I walked up the Hatfield home, stepping around the stakes they were putting around their property to find the head of the family on the steps. He settled his eyes on me just as Wall Hatfield spoke.

"Yesterday, I married Johnse and Nancy McCoy." He stated, a slight hesitation in his voice as I held my hands together in front of my black skirt.

"What?" Devil Anse asked, removing his pipe from his mouth to turn towards Wall. "You married them?" Levicy asked in disbelief.

"Well it was damn sure reluctantly." Wall defended, hands beside his tall form. "I can tell you that." He muttered.

"Harmon McCoy's daughter?" Levicy clarified.

"Oh my God." Jim chuckled from nearby as Anse turned to Jim. Anse stood then, coming around his wife's side to stand near me.

"Well, he was looking to be lost to us, this time he just may have succeeded." Anse told them, walking past me as, having returned his ie back to his mouth, he blew some smoke from the corner of his lips.

"Anse, he thinks it'll make peace 'tween you and Randall."

"He does, huh?" Anse mused, making a slight sound of amusement. "Somebody tell me how a son of mine could turn out to be so goddamn dumb?" Anse questioned, turning to look at his family. They all looked down and away, I stayed still as I watched him. Levicy's eyes glanced over me and she beckoned me closer to her so I was out of the way. "Cap!" Anse called, I turned my head in the direction of the man he was referring to.

"Yeah?" Cap called back, turning to look at his father, briefly glancing at me.

"Get your horse, go fetch your brother." Anse instructed, watching Cap nod and throw the ax he was holding into a tree stump. Cap came around to grab his rifle, leaning down to pick it up and stand tall before swinging it over his shoulder as Wall went to talk to Anse more quietly. Normally, I came with invitation or warning, but I needed to talk to Jim Vance, regardless of how much I disliked him.

In a few short moments, Cap was swinging around the house with another relative in tow.

"Don't you let Johnse bring his new McCoy hussy with him!" Levicy called after her son.

"I'll bring him home, mama!" Cap shouted back, possibly no regard for what Levicy had ordered of him. I took in a deep breath and started towards JIm Vance, clearing my throat to let him know I was there.

"Mr. Vance?" I asked, I never referred to him as such.

"What?" He asked harshly, turning to me before smiling crookedly. "You're Cap's girl, Anna... Yeah, see here, he talks about ya - how's your brother?"

"He's doin' poorly, right now but is gettin' only s'ightly better, thank you." I replied, smiling at the mention of Cap. "I'd like to thank you for helping J.J, ya see, he isn't well enough to tell you himself."

"I reckon he wouldn't be." JIm cut in, sniffling slightly before spitting behind himself. I clenched my jaw at the disgusting habit, I should have been use to it.

"Uh, no, sir. But I do thank ya kindly, he wouldn't have near made it, if it weren't for yer help." I told him confidently, watching Jim nod uneasily, a slight wideness to his permanently squinted eyes.

"Ain't no damn big thing." He told me, waving me off slightly.

"Right." I replied slowly, looking down. "An'way, I gotta get back home, mama will be expecting me later."

He didn't say anything else as I walked away, Levicy stopping me for a moment. She beckoned me inside to help her prepare food for the working men outside.

"Tell me somethin', Anna, dear... Be honest." Levicy started as she chopped some onion. I nodded slowly, furrowing my eyebrows.

"Yes, ma'am." I replied, chewing on the inside of my cheek.

"Have you and Cap... done the trick?"

I blushed bright red immediately, looking down quickly before looking back up, surprised by the question. "No, ma'am... Why do you ask?"

"At least one of my sons is doing things proper." She said loudly, chopping the onion quickly with skill and safety. I waited for her to tell me why, only to get a reply a couple seconds later. "You two seem awfully sweet on each other, but what happened with your brother yesterday set him on his toes."

"You mean him being shot?"

"Yeah, Cap didn't mean to, but J.J is awful lucky."

"What?" I almost shrieked, staring at the older woman. She told me to quiet down, shocked by my outburst. "What do you mean, 'Cap didn't mean to'?"

Levicy furrowed her eyebrows before realizing her mistake. "Your brother was hopped up on medication and started after my son, calling him a rat and insults of such... Cap didn't even draw his gun when J.J drew his."

"You..." I started, staring at her. I began to sink to the floor, my back pressing to the cabinet.

"Cap moved out of the way when J.J shot him, Anna, sweetheart are you okay?" She questioned, crouching beside me. I was looking green by now, from the way Levicy was feeling my forehead and pressing the back of her hand to my cheek, I figured as much. "The bullet bounced off the wall 'n' hit J.J back where it happened."

"Oh my God."

"Cap told me he wasn't gonna move, he had the instinct not ta but he did an-"

"J.J shot at 'im?" I repeated, farther behind as my mind processed the information.

"Jim got his story straight, dear, I couldn't lie to you 'bout this."

"Yeah, you could'a!" I cried out, clinging to my own skirts. Levicy sighed and got me some water, quickly, and handed it to me, pressing the jar into my shaking hand. "What happened then?"

"Jim said J.J ran out, all out of his mind and was shot again... His own bullet tore right through but the second he was shot with stayed in and was down up a bounty hunter."

I wanted to fold in on myself, I needed to, I felt sick. Instead of drinking the water, I dropped the jar and caused it to break, running outside just in time to throw myself against the ground and vomit whatever I could up onto the green territory. Levicy followed close behind, helping me kneel back as I coughed.

"Your brother's damn near lucky he made it out, Anna."

"He's laying in my home bleedin' ta death, that ain't lucky!" I sobbed, rolling onto my back as I covered my eyes, Levicy wiping my mouth quickly.

"I'm gonna get one of the boys ta take ya home, okay?" Levicy told me quietly as I shakily stood, she helped me to the front.

"Bucky should still be here." I mumbled as Levicy nodded, settling her eyes on my brother who was watching me with confusion and worry.

"That's right."

"He was suppose ta help in any way..." I trailed off before my ears began to ring. My brother had raised a gun to Cap? I heard muffled voices as I was lifted onto what I assume was the wagon before things began to get bumpy. By the time I came to, I was laying on my bed with a cloth on my forehead and had a jar of water beside my bed on the stand.

Florence was sitting across from me on the chair. She shared a room with me and Alice, even though Alice was older than us and constantly complained, she had no problem sharing. We had to share.

"Mama, she's awake!" Florence shouted, running out the door for a moment before coming back in with my mother a few steps behind. I heard her humming a gentle melody as she began sitting me up, getting me to sip the water.

"Now, tell me what happened to you." She ordered, staring at me. I breathed deeply, looking down. I wanted to, but I couldn't help but want to conceal the truth as well.