Disclaimer: I don't own the Hatfields and McCoys series. Though historical accuracy may appear, this is a work of pure fiction. I do not claim any connection to the real William 'Cap' Hatfield, or any other historical people mentioned in this story.

AN: Thanks to everyone who reviewed! This story is coming along so easily right now! The actress in my banner, I'm not sure who she is. I think it's the girl who played Roseanna in another crappy Hatfields and McCoys movie, but I can't remember for sure.

IMPORTANT!: This story has been gutted and revised. I have added A LOT to the previous chapters, and by a lot, I mean like 20 pages in Word to each chapter. If you have begun reading this before 11/20/14, I urge you to reread, as aspects of the plot have changed greatly, and many new scenes have been included. Scenes that have already appeared in previous chapters may be in this chapter now, because that's how much I added to the story. Some scenes in this chapter are also new though. Sorry for the inconvenience but this story has really all come together for me recently so I had to go back and fix it.

Almost Heaven, West Virginia
Part IV

Hatfield Cabin
Logan, West Virginia, 1878

When Will had thought he'd give his eye to have Libby back to normal, he hadn't meant literally.

"Hi William." He was unusually unhappy to hear her voice. Why had they let her in? He'd lost all hope for his eye. Doc said it would likely cap over, and he knew he'd probably lost his vision in it for good at this point. Why did they have to let her come over to see though? He'd done a fine job of avoiding her since his eye caught the splinter at work.

"Hi," he mumbled, keeping his gaze away from her. Looking at Libby would mean he couldn't still pretend she wasn't really here.

"Johnse told me… y,know, 'bout yer eye so… I baked ya a peach cobbler. Jus' hopin' it'll make ya… feel better. I remembered ya liked it so much last Election Day." Baking sweets was a talent of Libby's, one she thankfully didn't keep hidden, as sweet things were her favorite too.

Johnse. He could kill him for sending her in here. Apparently Johnse had forgiven her for her outburst finally, weeks ago now. Will was enjoying being a hardworking man, until this stupid accident had happened. Maybe it was what he'd gotten for rubbing it in Johnse's face that Devil Anse had seen him fit to work a year younger than he'd allowed Johnse. He became so focused on cursing his brother that he forgot the cobbler until she put it on the edge of the open window, the smell wafting in. Will's stomach growled in anticipation.

"Thanks," he grunted shortly. He had seriously enjoyed that peach cobbler last time he'd had it, but Will was feeling self-conscious, in front of Libby especially, knowing the inevitable question he wasn't so eager to be asked would come sooner or later. For some reason, he dreaded her asking the most. He thought he looked monstrous, and didn't want her to see, ever. It had been days since the accident, and he'd successfully avoided the girl until today, though half the time had been spent at Doc Rutherford's infirmary, watching for infection.

Maybe it was the way she'd looked at him like the moon and the stars for some time now. All the progress he'd been trying to help her make had seemed to be working. There were times he could still see her old self, more so recently too. He was worried that would change now, for some reason. Will had gotten her up on his horse a few more times since the first, though they hadn't ventured outside yet. And she'd been coming to watch him shoot, her favorite thing it seemed lately, finding entertainment in challenging his skills, picking targets that seemed nearly impossible.

Welp, they would be impossible now. There was no way he'd be a dead shot like he had been before now, not with his stupid eye like this.

Libby stood unsurely, sad that he seemed so withdrawn. It was as though the moment her mother had died, she had transformed into a young woman, suddenly wise beyond her years, too old for games and playing. And when she had heard Johnse telling the story of how William had gotten his eye roughed up in a lumber accident, she knew the likeliness of Will keeping that eye was probably not very high. And seeing him here in front of her, in bed like a sickly boy, his spirit seemingly nonexistent, she knew he must have some to the same conclusion. He looked broken, like he didn't know what to do, and had no hopes of ever enjoying life again. Much like she had.

But he was supposed to be her rock, not the other way around.

Though her mind and body were highly developed, her heart was still twelve. Libby had really just began to take interest in boys seriously, and since the day he'd saved her from out in the wilderness like he had, she'd seen him in a completely unrealistic, heroic light. She wanted to marry him already, so he could protect her forever. In her mind, it was obvious who her future husband would be. Though he'd always fancied himself an outlaw, he was her hero, riding in on his valiant steed to save her life, the obvious damsel in distress. She'd read enough stories to know how these things happened. But now he looked worn, sad and defeated. A shell of the William Hatfield she believed herself to be in love with. And she didn't know what to do to fix it.

Licking her lips unsurely, Libby sat beside him, perched on the edge of his bed, his head turning reluctantly to look at her with his good eye. "You can't see outta it, can ya?" she inquired, knowing that must be the reason he was so unlike his usual self. Since he'd saved her, her presence had seemed to give him an air of confidence. But now it only seemed to be making him uncomfortable, the girl watching a he sunk down a little lower, pulling his sheets up to his chin.

"No. 't's goin' all milky," he grumbled shamefully. Shooting was his big talent. He loved the praise he received from his father and the other older males in his family when he'd score a buck from sixty yards or take a bird right out of the sky. Just like that though, it was all gone. He couldn't shoot like that with one eye. He just knew it.

The golden haired girl was quiet for a second before she asked her next question, cautiously. "Can I see?"

Libby saw how rigid his body went at her question and she briefly wondered if she should have just let him be as he only responded with silence. But finally, Will looked over at her after a long moment of staring at his hands. A bandage was wrapped around his head, protecting the damaged eye as it healed. He may as well get it over with now, right? She'd see it eventually.

Pulling the cotton up, he showed her the healing eye, clouded over, before he quickly concealed it once again and looked away. It was still red and angry looking, making his eye appear bloodshot in the spots where the white had not began to take over yet. Libby was sure his sight would most definitely not be returning once she saw the damage.

The light laugh that escaped from her lips sounded relieved though. "Oh. It ain't so bad to look at, y'know. Way you was actin', I was expectin' yer eye ta be hangin' out the socket."

Will tried to cover the small chuckle that pressed at his lips. It didn't take away from the fact that she still thought he was the most handsome boy she'd ever seen, even more so than Johnse and Ellison and even Devil Anse himself. "That there's the battle scar of a workin' man. Man who can provide for his wife an' children. Ain't no woman wouldn't want that. Way Johnse was sayin' you was bein', thought you'd be movin' up ta the mountains an' hidin' yer new disfigurement forever! Become a… cave hermit 'r somethin'! 'f yer eye goes white, ain't no one gonna care Will." He stopped a minute and absorbed her words. Libby hadn't even flinched at the sight of his eye, which meant she truthfully hadn't been bothered by the sight of it, because he'd seen her get sick at the simple smell of some things before. She wasn't known for having a strong stomach at all.

"Yeah?" he questioned her. She was a woman, he supposed. A very young one, but she had him convinced with her words and the way she placed them. Of all the girls their age, she was already the tallest and her skinny figure was beginning to fill out faster than most of the other girls too. Everyone was always saying how pretty Libby was, how she would be a beauty to behold when she was of age, and have lines of men from all over asking for her hand. And even though she was less womanly than some of the other girls Will knew, being a bit younger, he would still agree in saying she was exceptionally nice to look at.

His only exposed eye surveyed her, watching as she blushed and looked away from him instead. "I'd marry you Will. I wouldn't care none, if'n you was ta ever ask."

