*Author's Note*

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

August 5th, 1881- Silas Turns 2

Jessa POV:

The past few weeks have flown by pretty fast and it was now August. My morning sickness hasn't really subsided yet even tho I was poochy and showing with a small, but round belly. Shaw had remarked the other day that he thought I was just one of those women that have rough pregnancies and are sick during most of it. He just advised me to take it easy and sip on either mint or ginger-lemon tea. He even assured me that he could pick up any slack if I couldn't get any chores done. His concern about my health during my pregnancy touched me.

Mary was also being very helpful. My sister-in-law was taking on a bigger role in the kitchen in order to give me a break when I wasn't feeling good. At first, I protested her help, but the girl was as bullheaded as her brother and insisted that she cook while I rested. Albeit, I didn't have her make full meals often, but when she did it was when I felt really bad. Mary was also good at helping me watch the kids and kept them occupied. I have to admit that I'm going to miss her help once school starts back up soon in a few weeks.

Today was Silas' 2nd birthday and, much to my surprise, Devil Anse had given Shaw the day off to spend with his son and to help me set up a little party. Currently, since I was feeling a bit nauseas, I was resting on the sofa while Shaw was mixing up some cake batter. He had our son standing on a chair next to him, in a sense helping with the batter. It was cute.

Putting our son's hands on the egg and then helping him crack it into the mixing bowl, Shaw told Silas, "Good job, buddy, you cracked the egg in."

"Me do good?" Silas asked his daddy as he took the shells out of his hand and put then into the garbage bowl.

"Yea, Silas, you did good." Shaw nodded while grabbing another egg from a bowl. "We got one more egg to crack." He told our son while placing the egg in his tiny hands.

"Okay, daddy." Silas nodded as Shaw held his hands, helping him crack the egg.

"Well, looks like you two are having fun baking." I observed with a smile as Shaw helped Silas place the egg into the mixing bowl before taking the shells from him and tossing them into the trash bowl.

"We are, babe." Shaw smiled, picking up his wooden spoon and mixing the eggs into the cake batter. Giving me a smirk, he told me in an unmoving way, "Nothing beats spending time with the kids Whether it's cooking with them, reading to them, or playing tag for the umpteenth time." Placing the bowl down on the counter, Shaw turned to our son and told him, "Daddy had to finish this by himself, so you need to go play with your sister.", while helping him down from the chair he was standing on.

"Okay." Silas nodded before running into the living room and over to where Lydia was sitting at by the toy chest, playing with a wooden duck.

"And to think come winter we'll be adding to our brood." Shaw mused, happiness evident in his tone, as he poured the cake batter into some baking pans.

"Yea, we better start brainstorming names." I told him as he placed the baking pans into the oven.

"I have a name in mind, but you'll prolly bite my head off 'bout it." Shaw told me while he started to clean up the mixing bowl and wooden spoon in the sink.

"Why? What is it?" I asked with a quirked brow. The name couldn't be that bad, could it?

"Endor, if it's a boy." My husband revealed while drying off the bowl and spoon he'd just washed.

"Endor? Like the forest moon Ewoks live on Endor?" I asked, making sure I heard him correctly, as he walked out of the kitchen.

Shaw scratched the nape of his neck. Chewing on the bottom of his lip, he nodded, "Uh, yea…"

"It's different." I told him as he went over to his arm chair.

Taking a seat in his chair, he asked, "You don't like it, huh?"

"I didn't say that, I said it's different."

"You got any better ideas?"

"For a boy, no. I always liked Margaery for a girl tho." I honestly told him.

"I like that." Shaw lightly smiled. I figured he would since in a way it's a play on his mother's name, Margaret. With a smirk, he suggested, "Well, you know that we can make a deal that you pick the first name and I pick the middle name for a girl and vice versa for a boy."

"Okay, but you're picking Endor aren't you?"

"Prolly, unless I think of something catchier."

Placing a hand on my belly, I smiled, "I have a feeling this baby's a boy, so it looks like I better find something that flows with Endor and Eldridge."

The door opened and in walked Mary with a basket full of berry looped on her arm. "Shaw, I picked the berries you wanted for cake filling."

Pointing to the kitchen Shaw told the girl, "Put them on the counter; I'll start on it in a lil bit."

"Okay." Mary simply nodded before making her way across the main room and into the kitchen.

"Hey, Johnse, Roseanna, come in. It's so good to see you." I greeted my closest friends (and cousin-in-laws) with a huge smile after opening up the door only to reveal them standing on the other side.

