*Author's Note*

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Inquiring About Divorce

Cap POV:

The smell of freshly cooked bacon, eggs, biscuits, an' grits filled the air as everyone gathered 'round the table ettin' breakfast. The strong smell o'freshly brewed hung heavy in the air too. I lathered my biscuit with butter and jelly while askin' my Pa as he sipped on his coffee, "Pa, it's it a'ight if I got into work late today? I wanted to see Uncle Wall 'bout somethin'."

"What'd ya need to see Wall 'bout, son?" Pa asked, settin' his cup down and pickin' up his spoon.

"Um, to talk 'bout divorce." I let out in a slight unsure response 'fore takin a bite out of my biscuit.

"Divorce." Pa remarked in a single word, his brows pullin' together in an appraisin' way. He scooped up some grits while statin', "So, you're ready to cut the traitor loose; numb yourself t'her and move on."

"I s'pose so, pa." I nodded, movin' my fork against my plate, more or less scatterin' my eggs 'round.

"Good, very good." Pa nodded his head. "Inquire 'bout the divorce then come straight to work. Understand me, Cap?" He told me before ettin' a spoonful of grits.

"I understand, pa." I told him before shoveling some eggs into my mouth.

Pa set his spoon down and reached his hand out to grab his coffee cup while tellin' me in a proud tone, "I'm glad that you're takin' the necessary steps to do what's right for our family."

"Well, ma talked t'me yesterday and I guess what she said stuck in my mind." I told him while grabbin' my own cup.

Turnin' to my ma, my pa asked with a serious, but impressed look, "Levicy, ya suggested divorce to our son?", 'fore sippin' on his coffee.

Ma didn't say a word, just nodded her head and sipped on her coffee. Clearly, she was just lettin' pa believe that she was standin' behind him when it came to cuttin' Allie out of the family when the truth was she didn't like it one bit. Truth be told, she told me to either get Allie out of the barn and tell pa I'm gonna stand by her as a husband or let her go with a divorce.

"I'm glad ya did, dear. It might be best if we legally cut ties with Allie." Pa told my ma as he continued to sip of his coffee.

Ma kept a level look to her face as she ate her grits and suggested wisely, "Well, before goin' on with the divorce perhaps ya should have Wall or even Sully, since he's traveled so much and knows so many people, look into findin' any kin Allie might have that'd be able to take her in."

"Your ma's right, Cap. Ya need to secure a place for her to go once divorced cause I don't want her 'round here." Pa told me, placin' his coffee down and digging into his eggs.

"Okay, pa, I'll talk to Wall an' Sully when I'm in town." I assured him while grabbing a piece of bacon and ettin' it.

I could feel eyes on me, causin' me to turn to my left an' see my son watchin' me. I knew he was too young to understand what was bein' said, but havin' his blue eyes lookin' at me as I talked 'bout divorcin' his ma made me feel a bit guilty.

"Et your food, Captain W." I told my son, pointin' my piece of bacon at his plate to further prove my point.

"Yes, pa." My son nodded before ettin' some grits.

Dear lord, today's gonna be a long day. I can feel it now.

I felt my chest tightenin' and my airway closin' up as I pulled my horse, Badger, to a stop at the hitch-post of my uncle's office. I felt torn 'bout what I was 'bout to do. I knew it was for the best, was right for my family too, but it didn't stop me from feelin' ashamed that I was even seekin' 'bout a divorce. I took a few deep steadyin' breath 'fore dismountin' Badger and hitchin' him up. This mornin' visit's gonna be hard on me, but I have t'do it. I can't stay married to Allie cause I can't afford to watch after her an' our chil'ren by myself when I get disowned by pa for stickin' by her. I know it's a matter of when, not if, I get cut off from the family if I stand up t'pa 'bout my wife. With this feud, well, Allie's better off away from me and I'm better off wit' my folks. Hell, my chil'ren are better off safe with one parent then at risk for potential danger with both parents.