Her words made him laugh, genuinely, for the first time since the accident actually. He leaned back against his headboard, looking much more relaxed than originally. "Shoot, my Pa'd just smack me upside the head 'f I asked him that. And yers too likely. Tell us we's too young."

She giggled, proud she'd made him happy though she'd been half serious. They were too young; that she already knew would be the case for now. But one day they wouldn't be, and she wondered if he'd laugh then too. Her mind was already made up about him. She would be the one waiting for William. All she could do was pray he didn't find another before she was of age. "I ain't talkin' 'bout right now silly. But… when we're older."

"Older, huh? Reckon there'll be lotsa other men by the time we's older. Ain't gonna want no… cyclops." Sure, she could say she wanted to marry him now, but in three years or so, when they were old enough to start seriously considering the people they courted, she'd surely have some other guy who had a working eye chasing her around. Hell, even Johnse would probably be looking her way by then, the rate she was growing.

"Don't you ever say that again 'bout yerself William!" Her arms crossed over her chest angrily and she stood up to face him dead on. "Ain't no one been as kind to me and my Daddy as yer Pa and Mama, 'specially since my mama died. And you saved my life. You found me when I thought I was gonna die out there. Heck, you could probably kill a man an' I'd still marry ya Will."

Will's brow rose, a little stunned by her outburst and sheer rejection of his cynical joke. He knew women started thinking about that kind of serious stuff way sooner than men, but she already sounded so certain. Hell, she almost had him convinced! "Guess we'll see how ya feel when we's old enough," he resolved for now. He could argue more if he wanted to, the way he was feeling today, but there was no point.

"I'll feel the same," her small voice assured him as she shrugged a shoulder, absolutely positive in her assumption.

Courthouse
Pikeville, Kentucky, 1878

A pig.

It was all over a pig.

Libby sat between her father and Jim Vance, the courtroom full of both Hatfields and McCoys, and friends of the families alike. Will was on the other side of his Uncle Jim, where he sat pouting, Robert E turned around in the bench before theirs, taunting his older brother as Jim tried to get a look at Will's eye, still covered by the bandage, though it had been almost two weeks now.

Libby hadn't really wanted to come. She was still a sad, quiet girl, but things had slowly been getting better, or maybe just easier. Somehow, Will's words had soothed her in a way no one else's were able to, and him having his own life-altering accident had made her stop feeling so sorry for herself, instead feeling more sorry for him, though she hadn't seen that much of the Hatfield boy since the day she'd brought him a baked treat.

When Wall Hatfield came up to preside over the trial, the courtroom silenced, except for Cotton Top who called out to the judge happily. Then the prosecution led by Perry Cline, began stating their case, rather dramatically, laying claim over a pig that wasn't even present for observation. Because it had already been eaten.

It seemed petty to Libby, that Randall McCoy would bring Floyd Hatfield to court over a pig that either was never his to begin with, or that wandered off into Floyd's territory. An utter waste of time. But alas, her father had insisted on coming, hoping he could cool the tensions that had been building between the two families that resided on either side of the Tug Fork, as he was friendly with Randall's family.

It was as if the entire thing was a big joke, from the way the Hatfields reacted to everything happening in the courtroom. And when Bill Staton lied through his teeth in order to further the Hatfield's case, Wall seemed to have had enough, trying to hurry the verdict along. Everyone knew Staton was a no good, lying, drunk, harmless as he may be.

But all hell broke loose when Selkirk McCoy sided with the Hatfields, whether he actually believed it to be Floyd's pig or not. He did work for Devil Anse, after all, and maybe just didn't want his job to be in jeopardy. Randall fired off about honor, and Wall dismissed the case as the courtroom order was broken and Hatfields and McCoys hollered and hurled insults at one another, the situation threatening to get ugly.

Libby looked on, startled, finding herself standing against the wall, trying to get out of the crossfire, beside an older girl who must've been McCoy, blonde and shy looking, just as at a loss as Libby. Randall was right; this wasn't just about a pig. It was much deeper than that. This was turning into a full-blown family feud.

Libby caught sight of her own father, speaking words that intimidated Sam and Paris McCoy, but didn't quite have them running, not with their kin as backup. She could see Will even had thrown his hat in, two of the McCoy boys arguing back and forth with him, just before the loud firing of a pistol by Wall silenced everyone once again.

The whole scene was rather frightening, and as quickly as she could, Libby exited the courtroom with Ellison and Cotton, before finding her cross-looking father, and gluing herself to his side.

But it didn't last long. Her sense of adventure was coming back, and as Chet discussed the chaos of that trial with Devil Anse, Wall and Ellison, Libby wandered off in the direction she'd seen Johnse and Will headed, noting she wouldn't stray too far to find them, but hopeful that they were still in the area.

The Hatfield boys weren't whom she found though.

"Hey! Been a long while since the last time I seen you." A boy she distinctly recognized as one of Randall's sons, and one of the boys who'd been scrapping with Will, was the one to call over to her.

Pausing for a second and trying to decide whether or not she should answer, Libby reasoned that it couldn't do much harm. He could only be Johnse's age at the very most, and that boy was harmless as a fly.

Somehow, the kid had a charming smile, and flashed it at her, hopping off the back of the wagon he'd been perched on, likely waiting for his brothers, as she'd seen Randall and Sally leave with their daughters and younger sons earlier.

He was tall too, but not like Johnse and Will were tall. His hair was dark and hung almost in his moss colored eyes, much the opposite of the blonde haired and blue eyed Hatfields. She found herself flushing as he came up to her, grinning like some kind of fool at her reaction.

"Ain't gotta be shy. We ain't strangers really," the boy insisted, suddenly noticing how much more grown up she looked standing before him now years having passed since he'd seen her last. She stood with poise, clothed in a deep blue dress that brightened her guarded eyes and her cornsilk hair fell in waves down her back, some strands darker than others that had been lightened in the sun. She looked much more like a young woman to him now instead of a scared little girl, and this piqued his interest.

Libby looked unsurely at him, though a smile crept over her lips, attempts to suppress it obvious, unsure of how to reply to him. "Name's Calvin, 'care ya fergot," he reintroduced himself confidently.

She'd known she recognized him. It had been years since they'd met, back when she was much younger and her mother was still alive. She hadn't met many McCoys in her life, but somehow, even before he'd reminded her of who he was, she had known he was one of Randall's sons.

"McCoy?" Libby needed confirmation. Somehow, she felt that this whole thing was only about to escalate after that courtroom scene. It made sense, knowing whom she should steer clear of. Will had told her more than once, McCoys only cause trouble.

"Yeah, McCoy. Ain't a problem, is it?" And Libby really stopped and thought about that question. Was it a problem? She wasn't quite sure. But whatever was going on, it didn't make the McCoys sound too great, the things being said by the Hatfields, who were basically family to her.

"I dunno." The boy was right near her now, standing tall just like both Will and Johnse. But his face gave his youth away, boyish and bright eyed.

"You ain't no Hatfield, y'know. Ain't gotta hate me just 'cause they do. My Pa might not like ol' Devil Anse, but he still got respect fer yer daddy. Saved each others' lives in the war, y'know. More 'an once."

Again, Calvin smiled at her, eyes squinting as he did, noticing her interest pick up. "What was yer name again, anyhow?" It was like déjà vu, only they were both older now, and this time, Libby noticed that she thought he was by far the best looking of Randall's children.