"I brought over some cornbread." Roseanna smiled, slightly holding up the covered dish she had in her hands as she walked inside.

"And I brought the birthday present." Johnse added in, holding up a package, as he followed his wife into the house.

"Oh, my goodness, Shaw Eldridge, is that you in the kitchen cookin'?" Roseanna declared in an awed tone as she spotted Shaw making rice pudding over the stove.

"Yes, ma'am, it's me cookin'." Shaw answered Roseanna as I took the covered dish from her. "You know I'm a multi-trick pony. Can cook, clean, shoot, sell livestock, train horses, and chop wood for a livin'." He playfully joked as I brought the cornbread into the kitchen while Johnse and Roseanna took a seat on the sofa. "Seems like Jessa here lucked out when she got me." My husband winked at me as I placed the covered dish onto the counter we were going to be using as a makeshift buffet.

Oh, yea, I lucked out alright…At least he's sober.

"Where's the chil'ren at?" Johnse asked after realizing that we were the only ones in the house.

"Outside playin' with their aunt and uncle." Shaw answered before I could while taking the pot of rice pudding off the stove.

"Oh, Jessa, have ya felt the baby kick yet? I've felt mine do so a few times." Roseanna inquired as I sat down next to her on the sofa.

"No, not yet." I shook my head. Smiling, I added in, "But I'm happy that you've felt your baby kick tho."

"Babe, you should be feelin' him kick ya soon enough. In a few more weeks I reckon." Shaw told me as he started to bread the pieces of chicken he had soaking and marinating in buttermilk for hours now.

Smiling with excitement, Roseanna grabbed my hand and gushed, "Oh, Jessa, since our babies 'll only be a month or so apart they'll be able to grow up together; b'come the best of friends."

"Hell, I'd rather have our kids be best friends then my kids buddin' it up with Cap's." Shaw scoffed, placing a breaded piece of chicken onto a large sheet pan. Oh hell, here we go…

"You still don't like my brother, do you?" Johnse asked, causing me to glare at him. Of course, my husband hates Cap. Just because Cap and Allie are separated doesn't mean that Shaw like him all of a sudden; want to hang out with him and bullshit about whatever.

"Nope." Shaw popped his tongue. "Even tho he's been kissin' my ass for weeks now at work, claimin' that he's sorry for what his wife did and for thinkin' so badly of me cause of her, I still don't trust him." He revealed while continuing to bread chicken and place it on a sheet pan. "Hell, Johns, I'm his family, his blood, and he treated me like shit cause his wife hates me, so no, I' not gonna be his friend anytime soon."

"Hell…and to think we all used to go to the tavern together years 'go." Johnse sighed a bit heavily as he shook his head.

"Yea, well, time moves on and shit happens." Shaw snapped a bit edgily as he feverishly worked to bread the remaining pieces of chicken.

"Did ya invite him over?" Roseanna asked, taking me by surprise since I expected her to let Johnse handle the subject of Cap.

"No, but I'm sure Uncle Jim prolly extended the invitation out to him tho." My husband answered my meek friend while wiping his hands off with a rag and setting up a frying pan to cook the chicken with.

Silas' birthday party's been going good so far. We only invited a handful of family and friends so there wasn't a big crowd here, but it was enough people to help celebrate Silas' big day. Sully was playing the proud role of doting grandfather, which was really sweet. Shaw was, of course, a proud dad bragging on the smallest things our son did.

Uncle Jim was loudly cracking jokes while his mother (who came in special for her great-great-grandson's second birthday) was talking to me and Roseanna, giving us mothering advice. I had to admit that I valued and greatly appreciated Granny Delize's parenting tips. It was much needed, or at least I thought so, since soon I'd be a mother of toddlers and a newborn.

What was awkward was the way Cap kept trying to kiss both of Johnse and Shaw's asses in an attempt to repair their broken bonds. It was way too obvious that Cap was trying to get back on the good side of the men his estranged wife cause harm to. It seemed that Johnse was touched by his brother's friendliness, but my husband wasn't. No, Cap's efforts went on deaf ears when it came to Shaw.

Currently, it was time for presents so everyone was just silently watching Silas as he sat on the floor with me and Shaw. With a smile, I handed my son a small package and told him, "Here you go, sweetie. It's from Johnse and Roseanna."

"Mine?" Silas asked as he took the wrapped gift.

