I DO NOT OWN HATFIELDS AND MCCOYS OR THE DIALOGUE

Harmon McCoy's Cabin, Later that evening.

When Johnse Hatfield came to, he saw that he was in a cabin and the McCoy brothers were all there watching him. Tolbert was pacing the floor, revolver in hand. Johnse kept silent as the McCoys talked amongst themselves. Finally, Tolbert spoke up.

"Suppose you is wondering why I don't kill you straightaway?" he inquired.

"Because you know it ain't right." Johnse replied.

"Horse shit!" Tolbert spat. "I'm gonna blow your brains out, exactly at sunrise; like they do in the Army. See, I want you to know it's coming and I want you to think about it for all those hours! Feel the kind of torment all the Hatfield's have brought down on us."

"I respect your sister, Tolbert." Johnse swore as a tear ran down his face. "You know that...especially now that she's carrying my baby. Now, let me go find a preacher and make it legal."

"It's too late for that." Tolbert replied. "I'm gonna shoot you dead come dawn, and I'm gonna tell you what time it is every hour we get closer!"

"Instead of a last meal, can I get a last request?"

"Hell, no...what do you want?"

"I wanna see Roseanna one last time." Johnse demanded. "I wanna say goodbye to her in a proper way...and then I will stand up tall when you shoot me, I swear to God I will; And when I get to heaven, I won't damn your souls and ask God to send you far into hell for what you done to me."

"You're the one going to hell." Tolbert shot back. "And you ain't gonna be asking God for squat."

"Roseanna does love him." Pharmer pointed out. "She'll hate us forever if we don't allow it."

"No, I said!" The eldest McCoy raged. "He gets a bowl of stew, nothing else." As he looked over at Johnse, Bud McCoy got an awful feeling in his stomach.

"The stew didn't sit right with me." Bud said as he stood up. "You all mind if I go home?"

"No, sure, Bud. Come on." Jim said as he gathered his brother's things. "You shouldn't be here when we do the killing anyways."

"Yeah, you're too young." Pharmer agreed.

"I ain't too young." Bud insisted. I just don't feel so good, all right?"

"Bye, Bud." Johnse said. "Hell, I'll see you on the other side." As Bud saddled his horse, he knew that he couldn't let Johnse die. He shook his head as he rode off into the rainy night.

Jed and Alifair were asleep in their bed and Roseanna was sleeping on their couch when they heard knocking at the door. Jed woke up instantly and rose to his feet. Fearing that Billie Jo had come for him, he grabbed his rifle and went towards the door. He was relieved when he saw Bud standing on his doorstep.

"What's going on Bud?" Jed asked as his brother in law came inside.

"I gotta talk ta my sister." He said. Roseanna woke up and covered herself.

"What're ya doing out in this Bud?" She asked nervously.

"It's Johnse, Tolbert and the others got him held up at Uncle Harmon's place, they gonna kill him come sunrise." Bud said as his sister's face fell.

"They can't kill him!" She cried. "Jed, ya gotta stop them!"

"All right, I won't let them hurt Johnse." He swore as Alifair got her husband's hat.

"Please Jed hurry!" Roseanna wailed through her tears.

"Go, go, go." She said quickly. "Get yer boots on." Jed grabbed his rifle, saddled his horse, and sped off into the rain and the darkness.

As Johnse ate his stew, The McCoy boys waited for the sun to rise on his fate. As he ate, Calvin McCoy sat next to him.

"Now, Johnse, we wouldn't normally kill you." Calvin said softly. "You see, there's an honorable man willing to marry our sister soon as you're dead." This got Johnse's attention.

"Who's that?" He demanded to know.

"Lawyer Perry Cline has agreed to make Roseanna his wife."

"Having a man killed...to marry their woman and take their baby, that ain't honorable."

"One hour to go, Hatfield." Tolbert smirked as Johnse slumped down, defeated. As Tolbert savored his victory, everyone heard a voice crying out.

"TOLBERT!" The voice cried out. Everyone stopped and listened.

"Ain't that Jed?" Pharmer inquired as he yelling got louder. Calvin looked outside and sure enough, it was their brother in law.

"TOLBERT!" Jed shouted as he dismounted his horse and barged in. Johnse was relieved, but Tolbert was unamused.

"What in the Sam Hill are ya doing here Jed?" He demanded.

"I could be asking you the same thing!" he exclaimed. "If you kill the son o' Devil Anse, yer giving the Hatfields the excuse they need to put all us McCoys to the torch and kill us all."

"He started it by defiling my sister!" Tolbert exclaimed as Jed took a deep breath.

"Tolbert, I understand the need to defend yer sister's honor. I was where you are now back in Nashville when I killed ol' man Preston. I was trying to do right by my family, but we paid dearly for that act. I had to watch as one by one, my kin fell ta Billie Jo n' his posse. My family was killed, our home was burned, our fields were salted, even our former slaves who stayed wit us after the war, they was slaughtered like animals...even the children. You can't ask me ta lose another family Tolbert, I won't do it. I had faith that the McCoys were a honorable family." As Jed begged for Johnse's life, he fell to his knees, surprising everyone. "Please Tolbert, show me what my faith has purchased." Tolbert was still for a second before putting his gun away.

"You got lucky this time Hatfield, but if ya don't do right by my sister, I will kill you." He vowed as he motioned for Calvin to cut his ties. As Johnse was freed, he and Jed embraced.

"I owe ya my life Jed Graham." He said sincerely.

"Repay me later Hatfield." Jed remarked. "Let's go git yer bride."

NEXT TIME, JOHNSE AMD ROSEANNA GET HITCHED. REVIEWS NEEDED AND APPRECIATED.