"It's Elizabeth." She hesitated, wondering if she should even be speaking to him. He really was no better than a stranger even if they had met in the past. But, there was something so soft and inviting about his eyes, she continued to speak despite herself. "But ya can call me Libby… I s'ppose." Somehow, she was a bit insulted he didn't remember her name, though she hadn't any recollection of his either, other than his surname.

Calvin McCoy had never met such a proper looking little thing, in her fine dress and hair done up. She even smelled lovely, some kind of perfume wafting towards him in the light breeze. And though he was sure she must be a few years younger than him, he thought she was pretty, much prettier than the cousin his father had probably already picked out for him to marry.

All along, he knew her name. He'd heard about the horrible attack that claimed her mother's life; he'd have to have lived underneath a rock the past months not to. He'd heard she 'd been lost out in the woods too, and found by the Hatfields. He even knew what a frigid little witch everyone had been calling her after she'd had a fit in town one morning following her mother's death, witnessed by Tolbert, who'd cruelly found it amusing. But Calvin decided not to let her know that, any of it. He thought it might not be the best topic to bring up. And right now, he had her alone, no Hatfields in her shadow. Or worse maybe, Savage Chet.

"That's right, Miss Libby! Kept thinkin' Lily, 'r Rose… 'r some kinda flower." Finding that at this very moment, she kind of liked this McCoy boy, relaxing a bit amongst a basic stranger for the first time since the attack, she perched against a nearby hitch post, watching him both curiously and questionably.

"A flower? Why's that?" She'd never pictured herself as a 'Lily' or a 'Rose'. She'd always just been little Libby Sawyer, untouchable by Hatfield law, nose buried in a book or up in the air, a terrified sadness in her eyes that never seemed to quite disappear nowadays.

"On account a ya bein' so pretty." His voice was so certain, like she should have already known the answer. It sounded like something Johnse would say to a girl, only not so much of a lie coming from Calvin's mouth.

Libby felt her cheeks grow warm as a flush crawled up her neck, her eyes immediately snapping down to her hands, away from his gaze, though she heard him chuckle… right before he swore.

"Damn." His cussing made her look up and over her shoulder, where she saw a less than pleased looking brother of his marching over, the other one who'd been fighting with Will in the courtroom. "I gotta go. Tolbert… he ain't too keen on Hatfields… an' friends."

Calvin gave her an apologetic look before he figuratively offered his hand in some kind of friendship. "Maybe I'll see ya by the river sometime." The crooked smile he flashed her pulled her own lips into a shy smirk, lashes batting as she avoided his eyes.

"Maybe," she breathed out, wondering why she felt so giddy and nervous. Likely because she'd never really been flirted with before, and to have an older boy send her those types of grins and say such sickly sweet things was making her feel all giggly inside.

"Bye Miss Libby," he whispered as Tolbert approached, rushing back to the wagon and hopping on. As his older brother passed her by, flanked by Pharmer, who Libby knew since he had said some nasty things about her in front of Johnse and Will not all that long ago, which was stupid on his part, earning the McCoy nothing more than a punch in the nose from Will.

Both boys sent her sour looks as they bypassed her and went to wait for their eldest brother to rerun to the wagon and take them back over the river. The girl watched as Tolbert had some harsh words with his younger brother, Calvin just looking bored and rolling his eyes, chancing a look back at Libby that earned him a smack upside the head from the eldest present McCoy boy.

But not a second later, she heard her own name being called by none other than the boy she'd been looking for in the first place, and immediately went on her way back to the front of the courthouse.

"Go with the boys, Libby. I'll be around later ta bring ya home," her father said, and obediently, she climbed into the wagon with Johnse, Will, Cotton and Robert E while Levicy and Ellison sat up front to steer.

Libby caught Will watching her with his good eye, brow furrowed as he stared, as if something was troubling him. "What were ya doin' back there with them McCoys?" Will questioned her flatly, as if he were suspicious.

"Nothin', I was lookin' for ya." She didn't know why she lied. Somehow, talking to Calvin McCoy seemed as though it might be a bad thing though, somehow, someway. So she withheld that information for him. Libby couldn't handle Will being mad at her for it. It would devastate the girl. And for some reason, she felt he would be.

Mate Creek
Mingo County, West Virginia, 1878

The next morning, Bill Staton was dead, and both Paris and Sam McCoy were nowhere to be found.

Libby knew this because she'd been brought over to the Hatfield's home early on account of her father riding out with Devil Anse as he and his kin went out hunting two certain McCoys who were the obvious culprits. There had been an altercation at the tavern following the pig trial involving the two and Staton, and the outcome was now obvious.

Libby had never really been allowed around Bill Staton, for he was known to be drunk and foul and nothing a father would want his young daughter around. But from what she'd heard Skunkhair saying this morning when he'd come looking for Savage Chet, it sounded as though Bill had been murdered rather harshly, for nothing more than words exchanged.

Libby felt pity as she rode in the wagon with Levicy, Robert E, Nancy and the three younger children, on their way into town to pick up some needed items, and also likely catch wind of the status of the search party for Paris and Sam. Levicy's belly was well swollen with another child now, so Libby was more exhausted than ever, having to work extra hard to help out along with Nancy, who was only a year younger than she and Robert E.

Will was out alongside her father and his, riding with the search party, rifle at the ready if Sam and Paris McCoy decided to fight. Though that was unlikely, with Devil Anse at the head. The young McCoys all talked a big game, but when it came down to the nitty gritty of it all, they trembled in their boots at the sight of Devil Anse.

In the past two weeks, Libby had started to realize she and Will were growing apart, not by any intention though it seemed. They were no longer being looked upon as children though, designated and expected to keep the company of their respective genders at this stage in their lives. She found herself plagued with wonderment, considering how long thier distance would last, or whether it would even progress. Though, she knew it would, if not by their choice, by the choice of their elders. There came a time where it was no longer appropriate for girls and boys to be left to their own devices together. And the pit of her stomach wouldn't let her forget that time seemed to be creeping upon them.

"Libby, you take this basket here and go on with Rob an' Nancy ta get some sewin' needles and some spools. Black, blue and green. An' we need a bag of flour from the miller. Meet me at the cart when you're finished. An' don't dawdle!" Nodding curtly, the three eldest children walked off in the direction of the miller, Levicy seemingly instantly caught up in a conversation with the schoolteacher, as she kept tabs astonishingly well on the three smaller children.

"A flash of flaming red hair underneath a white bonnet caught Libby's attention quickly though, and they paused in their journey when the girl came to a stop and began waving her hand. "Mariah!"

"Why are you calling her over here?!" Rob hissed, causing Libby to put her hand down and look to her friend peculiarly.

"Why not?" she questioned, though she didn't await an answer, instead just meeting the girl halfway, Nancy tailing her, and Rob keeping back, shuffling his feet into the dirt disinterestedly and watching the dust he kicked up. "How's things been?"

"Well Libby. How 'bout yerself?" The slight girl had a nose dusted in freckles and the bluest eyes Libby had ever seen, long sandy colored lashes framing them. Mariah was one of the few non-family members who accepted Cotton for who he was, and was kind and playful with him, instead of cruel and deceitful to the slow boy, which was how most kids their age tended to react to him when none of the bigger Hatfields were around.