Nodding, Shaw mimed opening up the gift while telling our son, "Open it up, buddy."

Quickly, with an excited look on his face, Silas tore the wrapping paper off of his gift. He looked at the box in his had with a confused look since he couldn't read what the toy inside of it was. Taking the box from our son's hands, Shaw announced, "It's a top.", while setting the box aside.

"Thank you." I told the sweet blonde couple before grabiing another package from the small pile that was infront of me, Silas, and Shaw. "This one's from Uncle Jim." I announced, handing the crudely wrapped gift (which had newspaper as wrapping paper) over to our son.

"Oh, he's gonna love my gift." The crochety mountain man bragged.

"Good god, Uncle Jim, I can only imagine what ya got my grandson." Sully groaned, sounding a bit apprehensive about seeing Jim's gift.

"Be respectful, Hector. I'm sure Jimmy's gift's just fine." Granny Delize snapped at her grandson, making the teacher shutter at the use of his real name. Jim just chuckled while everyone else looked between the old woman and the teacher with raised brows. Yep, everyone knew it was best not to cross Granny Delize.

"Go ahead on open it, buddy." Shaw told our son, urging him to rip open the crudely wrapped gift.

After tearing into the paper like a tornado, Silas held in his hand a little wooden pistol. Of course, Uncle Jim gave him that.

"That's so ya can grow up t'hunt down McCoys, Silas." Uncle Jim said in a solid tone, causing my eyes to widen just slightly in shock. Dear god, my son's only a toddler and he's already telling him about the deadly feud.

"Don't worry, Uncle Jim, when he's old enough he'll learn how to shoot and how to hate McCoys." Shaw assured his uncle, causing Sully to just roll his eyes. Roseanna and Johnse seemed a bit nervous about the subject at hand while everyone else seemed happy with my husband's remark.

"Oh, Shaw, I'm sure that boy'll make ya proud. He always looks like ya; reckon he'll hate McCoys as much or more as you do too." Granny Delze told Shaw before turning her attention to Cap and telling him, "It's your chil'ren we gotta worry 'bout. Your wife got friendly with McCoys, them youngin's of course might be flighty like her in that aspect of life."

Giving the old woman a dead serious look, Cap professed in a firm and deeply solid timbre, "My chil'ren ain't gonna be friends wit' no McCoys, Granny Delize. I'll make sure of that."

"Reckon that's why Anse pulled ya 'way from that wife of yours and moved you back home under his roof." Granny Delize told Cap, her bluntness so sharp that it could rival my cleaver.

"Uh, can we stop all this talk 'bout McCoys? My wife is of that family after all." Johnse spoke up, his voice oozing with jittery nerves, as he stroked his wife's arm in a supportive and calming gesture. Poor Roseanna had a very uncomfortable look on her face. I felt bad for her, that she had to listen to people squabble about her family whenever she attended social functions.

"Hell, she ain't no McCoy no more. She married ya, took on the Hatfield name, an' got disown by Rand'l. No reason for her to sympathize wit' those river rats and snakes." Granny Delize boldly told her carefree great-grandson. Well, she did have a point there. I mean if my parents disowned me and kicked me out of my house, well, I doubt I'd be too worried about them.

"Babe, hand Silas another present." Shaw lowly hissed at me thru gritted teeth.

I cut my husband a look that portrayed I wasn't happy about his hissed demand before doing what I was told. I only gave my son another present in order to cut the rising tension in the air that the subject of the McCoys had made. As soon as I told my son, "This one's from grandpa.", everyone turned their attention to my son.

Meanwhile Over In Blackberry Creek KY…

Tolbert POV:

I was at my still, bottlin' up a large batch o'shine, an' my mind was wanderin'. Today was Silas' birthday, a day I'd nev'r forget since it was the day, I truly learned what fear was. Real fear, not the feelin' of bein' scared by a ghost story, but the feelin' of dread an' utter horror. I was so terrified of losin' Jessa, of her dyin' on me, when I heard her blood curdlin' cries as she gave birth. I was filled wit' so much fear as I tried without avail to get into the cabin, to get to her. Silas' birthday is one I'll always r'member cause it's the day I thought I'd lose her forever.

I was shaken out of my thoughts as I heard leaves crunchin' 'hind me. Turnin' 'round I found myself face t'face wit' my cousin, Squirrel. "What'cha want?" I asked him a bit sourly since I wasn't in the mood for company.