I steeled myself and walked up the porch of the building and over to the door. I swallowed a lump that was bobbin' in my throat 'fore openin' the door and walkin' inside. Uncle Wall looked up at me as soon as he heard the doorbell go off as I set foot inside his office. "Ya need somethin', Cap?" He asked me as I crossed the short distance ov'r to his desk.

Noddin', I took a seat and told him, "I need t'inquire 'bout a divorce. Also see if ya can find out if Allie has any distant kin."

"Ya gone plum ass crazy, boy?" He asked, a slight chuckle in the back of his throat, as he rose one of his brows at me.

"No, Uncle Wall, I'm bein' serious." I answered him, causin' his eyes to bulge out of his head. Reckon he wasn't expectin' me to ask him 'bout a divorce.

Uncle Wall shook his head and sighed, "Reckon this is your pa's solution to the rumored problems your wife's been causin' with McCoy?"

"No, it's my solution." I truthfully told him. Even tho pa approved and ma brought it up, it's me makin' the choice to ask him 'bout it.

"I don't fully believe that, Cap." My uncle told me a bit skeptically.

I sat up straighter in my seat and told him, "Well, ya best believe it cause that's how it is. I wanna know how t'get divorced and where to send Allie to kin wise after the divorce's final."

He crossed his arms over his chest and let out a sigh before going on to explain, "Well, Cap, as a man ya can have papers drawn in a few hours. You'd have to get her to sign 'em tho 'fore I could rule 'em legal an' final tho."

"Well, draw up the papers."

"Are ya sure?"

No. "Yes."

"Well, your wife's from North Carolina, correct?" Uncle Wall asked, leanin' forward and resting his elbows on his desk.

"Yea, why?" I answered him, a bit lost on why he was even askin' that for.

"Cause Sully went to school there and has a few friends there. He'd be a better bet at finding any of Allie's distant kin since he could send inquiries to friends and contacts askin' for ya."

"Then I'll go see him 'bout it."

Givin' me an unsure look, he asked, "You sure ya want me drawin' up divorce papers?"

"Yes." I simply told him even tho I felt torn 'bout my answer.

"You know as a man ya automatically gain custody of your children unless stated otherwise by you."

"I'm keepin' my chil'ren, Uncle Wall. Just write up 'em papers."

"Very well, I'll have the papers done in a few hours." Uncle Wall told me while opening up his drawer and pulling out some papers. Placin' the papers on his desk, he asked, "But, uh, what's the reason ya want stated?"

"Family betrayal." I told my uncle, keeping my deep timbre as level as possible, before standing up and walking out of his office.

"Sully, I need'a talk to ya." I told the tall teacher as he stood in front of his classroom, teaching what must be his first lesson of the year since it was only the second official day of school (most first days are full of socializin' an' drawin' pictures.).

"Can't it wait? I'm in the middle of an English lesson." Sully asked in a tight tone as his students all turned 'round in their seats to look at me.

"No, it can't wait." I told him since I felt the matter was very pressin'. The sooner he could look into Allie's relations the better.

"Fine…" My cousin sighed. Looking at the oldest boy in his class, he instructed, "Watch over the class while I step out for a minute."

"Yes, Mr. Sullivan." The boy replied, soundin' a bit excited 'bout bein' in charge for a few minutes.

"Class, just do the exercise in your English primer booklet that's on page 2. You've all got grade appropriate booklets so no cheating, what's printed in your neighbor's lesson plan might not be the same as yours." Sully told his class with a firm and structured tone before walking down the middle aisle towards me and the door.

Silently, I walked outside and Sully followed me. As soon as the door to the schoolhouse slammed shut, my cousin rounded on me with a snappy, "What's so important that you had to interrupt my lesson for? Hmm, as something happened to my son at the mill?"

"No, far as I know Shaw's fine." I told him, causin' him to nod.

"Then why're you here pulling me out of my class for, Cap?" He asked, soundin' a bit pissed as he gave me a pointed look.

"I need to ask ya to look into findin' some distant kin of Allie's since you know people in North Carolina."

His brows hiked up into his hairline as he asked the one-word question of, "Why?"

I answered him with, "Cause I'm divorcin' her and she'll need somewhere to go once the papers are legal."