"Well as they can be, I s'pose," Libby admitted, offering a weak smile. Mariah was one of the few girls around that liked Libby, many having an envious attitude towards the Sawyer girl most of her life, seeing as she was privileged and favored by the Hatfields.

"Hi there Nancy," Mariah politely greeted, the shty girl a step behind Libby, smiling quetly in greeting. Mariah's eyes then traveled over the two girls' shoulders and to Robert E. "Ain't even gonna say hi ta me, Robert E?"

He looked started, being called out like that, Libby and Nancy both snickering at his expense, before he reluctantly made his way over to the group of young women, grumbling something under his breath and rolling his eyes as he met them.

"Hi Mariah. Nice seein' you. But we gotta be goin'." All at once though, the children turned their attention to the courthouse, seeing a group of Hatfields gathering on the front porch and the McCoy's hastily approaching down the dirt road, Randall driving a cart and a few others flanking him on horses.

"Looks like Pa's brung 'em back!" Robert E noticed as he craned his neck to see the crowd near the jail that was rapidly gathering. "Yeah! There's Cap an' Uncle Jim! Uncle Ellison too! Let's go!"

Rob was eager to know if Paris and Sam had been sentenced yet, as was Libby. She couldn't keep up with the Hatfield boy though, trailing behind and stepping up to the crowd just in time to see an altercation between Tolbert McCoy and Jim Vance, Will standing right nearby his uncle, eye no longer covered by the white gauze that had once concealed his permanent injury.

Though she missed the words exchanged, she saw Jim spit at Tolbert's feet, just before the boy stormed past him, Will and Uncle Jim chuckling in his tow as he stormed off, being mocked with chicken sounds, aiming to come right past where Libby stood with Mariah and Nancy.

"Things 're gettin' wild between them McCoys an' you Hatfields, don't it seem?" Mariah whispered to Libby, who nodded in agreement, eyes watching carefully to see what would happen now, not even realizing the girl had grouped her father and Libby herself within the Hatfield clan, something that would have pleased Libby under different circumstances. But she would be willing to withstand a little hatred if it meant she stood side by side with Hatfields anyway.

She saw the pointed look Tolbert gave her as he passed by furiously, eyes focusing on Libby harshly before he slapped the basket she was holding and continued on, an outraged gasp slipping though her lips, the automatic response to his uncalled for hostility in her direction. The girl's heart jumped and for a second, she had to reconsider if what had just happened was reality.

Though Will had been smug at Tolbert's expense before, he suddenly found the situation much less amusing when he saw that, and went to charge the older boy from behind for disrespecting Libby in public like that. However, he was swiftly grabbed by his uncles and restrained.

"Hang back boy. Ain't worth the fight. She in't hurt none," Ellison assured his nephew. Jim would've let the boy go, truthfully. Tolbert derserved a good ass whopping, coming at him that way, and he'd love to see his favorite great nephew do the job One he was confident the roughneck teenager could accomplish. Cap's frustration only grew though as he saw who went to her aid immediately while he was being calmed down, theoretically anyway.

"Christ," Calvin McCoy hissed, jumping off his horse and jogging the few paces over to where Elizabeth stood, looking quite stunned by his own brother's actions. "You all right?"

Blinking just a few times in Tolbert's direction, she watched as he perched against a building a little bit away, glaring at the scene outside of the jail, where both families were gathered, awaiting the outcome of the Bill Station murder, seeing as Paris and Sam were in there, locked up with his corpse. Libby's face soured before she turned away and instead faced the soft, boyish face of his younger brother, who seemed to be genuinely concerned and embarrassed by his sibling.

"I s;ppose. Ain't never had a man strike a hand at me in my life is all," Libby explained, most certainly meaning for it to sound severe as it did.

"I'm sorry 'bout Tolbert, Miss Libby. Ain't sure what his problem is. Never am," Calvin chuckled nervously, thinking he may not be in good graces with the girl anymore now that his bother had acted like such a bull-headed fool. "I'll make sure he gets straightened out when we's home later."

Their interaction was abruptly cut off as the shadow of Will Hatfield loomed over them both, catching the attention of the two and distracting them from the topic.

"Best tell your brother he e'er does somethin' smart like that again, he's gonna be dead as Bill Staton," Will threatened darkly, eyes cut at Calvin, who was visibly put off by Will's white eye. "C'mon Lib. I'll take ya home." His mismatched eyes never wavered from Calvin's as he spoke, even to her.

"I ain't done gettin' stuff fer yer mama yet," Libby insisted truthfully, not fully aware that Will was just trying to get her away from Calvin for some reason. Probably none other than he was McCoy. She did detect the uneasiness in the air though, the pure tension, and was confused as to why the actions of other family members seemed to be plaguing even the children of the two families.

Despite what all the Hatfields might say or think, some much harsher and vocal with their opinions of McCoys than others, her father had yet to say a bad word about Randall McCoy, so she was more unbiased. Although Tolbert had made it onto her list of people she wasn't fond of, especially now.

"Well, where we goin' then?" Will questioned, not even looking at her, instead right past her and at Calvin. They locked eyes for a moment longer, Libby glancing between the two of them uncomfortably, trying to figure out exactly what was about to happen. She was worried there would be a fight; it was the feeling that had settled around the entire courthouse. She felt Nancy grip the back of her skirt tightly, apparently as aware as Libby was.

"Um… the miller," Libby hesitantly answered, eyes trying to make sure no one flinched. Young men with guns were nearly always stupid, and with the way the two looked at one another, it was clear this was some kind of intimidation tactic, or challenge.

Uncle Jim and Ellison both looked on carefully, watching the young boys have a silent contest for dominance, as did Calvin's brothers, Jim, Bud and Pharmer. Both parties awaited anyone making a wrong move, but before anyone could do anything else at all, Sam and Paris came thundering out of the courthouse in celebration of their apparent freedom, calling Calvin over to tell him the good news. He hesitated a second, glancing at Libby, but seeing as Cap Hatfield was right there, trying to get her out of here like wildfire was spreading, Calvin shrugged a shoulder at Libby and climbed over the cart and to his cousins to celebrate with them.

Will put a hand on Libby's shoulder to usher her in the direction of his uncles and let them know he'd be bringing Libby over to run her errands and meet them back here, because he sure as hell wasn't letting her walk around on her own with all these McCoys running the street. Especially since Robert E had disappeared somewhere in the crowd with Mariah Wolford, despite his façade of disinterest in the girl. Nancy tagged along behind Libby, watching her brother drag her around, a possessive hand on her back, eyes flickering to any McCoy who dared look in their direction.

"Ain't no place for you girls here. Go on an' git," Jim told them as they approached, Devil Anse and Savage Chet both exiting the courtroom as Randall exchanged words with them, Perry Cline by his side, and Wall trailing the lot of them, looking on disapprovingly.

"A murder is a murder, Ran'all." Chet seemed to be defending Anse's desire for punishment, and their reasoning for collecting the two McCoys and bringing them here, expecting justice to be served.

"No one cared ta call it a murder, when Jim Vance kilt my brother in cold blood!" Randall argued back, his family members shouting out in agreement.

Libby was captivated by the argument, Ellison noticing and quickly telling William he needed to take the girls elsewhere, sooner rather than later.