"Came by for a bottle; to keep ya company too cause of what day it is." Was his answer as he took a seat on the ground by a crate full of shine jars.

"It's just a day, Squirrel." I dryly told him as he took a bottle from the crate.

"It's Silas' second birthday an' we both know how much bein' a poppy t'him meant t'ya when ya were wit' Jessa." He told me, takin' a crumbled greenback out of his pocket an' handin' it to my while uncorkin' the bottle in his other hand wit' a quick flick of his thumb.

"Sammy, don't push it." I warned, takin' his money an' shovin' it into my pocket.

He took a sip of his shine 'fore tippin' the bottle at me an' sayin', "I ain't pushin' nothin', just statin' a fact, cousin."

"Well, don't." I deadpanned, placin' a freshly filled bottle into the hole that Squirrel created in the crate by him after buyin' a bottle.

"Ya know I heard talk 'round the store that Devil Anse himself ordered Jessa t'marry Shaw. Seems she didn't have a choice since it happened right after yer failed 'tempt t'rid the world of the Vance Bastard."

"She had a choice, Squirrel, but she just weren't brave 'nough t'make the right one. She didn't have t'agree to the marriage order, but she did. While pregnant wit' my child too, might I remind ya."

"Hatfields an' their kin fuck ev'thin' up, don't they?" Squirrel remarked in between guzzlin' down the bottle he bought from me.

"They sure do." I agreed in a hard-clipped sigh.

"Perhaps ya ought'a move on, maybe wit' Misty." Squirrel had the nerve t'suggest t'me as I corked a freshly filled bottle.

"I ain't movin' on wit' a whore." I spat, disgusted by the implication o'settlin' down wit' a sportin' woman, as I placed the shine bottle into a crate. Turnin' to look at my cousin, I made the quick-witted an' honest remark of, "Hell, if I do manage t'move on I'd like it to be with somebody morally sound, not some woman paid t'service men, Squirrel."

Pointin' his bottle at me, Squirrel had the sand t'say, "If ya try too hard tryin' to find a glimpse of Jessa in a new woman, well, reckon you'll be lookin' nonstop an' won't ev'r move on cause you'll nev'r find it."

"Just shut up and drink yer whiskey, Squirrel." I barked, cutting my eyes into him so deeply that I'm sure I evoked some sort of fear into him.

My cousin, 'fraid of settin' off my temper, just nodded an' went back to suckin' on his shine bottle. Goddamnit, I would get stuck wit' him keepin' me company this afternoon.

Shaw POV:

"God, I'm so exhausted." I told my wife as we climbed into bed together after a long day of prepping, holding, and cleaning up our son's birthday party.

"You didn't have to take on most of the party's brunt work. I would've been more then willing to help out, hun." Jessa told me, her tone full of softness, as she fluffed her pillowed and laid down while I turned off the oil lamp on my bedside table.

"I know, but I didn't want you doin' too much cause of the pregnancy." I told her, laying down next to her. Wrapping an arm around her and pulling her into my side, I admitted, "I'd prefer for you to just take it easy, especially since you still get boughs of nausea along with dizzy spells.

"You're scared I'm gonna puke my guts out or drop dead on the floor, aren't you, Shaw?" She bluntly asked me even tho the look in her indigo eyes was one of understandin' and empathy.

"Honestly, after what happened to my mom and during the birth of Silas, yes that's a fear of mine that's in the back of my mind." I truthfully revealed to my wife while softly runnin' my hand up and down her spine.

Jessa placed a hand on my cheek while assuring me, "Don't worry, Shaw, I'll be fine."

"I promise, baby, that I'll do whatever I can to keep you and our baby safe. Now and forever." I declared, sliding my hand from the middle of her back over to rest on her slightly round and growing belly. I blinked in shock, looking from my hand to my wife's face, as I felt a faint kick. "Holy shit, Endor just kicked." I let out, an awed and proud smile all over my face.

"Yea, he's starting to kick." Jessa smiled, placing a hand on mine. "Reckon he's just saying hi to his daddy."

"Yea, reckon he is." I nodded, feeling amazed that I was sharing the experience of feeling my unborn child kick inside of Jessa's belly. It was something Tolbert robbed me of the first time she was pregnant with my son, but it seems that he couldn't take it away from me this time (tho he tried).

AN:

Well, hope you guys enjoyed Silas' birthday and the fluffy bits in it. Next up is Captain W.'s birthday and some drama.