"Jesus Christ, Cap, you're gonna divorce her just cause Devil Anse's made at her? Dear god, you, my boy, are an idiot." Sully hissed at me. His voice was full of such judgement and disgust that it was a bit unervin'. Also, the hard look in his blue eyes was one that took me aback too. I'd never thought that Sully, the mild-mannered an' wise worded teacher, could toss 'round hard looks.

"I'm not an idiot." I spat back, feelin' a bit offened at my cousin's remark.

"Well, you're certainly no Thomas Edison either." Sully scoffed a bit sarcastically. Crossin' his arms over his chest and leanin' against the door, he told me, "Your lightbulb's not very bright if you think divorce is the answer to your problems."

"Don't insult me, Sully. You're the one that left a pregnant girl behind to go fight a war." I retorted, throwin' his sins up in his face to get him off my back.

"Yes, and it was one regret I always carried with me." Sully told me in a soft, but sullen tone. His eyes went soft as he told me, "Just listen to me when I say that once a Vance man's parted from his true love it's agonizing and painful. You'll be as miserable as sin if you go thru with the divorce."

I kept my face hard-pressed as I told him, "Don't try to talk me out of it, Sully. I've got Wall workin' on the papers; I just need ya to find out if Allie's got any kin to take her in."

"I'll find that out for you, but if you're wise you won't use the information." Sully told me with a stern, but advising, look on his face. Damn, that man must make one hell of a teacher cause he's already got me second guessin' my choices.

Meanwhile Inside Of Shifflet's General Store…

Abel POV:

I was pickin' up some groceries since Nancy was off visitin' her Aunt Betty this morning and our food supply was low. I was lucky that I had some money due to helpin' Tolbert once and a while with his shine business. Eh, I also got stuck doin' odd jobs here and there for farmers. Hell, I even made a deal with my uncle-in-law Randall McCoy for a couple of bucks in exchange for my help in his fields. So, yea, I managed to hustle to make money in order to eat with.

As I roamed the aisles full of 3-feet wooden shelves stocked with various items I overheard some women gossiping 'bout my sister. "You know that Devil Anse locked Miss Allie up in his barn." One of the church ladies told the other.

What?! My sister's locked up in a barn!

"Oh, yes, I heard she's been in that barn a few days now." The other woman told her friend. "Punishment for consortin' with McCoys."

"You know her brother's married to Nancy McCoy. No wonder she was consortin' with those people."

I've heard enough. Forget the groceries, I need to have a word with my brother-in-law or his devil dad 'bout letting my sister go. I placed my basket (it only had a couple of things in it so I'll come back and finish shopping later) on a shelf and rushed out of the general store.

I spotted Cap's horse hitched at Judge Wall's so I stormed down to the Justice of the Peace office in order to wait on his ass. As I stood by his horse, waiting for him, I saw that he was across the way outside of the schoolhouse with Sully. Hmm, it looked like Sully was giving him an earful too.

I couldn't help, but let out a silent scoff, as I watched Cap walk away from Sully and the schoolhouse with a sour and sheepish look on his face. Well, well, wonder, wonder what the Master Jedi said to the fierce one-eyes sharp shooter to make him look like he just swallowed his teeth.

"What're ya doin' by my horse, Abel?" Cap asked me as he came up to the hitch-post.

"Waiting for you." I simply told him.

"We haven't been on speakin' term for a while, so what'cha wanna see me for?" He sighed while unhitchin' his horse.

"Heard some church women gossipin' 'bout how my sister's lock up in your devil dad's barn." I told him with a hard look, one that I used when I went on missions while deployed oversees while in the army when I lived in the 21st century. My voice was low and menacing as I threatened my brother-in-law. "I'm gonna tell ya this once and only once, bro. You better bust my sister out of that barn and take her home cause if ya don't, well I won't think twice 'bout gatherin' up a posse of my wife's family to rain hell on the Hatfields in order to free Allie from her barn prison."

"She'll be free soon. Uncle Wall's drawin' up divorce papers for me and Sully's gonna inquire 'bout kin she can stay with."