"C'mon. Said you gotta go ta the miller, so let's go," William interrupted, moving in front of her so she could no longer see her father over his hat. Both girls struggled to look around him as he moved them farther and farther away from the commotion.

"Is Uncle Chet fightin' with Ran'all McCoy now too?" Nancy questioned, though it was unanswered, much to Libby's disdain. She would have liked the answer to that as well. From the looks she had seen her father and Devil Anse giving Randall, it seemed neither one of them was in the older man's good graces anymore.

"You'll be warm in hell with Hatfields, Chester. I'll pray for your daughter's soul. An' yer late wife's," Randall hissed, no longer calling him Chet as his friends often did. The peaceful ties between the Sawyers and McCoys were now severed, with those simple words spewed hatefully by Randall McCoy.

"Don't you dare speak about mine!" Chet was held back by Ellison and Anse, though hardly, being a big man and still strong as an ox, even after the war.

Libby looked on horrified, Cap seeing this as a reason to practically drag her and his sister away. She'd never seen her father like that and it was startling. Chet had done a good job of hiding the savage part from his daughter's eyes, but he let no man disrespect him, certainly not in front of all these people. And to be fair, he hadn't realized his daughter was present with all the commotion and the sizable crowd that was gathered around. Some congratulated Sam and Paris while others looked sour about the outcome, Anse and his brothers calming Chet down as Randall told his nephews and sons to get back to their mounts or on the cart.

The McCoy patriarch spit at the feet of Libby's father as a final nail in the coffin of their expired friendship before he climbed up to the driving seat, Perry Cline looking smug beside him, though for once he seemed to have no words.

It seemed Sawyer really was as good as Hatfield suddenly.

"Quit draggin' yer feet now. Ain't nothin' for ya ta see back there," Will ordered his friend and his sister as he ushered them off, but Libby couldn't help but look over her shoulder worriedly, the animosity building up nerve wracking. She knew her father could handle himself; he wasn't given the name Savage for nothing, and with Devil Anse and Ellison both back there, she was certain things couldn't possibly get too out of hand. But she couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that seemed to be closing in on her and those around her as well.

Libby didn't miss the longing and remorseful look Calvin McCoy gave her, as if he thought he might never see her again all of a sudden. A look to which she had no idea how to react. The thought of never seeing Calvin McCoy again hadn't ever even crossed her mind, He wasn't a significant part of it really, so why would she have ever worried about something like that? But now that the idea had occurred to her, somehow she felt it wasn't something she was necessarily content with. Despite being Randall's son, and maybe worse, Tolbert's brother, Calvin had always been exceedingly kind of Libby, always seeming to actually want to speak to her.

When they finally got over to the mill, the jail now hidden behind the post office, the sound of horses moving away and down the road signifying that the McCoys had left before things got ugly. Will shoved some of his own money into his sister's hand and sent Nancy in to make the purchase. Then he turned to the blonde girl and for some reason, Libby felt a small wave of dread washing over her.

"You like Calvin McCoy 'r somethin'?" She thought Will must've been stupid to ask such a dumb question, when the whole family knew she had been entranced with him for quite some time now.

"Why would you even ask me somethin' so dumb?" She adjusted the cap on her head, tucking some of her hair behind her ear, as it had fallen from the tie.

"Cause that ain't the first time I seen you talkin' with him, all smilin' and stuff." He sounded like he was trying and failing to cover the fact he was pissing mad over his own assumptions. "He ain't even funny. An' he's too old fer ya anyhow."

"Pretty sure you know I ain't never liked no one else but you Will." She had a great confidence in her beauty, given how everyone around her constantly complimented it, which made her self-assured even this early on in life, especially when it came to putting her feelings for William out on display. She knew the men in their families constantly teased him abut how she vied for his attention sometimes, even going to extremes like falling into the creek, or fake twisting her ankle. And she knew he wasn't really daft enough to think that had changed overnight.

His expression seemed to soften with her open admission, but he couldn't just forget that she didn't seem to understand the importance of keeping away from McCoys right now. "Thought I told ya not ta be gettin' too friendly with any McCoys." Will's voice was stern, feeling if she truly felt that way, she'd better get used to listening to what he told her to do. And this was something he thought was pretty important. Especially since it didn't matter how Libby felt alone, but either way Calvin was most definitely keeping his eye on her for some reason, as Uncle Jim had so kindly pointed out. And there was no reason Cap could come up with for Calvin taking such a special interest in Libby that he liked.

"We ain't friends, not really," Libby clarified. It was only one of the first times she had ever spoken to Calvin, each time brief and just playful small talk. Though she would be lying if she said she didn't sort of blush when he smiled at her. But she was more than certain that Will was her soul mate, so other boys really just didn't matter. She had prepared herself for one true love since she was a little girl, and truly believed she'd already found it.

"Good. Keep it that way, why dontchya?" It was more of a command than a suggestion, which made Libby's brow plummet with both irritation and confusion. She'd noticed he'd started to be rather bossy with her lately, ever since the day of the pig trial, and the behavior was starting to annoy her.

"You ain't my daddy, Will," Libby snapped, showing her fire as she gave him a pointed glare.

"No, I ain't, But yer pap told me ta look out for ya, so that's what I'm doin'. An' I'm sayin' you best leave Calvin McCoy be, 'fore alla this gets worse an' gets him in trouble." Libby clenched her teeth in protest, not knowing how to respond to that. Will didn't lie to her often that she knew of, so perhaps her father really had asked him to commit to such a task. She didn't see what real harm talking back and forth with Calvin could really cause anyway though.

"Why's he gonna be in trouble?" she demanded, picking at William's response any way she could, her agitation urging her to argue. "He ain't done nothin' but talk nicely with me an' apologize fer his brother."

"Think anyone's gonna be happy if you go off with a McCoy now that all this' goin' on? We'll haveta kill him if he tries ta touch on ya! McCoys don't like us. An' I'm really startin' ta hate them. Didn't ya see? Even yer pap's fed up with 'em, stirrin' up trouble all the time." She just didn't get it, as far as Will was concerned. He didn't want to see her getting in the middle of any of the trouble, and he especially didn't want any of those McCoys thinking they could stick their claws into Libby while she was still young, cause he knew they all wanted to.

"Will! We was just talkin'! Are you listenin' ta yeraelf? I ain't even thirteen yet!" She couldn't believe the irrationality behind his possessiveness, throwing her arms out at her sides with exasperation.

"Jus'… do what I say, okay? Keep away from him Lib. I ain't never asked much a ya. I'm tryin' ta be yer friend. When I tell ya ain't no good gonna come a you two bein'… friends 'r whatnot, I mean it. Think I'm sayin' it fer his sake? I'm warnin' you cause I don't trust no McCoy with ya, got it? I ain't gonna let 'em close enough ta ever hurt ya 'r take advantage of ya. Let Calvin McCoy go an' make friends somewhere else." Truthfully, jealousy was boiling in the pit of Will's stomach. He didn't like the idea of any McCoy boy, or non- McCoy boy for that matter, trying to be friendly with her.

The girl's hostile attitude melted away when Will showed such utter concern for her like this, so she sassed him no more on the topic. "I s'pose. Sounds like yer just bein' jealous ta me though." She couldn't help the last part, knowing it probably made the hairs on the back of his neck prickle just a bit.

