my hair. Looks like I'm confronting my sister about this shit soon.

Jessa POV:

Shaw came home late tonight. Not too late, but late enough that dinner was half-way over. When I asked him why he was late he didn't even try to make up a lie, just told me that he stopped by Johnse's to buy some shine. I let it go and bit my tongue since I didn't want to comfort him in front of the kids. I just nodded and told him to grab a plate, acting as if I wasn't bothered by his lateness or the fact that he bought a bottle he didn't need (hey he got a bottle or two the other day from Johnse).

I decided to wait until the kids were in bed to confront Shaw. I was mending and sewing clothes to pass the time. First Silas and Lydia were tucked into bed (since they were babies) and then a couple of hours later Todd and Mary went to bed. While Shaw read his sister a story, I put my sewing away and waited for him to come downstairs.

His booted feet thudded against the stairs, signaling that he was descending them. "Shaw, we need to talk." I told him as he was a few steps away from the ground floor.

"What 'bout, babe?" Shaw asked in a casual tone.

"Your alcoholism." I bluntly told him as his feet hit the ground floor.

Shaw just let out a low chuckle of disbelief and shook his head while leaning his arm on the bannister of the staircase. "Your overreacting, Jessa. I'm not an alcoholic."

"Shaw, you're in denial so deep that it's up to your neck and you're drowning in it. You're an alcoholic whether you want to admit it or not."

"I'm not in denial, darlin'. I just have a few drinks to cut my side pain, that's all." He told me, blowing off my eye-opening remarks.

"That's a crock of shit. You've been sneaking around behind my back with your drinking for a while now. At least since my miscarriage if not before that."

"Oh, so Todd ratted me out 'bout my hayloft stash. That lil fucker, he'll be gettin' a talkin' to in the morning about bein' a snitch." Shaw ranted, shaking his head angrily as his jaw twitched. Oh no, no he's made at his little brother.

"He only snitched cause I overheard you screaming at him to get it and I confronted him about it. At first, he tried to brush it off, but after pressing him he caved and told me that you had a bunch of shine bottles hidden in the hayloft cause you didn't want me knowing how much you drink."

"He didn't have any right telling you about my stash. Goddamnit, now you think I'm some kind of drunk and won't just believe me when I tell you the shine's for pain management."

"Pain management my ass, Shaw. It's been over 3-weeks since you got shanked, you don't need whiskey to numb the pain anymore. Hell, you only want it cause you're addicted to it."

"No, I'm not!" Shaw screamed at me, his honey eyes turning a blazing angry amber as he pushed himself away from the stairs with a quick jerky movement. In a few large strides he crossed the living room and made his way to the liquor cabinet in the kitchen while telling me, "I'm not an addict; I can stop anytime I want to." Yea, I bet… Fling the cabinet open and taking out the bottle he brought home, he told me, "I just don't want to stop cause my side flare up now and then from the injury I got from Tolbert." Shaw popped the cork and took a large sip from the bottle.

Disgusted that he couldn't take ownership over his addiction, I snapped, "Don't blame Tolbert for your drinking. Hell, I bet you were drinking before he even shanked you."

"Will you just drop it, Jessa. Goddamn! Why can't ya just accept my answers, shut up, and go on doin' your mendin' or whatever ya were doin' before I went upstairs to read Mary a story."

Oh no he didn't! He didn't just tell me, his fiancé and the mother of his children, to shut up. I was seething as I shot up from the sofa and stormed into the kitchen. "You son of a bitch, don't you dare tell me to shut up!" I yelled, taking him aback and making him choke and cough on his shine. "I can't stand being disrespected; I won't put up with it from you or anybody else, Shaw Hector." I sternly told him as I stopped mere inches away from where he was leaning against a counter.

"Don't use my middle name like I'm a child. I'm not a naughty child, I'm a grown ass man." Shaw snapped in a low tone that showcased he was aggravated while pointing his precious shine bottle at me.