"We don't have any kin. It's just me and her." I told him, earning me a shrug.

"Ya might have distant kin. Never know." Cap told me before adding in, "Either way, I ain't divorcin' her so she can go runnin' to you an' McCoys. I'm doin' it so she can start ov'r fresh 'way from Hatfields and McCoys."

"I don't care what you do when it comes to the divorce, I just want my sister set free." I told Cap before turning on my heel and marchin' over to the general store so I could do my grocery shopping.

Shaw POV:

I was stackin' boards whenever I noticed Cap ridin' on into work late. Hmm, wonder why he's late. My cousin had a 'my puppy just got shot and my kitten just got drowned' look on his face as he rode over to the hitch-post. Sheesh, wonder what happened to him? Maybe the guilt at sleepin' a few yards away from the barn his wife's locked up in's getting' to him.

"Alex, take over for me will ya." I called out to Alex Messer, a soft-spoken dark-haired guy that was my age, before heading over to the hitch-post. Cap had just tied his horse up and was grabbin' his rifle from his saddle whenever I came up to him. "Why're ya late, Cap?"

"Was in town seein' Uncle Wall an' your dad." Cap told me, holding his rifle at his side.

"Why?" I asked since I found it a bit odd that he needed to talk to both a judge and a school teacher before coming into work.

"I need Wall to draw up divorce papers an' Sully to use some of his North Carolina contacts to track down any distant kin Allie might have."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, just wait a hot damn minute, Cap." I blurted out, holdin' my hand up in the air a bit dramatically. "You can't be serious. Divorcin' Allie's a bit extreme."

Narrowing his mismatched eyes at me, he snarled, "I would've thought you of all people'd be happy I'm gonna divorce Allie. Ya know since you're always callin' her a lyin' bitch 'mongst other things."

"Just cause I don't get along with your wife doesn't mean I want you to divorce her. Hell, Cap, you love her so divorcin' her would be a big mistake." I told my cousin, wanting him to know that he shouldn't be makin' a decision based on other people's opinions.

"Don't matter if I love her or not, Shaw, a divorce is what's best for the family." Cap sighed. By the way his shoulders slumped I knew he was trying to make himself believe his words, that he was actually having second thoughts.

"But what's best for the Hatfield family isn't what's best for you, Cap." I knowingly told him. He just shrugged, causin' me to bluntly tell him, "Hell, you can't let Devil Anse control your love life. Who you love's something personal, he's got no say in this."

Cap's brows furrowed a bit curiously as he asked, "Why're ya tellin' me this for?"

"Cause I think you're bein' stupid and want to save you from your stupidity. Plus, I already gave Johnse the push her needed to stand up to your dad and marry Roseanna so why not go two for two and push you to do right by your wife."

"I am doin' right by her."

"No, you're not doin' right by her with a divorce. Doin' right by Allie would be gettin' her out of that barn and bringin' her home, Devil Anse's wrath be damned."

Before anything else could be said, my boss shouted, "Shaw, get your ass back to work or I'll hold back 25 cents from your pay!"

"Well, the devil beckons." I bowed my head at Cap, as a show that I had to get back to stackin' boards, before leavin' him alone by the hitch-post.

Cap POV:

I let out a sigh and slung my rifle over my shoulder. As I walked away from the hitchin' area, makin' my way towards the area Jim always patrols, my cousin's words rung in my head. Shaw had a point, my life was my own and that included my marriage. Pa shouldn't be tellin' me how to run my marriage; how to deal wit' my wife. I felt torn on what to do. I knew that I needed to pick up the divorce papers from Uncle Wall later today, but now I wasn't so sure if I wanted to get 'em signed. Talkin' to Shaw just made my uneasy feelin's 'bout my decision to divorce Allie come front an' center in my mind.

AN:

Well, it seems that Cap's got a choice he has to make. He's got to make it fast too. Hmm, will he go thru with the divorce or grab Allie and the kids and go back home? And how do you feel about both Sully and Shaw giving Cap more or less the same advice?