Will scoffed as though there was no way that was the case, though it most certainly was the main source of the flame inside of him right now. "Yer like my sister Lib. I ain't gonna let you get in no trouble, a'right? I got my reasons fer keepin' ya clear a that kid."

His words touched her, laced with emotion he hadn't shown since his accident. He wouldn't say anything "Yeah," she breathed back, a flush running up her neck and her palms sweating. "I know. But I promise, I ain't never met him nowhere other than on accident here in town or nothin'." It wasn't as though she were actively seeking him out or anything. There meetings had all been by chance, and not once had Libby been the one to initiate conversation, but perhaps that was what worried Will.

"I believe ya Lib. Yer a good girl. I know that. We all do. This's jus'… how it's gonna be, buncha men in yer family like you got. We don't want no dogs lik Johns sniffin' 'round ya. An' I don't turst none a Ol' Ran'all's kids." As far as Will was concerned, there would be no one 'sniffing' around Libby like that if he had anything to say about it.

Libby stared at Will, wanting to be mad at him for making such assumptions about boys they hardly knew, but as it was this particular Hatfield boy, she was unable to ignore how truly sweet his concern for her was. It far overshadowed the former, and in response, she leapt up onto the tips of her toes and pressed her mouth to the corner of his lips, quite boldly, this not being the first time she'd wanted to kiss the boy in front of her before, really kiss him, that is.

Something about William drew a certain confidence out of her she had never felt with anyone else she knew. He was indeed the best friend she had ever had, despite some trials and petty tribulations along the way in their short lives thus far. There wasn't a soul on earth she trusted more, saving her life weighing heavily in on that opinion of him. And even though he made her uncomfortable in many ways, she was most herself with him.

"Will! I need yer help!" Nancy squealed, making both adolescents jump away from one another and whip their heads in her direction. Nancy had the bag of flour covering almost her whole upper half as she tried desperately not to drop it. Will rushed over to his younger sister, effortlessly taking the load from her and relieving her of the burder. But Libby couldn't help but giggle hen she saw how the wfite powder seemed to have dusted the younger girl, almost entirely.

"It's a good thing you wore your cap, see? Or it'd be your hair all white too!" Libby had argued with her for ten minutes today about putting her cap on before they left the house.

"Huh?" Nancy questioned, unaware she was covered in flour.

"Ya look like a damn snowman, Nance," Will laughed along, before leading the way back to his family's cart, both girls following after him obediently.

Hatfield Cabin
Logan, West Virginia, 1878

Days passed and Libby barely saw Will though she was continuously in his house half of the time she was conscious. When he was home, he was in and out so quick she barely had a chance to say hello. He'd returned back to work quick as Devil Anse would allow after his eye healed, and disappeared outside with his gun seconds after returning from the timber yard, scarfing his dinner down, if he even bothered with it. She learned he often went out with Skunkhair and Alex Messer instead of hanging around with his brothers as of late too, and much to Libby's dismay, Uncle Jim.

Now that Libby had finished helping Levicy with dinner, she'd been sent to fetch the boys. Johnse had been simple, right outside in a paddock, riding one the young stallions bareback like a fool, his mother hollering at him for it and sending Libby off to find Will while she dealt with Johnse, Rob close by enough to hear the scolding his oldest brother was getting from in the barn, popping his head out to snicker.

Libby hadn't been sure where to find the William until she heard the crack of his gun and followed it around the house and across the backfield. Sure enough he was there, looking frustrated as he aimed his rifle at some old bottomed out buckets and rusty cans set up on the fence posts.

"William? Yer mama's callin' ya fer supper." Will swore as Libby's voice broke his concentration and started him just as he pulled the trigger, missing the targeted can he'd been trying helplessly to shoot for the past half hour, the stray bullet shaving some bark off a nearby tree instead. It was pathetic. He'd been such a dead shot before the splinter, and now with his stupid eye all messed up, he couldn't aim his gun right for shit.

"Already told ya, iIt's Cap now. An' I ain't hungry, so go on an' tell her," he snapped irritably, moving from his previous position and messing with the sights, Libby watching him with raised brows, startled by his rigid and dismissive behavior towards her. He'd been so soft on the girl since she'd gone through her ordeal, and now he could barely be bothered to look in her direction since the day she'd laid that small kiss on him. He was being very testy with her, which had become uncharacteristic since the night he'd saved her out in the woods. Maybe it was because of his age, or maybe it was because he was uncomfortable with what she'd done, gone a messed it up somehow by kissing on him. Because before that, he was happy to be around her most of the time, treating her as though they were the closest of friends. But maybe that time in their lives was over.

Truthfully, it was deeper than that. Will didn't feel like a kid anymore either; Libby wasn't alone, he understood what it was like to feel too grown up now. They'd outgrown their interest in the tales of Jesse James, both full of angst and disdain for the challenges they'd unfortunately been faced with now instead, both focused on the responsibilities they were expected to uphold at their current ages. His injury had made him harder, less apt to smile and laugh, less interested in playing and nonsense. And though it hadn't been all that long of a time period since it happened, it had made a huge difference in William's personality. Especially seeing as his shooting had been off since his eye went white.

Libby guessed his temper might have been due to the fact this wasn't the first time he'd gone shooting since his eye had capped over, his short temper with her presence a clear indicator that situation hadn't improved any even before she'd come looking for him. Knowing how difficult she had been though, she ignored it, and instead addressed his request to be called by his apparent nickname.

"How'm I s'posed ta start callin' ya Cap when I been callin' ya Will my whole life?" she wondered, weary of the change in him. He'd become harder, the sweetness his boyish face once held practically gone now, replaced with the angles and troubled gaze of a burdened young man.

"Cause, I said so." His answer was short as he did his best to ignore her, though she didn't take the hint and leave as he'd hoped she would. He just wanted to be alone. He wanted to scream, and shout and punch things, but he wouldn't do it in front of her, so he just grit his teeth as he hoped she'd be on her way. "Now git on outta here. Yer bein' a pest," he snapped short-temperedly, instantly regretting it the minute he said it, but not making any move to apologize.

Though she couldn't help being stung by his name calling, she did her best to push past it and force her acceptance upon him, the way he had her. "You don't mean that," Libby corrected him, voice almost certain.

Inside, she worried if kissing him had negatively impacted their relationship, the fear of that possibility one she didn't want to face. In her mind, she would marry him when she was old enough. But she didn't know what he thought of that. He had told her she was like a sister to him, and if that were truly the case… well, it would devastate her.

Cap faced her, wondering why that couldn't just be enough to make her leave. He didn't want to be nasty to her, but he would be harsh if he had to be. She needed to know when to give him space. "Go on! I said git!"

If their families weren't so close, he knew it would be considered highly inappropriate for a boy his age and a girl her age to be off alone where no related eyes could supervise. Until a few days ago, it hadn't been a big deal, but now, it was. Their parents maybe didn't realize their closeness as children would only lead to inevitable feelings for one another, age be damned. Libby had crossed a line in their relationship that Will wasn't sure they could go back from now that the cards were on the table like that. When he thought about the kind of man he wanted to be, it always came down to being the kind of man who could take care of a delicate girl like Libby. And if either of their parents found out she'd kissed him, he knew that she'd be kept away from him forcefully until they were old enough to court. But that would be years and he couldn't live without her in his life consistently for that long.