I was so sick and tired of him clutching to his shine bottle like a baby clutches to a milk bottle. Before I even knew what I was doing, I rashly snatched the bottle from his hand and threw it to the ground. It loudly shattered into a million pieces, soaking the floorboards with the strong homebrew whiskey, as I shouted, "I'm over your drinking, Shaw! I can't handle it anymore, I just can't!"

"You just broke my new bottle! Have you fuckin' lost your mind?" Shaw growled, more concerned about his broken bottle then me revealing that I can't deal with his drinking, as he gave me a deeply narrowed look with his honey eyes.

"Really? Really, Shaw, that's all you're worried about is your bottle of booze? Oh my god, I can't believe you right now."

"And I can't believe you either, honey. Hell, Jessa, you're not acting how you're supposed to."

"And how's that, Shaw? Hmm? You mean overlooking your problem and acting like everything's okay when it's not?" I rhetorically asked him as my indigo eyes were turning an angry shade of midnight.

"Damnit, I've told ya over and over again that I don't got a problem, woman." Shaw hissed, giving me a cutting look.

"Unless you're willing to admit to your drinking problem, I think that we need to separate for a while." I firmly told him with all the strength I could muster. I had reached my breaking point; it was either me and the kids or the booze. I knew he wouldn't make the choice so I was making it for him.

Shaw POV:

What? Separate, now she wants to separate cause I've been drinkin'? Has she lost her goddamn mind? No, she can't be serious. "Jessa, honey, rethink what you're saying. We're getting married soon, we can't separate."

"Do you think I actually want to leave you? Gosh, I don't, but Shaw you leave me no other choice with how bad your drinking is. I just can't have it around me and the kids, it's just not safe." Oh hell, now she's sputtering out some nonsense that her so called best friend Allie brainwashed her with. Shit, I knew I should've made her cut that friendship off a while back. Now it's costing me my family.

"Whoa, you don't think I'm safe to be 'round cause I drink?" I rhetorically asked in disbelief. Oh my god… "Oh, that's rich, babe." I scoffed, shaking my head incredulously. "I've never hurt you or the kids; never will either." I declared before going on to tell Jessa in a defeated tone, "I'll pack up some clothes and go stay with dad and Uncle Jim til you're ready to hash things out reasonably."

"You better just move in there indefinitely cause unless you stop drinking like a fish, I'm not letting you move back in with me." I heard Jessa tell me as I walked into our bedroom and went over to grab a bag from the closet.

Great, so it's official we're broken up once again cause of something stupid. I can't believe this shit. I'm supposed to be getting married in a lil more then a week, but instead I'm packing a bag and leaving.

Whenever I walked out of the bedroom with my knapsack slung over my shoulder, I saw that Jessa was sitting at the kitchen table. Her shoulders were slumped, but she had an unreadable look on her face. Damn, if she was feeling sad, she wasn't letting it show. Clearing my throat, I told her, "I'll give you money for the kids and for living expenses on Friday."

"Okay." She simply nodded, accepting my offer of child support and alimony (even tho we were never truly married).

"Just let me see the kids for dinner or something, okay?"

Jessa mulled in silence for a few moments before she opened her mouth and told me, "I won't keep them from you, but I'm not going to sit and have a family dinner with you like nothing's wrong either. You can see them by playing outside with them on Saturday or during your lunch break, that's all I can handle."

Really, she's going to make this all about her right now? Whatever. I'll just have to accept it otherwise I'll lose out on seeing my kids. I didn't utter a word, just nodded my agreement since I was afraid my words would betray me. I felt my mended heart shattering and turning into stone once again as I walked out of the backdoor, leaving my family cause of a heated argument.

AN:

So, Jessa and Shaw broke up over his drinking. Can't say that's a shocker. Now, Allie and Tolbert scheming together's a shocker. How do you think that's going to go? Does Tolbert have a chance at winning back Jessa or should he just call it a lost cause and give up on her? Do you think Cap'll find out what Allie's up to or not?

Next up will be some reactions to Jessa and Shaw's breakup.