It would happen inevitably, he knew that. There would be a point where she no longer was allowed to run off with him and his brothers and play, but he hadn't realized how quickly it had approached. The best option seemed to be to put distance between them now that he knew she was looking at him romantically for certain, before they weren't even allowed to just be friends. They both had years before marrying was even an option.

"Why are ya bein' so short with me. I didn't do nothin'…." Libby wondered if maybe he was still cross about Calvin McCoy. She also wondered if maybe he was angry she'd kissed him, but she quickly pushed that idea aside. She didn't even want to consider that William might not reciprocate her feelings. It would destroy her, even though she wasn't old enough to know what it was to love a man in every sense of the word.

Had he not been in a stale mood as it was, Will might have been kinder about the whole situation, rationally explained it even. But since he couldn't hit his mark any time he fired his Winchester since his eye went white, he was already fired up inside, and poor Elizabeth was about to have all his frustrations unleashed on her.

"Leave me alone till I come lookin' for ya, understand? Stupid girl." He couldn't even be bothered to make eye contact with her as he growled at the blonde girl, her face scrunching in confusion. The way he was being broke her, and she couldn't hold back her absolute disgust at the way he was talking to her. How could he not know saying something like that would break her heart? Balling her fists in her skirts, she resisted the urge to smack him upside his head, instead using her own harsh words to inform him she wouldn't just stand here and have his anger taken out on her.

"Well fine Cap! Hope you have a nice time broodin' by yerself, cause I ain't gonna sit here an' be talked ta like that fer no reason! 'Scuse me fer tryin' ta make sure ya don't go hungry feelin' sorry fer yerself." She was warning him really, this being her threat that she would leave if he didn't apologize for being so unnecessarily mean. All she'd been doing was trying to help him since his accident, and now he was being plain rotten to her out of nowhere.

"Fine! Go! Don't wantchya here anyhow! Think I need some dumb girl around tryin' ta kiss on me? I'm busy! Too busy ta play house with you!" he hissed nastily, annoyed by her idle threats. He wasn't going to beg her to stay here with him. He'd rather be alone to do exactly as she'd said, brood. And Libby, well, she was just a distraction he didn't need right now while he was trying his best to fix his shooting. He was worried about that problem. He hadn't even started to think about the problems he now had with Libby, and how he was going to handle them.

But he couldn't turn off his ears, so he didn't miss the sob she choked on, trying to hide the fact she had been wounded by his behavior.

Will was afraid to look at her now. Like the simple turn of a page, he suddenly realized what an outright prick he was being, and instantly regretted his words, all of them. He was sure those big honey colored eyes had filled with tears at the harshness and his unusually dismissive attitude towards her, but he didn't want to apologize right now, and he just wanted her to go. So he kept his eyes away, knowing he'd break if he actually saw the tears.

"Horse's ass!" The boy couldn't help but move his eyes to her when she said that, looking straight up just in time to see her storm away, startled by her foul language, and even more so to hear it directed at him. She'd always been such a proper girl; he'd certainly never heard her curse before today.

The guilt flooding him and he scrambled to his feet, catching up to her easily with his long legs, snatching her by the wrist to stop her, but she ripped away from his grip. "Stop, Libby! Damn it! I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry!"

The girl spun around, the hot tears streaming down her cheeks as she blatantly tried to restrain them. "I ain't done nothin' ta deserve any a' that, William." Then her face went sour. "I mean Cap. Got a new personality ta go with yer new name? 'Cause I ain't impressed." She spat the words out distastefully, not knowing what she could say to wound him like he'd done her, her small hands pushing at his chest to get him away from her, though it made no difference since he was much stronger than she would ever be.

"No Libby. I'm just mad, is all. Didn't mean ta take it out on ya." Will sighed, hoping it was a good enough reason for her to just forgive him and pretend it didn't happen. He hadn't truly meant anything he'd said. In fact, her kissing on him had only made him want to see her more often, though he'd done well fighting off the desire.

"Then why you been avoidin' me, like a pox 'r somethin'?" Libby angrily bit back, voice more of a hiss than a yell, though she felt like screaming at him right now. "I jus' wanna help ya. Like you helped me. Goin' on three days since ya ate supper with e'ryone."

When her voice softened like that, he knew he'd won the battle and she'd forgive him, so he was able to relax more now. "Really think I helped ya?"

How could he not know he had been the main reason she'd seen fit to get dressed most mornings after her mother died? "I ain't cryin' every day no more, am I?"

The tall boy shrugged a shoulder uncertainly. "So ya say."

"Well, I ain't! Not e'ry day, anyways." Though she still found herself in tears a few times in the week, she had learned to deal with the loss of her mother, though it wasn't always easy. "nd today don't count. 'Cause it's yer fault I was cryin', not 'cause 'a my mama."

"C'mon Lib, I already said I was sorry," Will groaned, afraid she wouldn't let this incident go. But with all the crap he'd tolerated from her, bad attitudes and mental breakdowns alike, she couldn't hold this one thing against him. "I can't shoot no more. Can't hit... nothin'. 't's so different, only bein' able ta see outta the one eye. Threw my aim completely… off. Dunno how ta fix it." She watched the discouraged boy kick at the dirt, head hung, disappointed in himself, losing the one skill he had such a natural ability for. And though Libby knew she was helpless to actually fix his problem, she knew he'd felt the same way, and somehow she'd managed to learn to deal with the loss of her mother.

"Just keep tryin', I s'pose. Don't think losin' one eye can just wipe away all that talent ya had for it. You'll figure it out. Ain't like ya lost both eyes." He didn't think she really grasped the difficulty that came with the sudden debilitation of a sense, but he appreciated her confidence. It almost fooled him into believing he could fix it just by trying, like she'd said.

"Yeah… maybe yer right." Will looked thoughtful, as though he were concentrating real hard on adjusting his rifle and aiming at one of the smaller targets once again. This time, he was determined not to miss.

The sudden bang made Libby jump, though she'd been anticipating it, echoing through the hills and knocking the can clear off it's post, the sound of the bullet hitting the metal ringing through the surrounding trees and hills, a small flock of disturbed birds flying off as they cawed through the clouded sky.

"Well damn Libby! Always knew you was my lucky charm somehow." Will looked over his shoulder at her, smiling a broad smile she hadn't seen surely since his eye had been damaged. The feelings of discouragement suddenly had washed away within him, and he now was eager to keep firing his gun, instead of dreading the aftermath of pulling the trigger.

The comment made her cheeks flush and her neck get hot, watching as he reloaded his rifle twice more, hitting both marks equally as perfectly as the first, just to be sure it wasn't a fluke.

Hatfield Farm
Logan, West Virginia, 1878

"Ya ain't gotta be scared. Yer fine!" Cap insisted as Libby sat atop his horse, looking scared out of her godforsaken mind. The animal could tell too, though he was usually well behaved. He looked extra alert at the moment, well aware of the trembling girl atop him, feet dancing around with worry.

The deal had been, if Cap could shoot one of the blackbirds clear out of the sky from almost sixty yards away, Libby would finally get on his horse outside of the barn stall. The white of her face made him well aware she'd been hoping he'd miss, but when the black ball of feathers plummeted lifelessly to the ground, she knew she was locked in.

"Kick him!" he hollered to her as he watched her sit atop the massive animal, eyes big as saucers and glossy with restrained tears. It was the last time she would ever challenge his shooting, that was for certain. She'd gotten herself into a fine mess, thinking he couldn't shoot that bird out of the sky.

"No Cap! He's gonna dump me!" Each muscle the horse moved had Libby gasping and clutching on the reins, and his mane, for dear life.

"You e'er see that horse drop me?" Pistol was as broke as they came, never so much as batting an eye, even when gunfire was all around him. But Will had to honestly say he'd never seen his horse quite as on edge as he did at the moment with Libby sitting alone atop him. Cap was starting to think it was a bad idea, putting her up there like that, but he didn't want to let Libby on to that.

"No!" She yelped as the beast shuffled his feet to the side a bit, becoming restless. "But he's yer horse!"

"I ain't never seen you even hesitate ta go on walkin' up and reachin' out at him before. Ain't no difference. Same horse!" He wasn't going to let her wimp out. She was such a…. girl, it was almost pathetic. Libby was good as Hatfield anyhow, and every Hatfield woman knew how to ride and shoot. It was only proper for her to learn.

"I wanna git down!" she cried as Cap clicked his tongue and lightly shoved the animal's rump, the horse beginning a soft trot along the fencing of the paddock.

"Don't ya dare!" he warned her. If she got off that horse, he was going to trounce her. It had been a project just getting her on his back after she lost their little bet. If she got down now, he might strangle her. "See, yer doin' jus' fine. He likes ya; ya were jus' makin' him scared bein' such a baby" he pointed out.

And without missing a beat, just as a look of calm and sudden confidence seemed to come across her face, Johnse came out of nowhere, and hopped up on the fence jut as Libby came by, spooking Cap's horse and making him rear up. It was the only time Cap had ever seen his horse do that, and he knew it must be because Libby had gotten him all wound up being so uneasy herself.

One thing was certain; he'd never hear the end of this one. He knew that the second her butt his the dirt.

With a scream, she went flying backwards and landed flat, on her back, immediate cries of pain and sobbing from fear as Pistol jogged a few paces away and calmed down on his own, snorting and flaring his nostril as he shook his mane out and swished his tail.

Libby clutched her arm on the ground, eyes squeezed shut as she whimpered in pain, Cap marching right up to a regretful looking Johnse. He had only meant to come watch and maybe tease Libby a bit. He hadn't meant to make the horse dump her. Unluckily, Johnse wasn't one to think far ahead, and somehow hadn't even considered the current outcome. But Cap didn't care why he'd done it. All that mattered was that he had.

"Took me a damn hour ta git her up there 'n the first place ya moron!" And Cap just let Johnse have it then, socking him right in the nose. They were the same height now, despite Johnse being two years older. Will grew like a weed though, as if he'd shot up overnight all of a sudden. And the younger of the two boys was most certainly the rougher and tougher of them. Which meant, unfortunately for Johnse, Cap packed a bit more of a punch than his senior, and was much more apt to throw one in the first place. Johnse was more a lover than a fighter. Cap had already found himself in a few scraps with the McCoy boys though, especially Tolbert and Pharmer, and their cousins Sam and Paris. Johnse had jumped in once or twice, but it always ended up being Cap who got the best shots on the McCoys, and had to be restrained.

Instead of really giving his older brother a beating though, Cap left it at that, knowing it would only be a short amount of time before their mother showed up, Cap sure she must've heard Libby's wailing.

Hopping the fence swiftly while Johnse cradled his bleeding nose, cussing and swearing all had been accidental, Cap knelt down beside Libby on the ground before he scooped her up easily.

"I hate you Johnse Hatfield!" Libby squealed as pain rushed through her shoulder from her elbow, "An' I hate you too!" she continued, teary eyes angrily glaring at Cap.

"Shut yer mouth. Woulda been fine if some idiot hadn'ta done nothin' stupid," Cap emphasized, wondering why on earth Johnse had to go and ruin it just as she'd begun to get the hang of it.

"What's happened out here?" Levicy demanded from the laundry, watching her son a second before rushing up to where he carefully climbed the fence while strategically balancing Libby in his arms before he jumped to the ground on the other side in a catlike way.

"Was teachin' Libby ta ride till Johnse come runnin' up an' Pistol thrown her," Cap informed his mother, not even hesitating as he walked towards the house. His pap and hers would both wring his neck if she was badly damaged, and they might even kill Johnse when they found out he'd been the reason the horse had spooked.

"Yer father's gonna tan yer hide when he hears 'bout this one Johnson!" Cap heard his mother scolding his brother as he sat Libby on the table, immediately rolling up her sleeve to see she had a skinned elbow. No bones seemed to be poking through thankfully though, not like when Skunkhair had gotten thrown from his own horse down near the river and broke his forearm two years ago. Never healed quite right he claims too.

"It hurts Will," she whimpered as he wet a rag in the wash basin and cleaned it out, the open cut stinging, Levicy ushered Johnse inside as well, holding a handkerchief to his nose, though she looked highly displeased with him.

"Here, move it around," he told her with a roll of his eyes. He thought she was likely being over dramatic, and when he saw her range of motion was just fine, he was sure of it. "Yer fine," the boy insisted. "Just a scrape an' maybe a bruise later on."

Libby looked a bit perturbed by his diagnosis, biting into her lower lip as she pouted, looking him dead in the eye as she urged him to make a bigger scene just to get Johnse in trouble.

"I'm real sorry Lib. Honest, I didn't mean fer that ta happen," Johnse apologized, though Libby wasn't certain if it was because he meant it or because his mother had smacked him on his head and demanded that he say he was sorry.

With a 'hmph,' Libby turned her nose up and Johnse, not so forgiving at the moment, though only an hour or so would pass before she was over it. But Will might have been more begrudging about it than she was, time showing the increasing distance between the brothers, as they evolved into two very different people.

"Yer a damn fool, y'know that?" Will called out, feeling as though Libby was lucky to not be hurt, with Johnse being as dumb as a plank of wood. "Yer lucky I don't—"

"Enough Cap," Levicy interrupted her son, and obediently, Will shut his mouth, though he didn't want to. Libby looked on, a little startled by the tension between the two brothers, seemingly forgetting her skinned elbow and the fuss she was making over it.

"Aw Mama, Cap's just sore 'cause Uncle Jim told him not ta be bothered with a priss like Libby an' leave girls like her ta me instead." Cap's jaw clenched as his brother snickered, feeling as though it was revenge for the punch in the nose he'd taken, embarrassing him right in front of the girl in question. It was the truth, though everyone knew it had been Jim's idea of a joke. Cap hadn't been amused by it then either, though he'd played it much cooler in front of his uncle.

"You askin' fer an ass whoopin' 'r what?" the younger boy growled, ready to deliver as he stepped towards his sibling.

"That's enough outta botha you!" Levicy stepped in, moving between them and looking back and forth at both boys. "Libby in't some prize ta be won. She's a girl, not a possession. So bickerin' about Jim teasin' ain't gonna get anyone anywhere." No one dared to speak back to the Hatfield matriarch, so all three children sat silently. " Go an' clean up fer supper. All three of ya!"

Without a word, both Libby and Will made to do as they were told, Johnse still holding his nose, though it seemed to have finally stopped leaking blood.

"I don't even like Libby like Cap does anyhow," Johnse grumbled under his breath as he walked in the opposite direction, though the accusation didn't go unnoticed by Elizabeth and made her heart flutter with hopes that he was right.

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