Okay folks, this is the first part of the final chapter. Once before on another site, when a long story came to a conclusion I made an offer to the readers. If anybody has a situation or circumstance that I didn't cover and you would like to see, let me know. I can't make any promises, but if the juices flow I would be happy to write a one shot using your suggestion. You can PM me or write it in a review. I will respond to you one way or another, I promise. It has been a joy writing Nate into Justified and I will miss the little guy. Who knows maybe I will be moved by the season 4 finale to write Nate into it, time will tell. Thank you all for your support, you're the best! This final chapter will be two parts.

The Past Will Haunt You

Raylan slowly eased the reins on Nate as life began to take on typical overtones. Tommy had even become brave enough to say hello to him at school. But there was still an itch that Nate felt compelled to scratch.

"Why do you keep asking me about my family?" Cade wanted to know. They spoke every couple of weeks and lately that had been the topic of conversation.

"I just feel like I need to know," Nate stated.

"There is nothing about them that you need to know."

"I don't even know how many aunts, uncles and cousins I have."

"Your mother and I were the youngest; we had two older brothers and an older sister."

"What are their names?" Nate pushed.

"Natalie, Colin and Conner. Conner has two boys, Colin has a boy and a girl and so does Natalie, they are all around your age, a few older, a few younger. Now enough of this, put it out of your mind. You have no idea what they are capable of."

"My dad told me what they do."

"Then why won't you drop it?"

"I just want to see them, meet them. If it's so bad then why didn't they leave too?"

"It's not an easy thing to leave everything you know behind and realize that you can never go back. I can't tell you what went on in their minds, but I had seen enough to know I didn't want a part of it and neither did you mother. Promise me you will let this drop," Cade said as he was being waved back to work.

"Okay," Nate said unconvincingly.

Cade closed his phone and wasn't at all satisfied with his nephew's response.

Raylan still occasionally had the dream where Nate backed himself off the cliff, but it hadn't been nearly as frequent. He was finally getting a decent night's sleep and Nate seemed to have dropped the entire Campbell issue. His friend Taylor had come down to watch TV a few times and they were working on a History project together; splitting time between the two houses. Raylan had hoped these events signaled that Nate had moved forward and was getting back to normal. He had tossed the t-shirt that had come in the mail into the garbage at work, hoping everything Campbell would go with it.

Seth had quite a storied history as did two of his sons. They had all done varying times in the local big house where it was rumored Seth had nearly beaten another inmate to death. With no witnesses and out of camera range nothing could be proven, and other than another thirty days tacked on to his sentence there were no repercussions. He of course had been responsible for so much more but was often protected out of fear of retribution. Raylan thought that maybe he should have allowed his son to see why he was so adamant about protecting him, but he made a judgment call and he only hoped it was the right one. And so far it had been, until the day it wasn't.

Nate had thought long and hard about his plan. He just couldn't seem to let it go. He felt as if he was being tugged to his outlaw family and no matter how hard he tried and no matter how many times he was told to drop it, he found he just couldn't.

That morning as he waved goodbye to his father he pulled out his phone and left one text and made one phone call.

"So how long have you known my dad?" Nate asked.

"Well we dug coal together when we were teenagers, but we had a few times together when we were younger," Boyd answered his big grin encouraging Nate to inquire further.

"Like what?" the boy asked taking the bait.

"Well one time I was coming down the road not far from your daddy's old house and I saw Raylan down by the creek. So I went up to him to see what he was doing."

"What was he doing?"

"He was supposed to have been fishing, he had his pole out and everything, but that's not what he was focusing on."

"Go on," Nate encouraged.

"Well there he was, his eyes all turned towards Wanda Bitterman who was wading downstream a bit. Now she wasn't naked, but let's say she wasn't overdressed either. And your daddy had her in his sights."

"And then you did too," Nate filled in.

"How right you are. So there we were ogling that girl like she was a big ole lollipop ready to be licked, when her daddy came up on us and saw what we were doing. We took off running, thinking we had gotten away with our peepin' ways. But by the time we made it back to the house her daddy was there telling Arlo all about our misdeeds."

"It doesn't seem like such a big deal to me. She was in a public place; she had no right to expect privacy."

"Yeah well, it was a different time and there are gentlemanly rules that are expected to be followed in this part of the hills. And we broke them."

"How old were you?"

"Let's see, probably about your age, maybe a tad older."

"So what happened?"

"Old Arlo gave us what for. He said he could take care of it or let my father know and let him deal with me. I played the odds and went with Arlo, but boy that man could swing a mean switch. I had no idea," Boyd said shaking his head with the memory.

"Arlo wasn't quite the soft and fuzzy dad was he?"

"Not hardly, but there aren't too many around here that are, too much stress and strain worrying 'bout where the next meal is coming from, there's nothing left over to put up with crap from your kids. You ever been smacked with a switch?"

"No, a belt though," Nate offered as if that would earn him some respect.

"Now that carries some sting, I'll give you that, but a switch…ooohhh now that takes a bite right out of ya. There is no other sting like it," he whistled.

"Any other stories?" Nate asked hopefully trying not to think about the painful punishment.

"None that I'm comfortable sharing with you. Raylan was always a bit different, bent on getting out of here like many of us, but you could see the determination in his eyes." Nate looked over and seemed to accept that answer. "I see that same determination in your eyes."

"Maybe, but I have no idea what I'm determined to do."

Nate had become nearly hypnotized by the hills as they passed by. The terrain was so different here than what he had grown used to in Florida. The palm trees and days on the beach, his mother smiling at him from the water, all memories he had shoved far from his consciousness since her death.

"We're nearly there," Boyd announced shaking Nate from his reverie. "You okay?"

"Hmmm, yeah, I'm good." He said blinking back the sadness. His reality was now steeped in these mountains as deeply as the coal. He looked over at Boyd and wondered what the man's true motivation was for bringing him. It wasn't all that long ago that Nate had taken out his gun and refused to open the door for him, and now he was riding shotgun. It did seem to be true that desperation created situations that had no business being. They were both kidding themselves if they truly believed that Raylan wouldn't find out about Boyd and his chauffeuring duties. And Nate found it hard to think he carried enough weight that a few words with his grandfather would make all the difference in Boyd's future business dealings.

"Are you sure you're healthy enough to get up over that hill?" Boyd asked as he pulled off on the side of the road looking up at the vertical expanse ahead.

"I can manage," Nate said. "Thanks for bringing me and not asking too many questions."

"Well a boy ought to know his own kin," Boyd said smiling.

"I'll tell him that you are interested in doing some business."

"Yeah, that'd be great. I thought we had parted on good terms and I really need a few things. You be sure and tell him money is no problem and I'll be a repeat customer."

"I will- and then I'll forget all about our conversation."

"Good boy, now I know Raylan and I know he'll push you now and in the future for answers …"

"I can keep a secret," Nate replied knowing he would do his best. "You gave me the ride, I give you my silence, and the message to Seth," he quickly added. Just don't blow me or my dad up…okay?"

"You have my word," Boyd said as Nate climbed out of the car.

He looked at the hill in front of him and began his journey. Boyd sighed as he saw the young Givens attack the hill. He shook his head hoping the ends justified the means.

Raylan was out in the field interviewing witnesses who had reportedly seen a federal fugitive in the area. The cell reception was spotty at best, so it was no surprise that when the school called to report Nate's absence his phone didn't even bother to ring.

Nate continued to walk up the hill slowly. The grass, weeds and wildflowers were halfway to his knees in some places, and he could only imagine what was hiding in the brush. He had been leading the way with a stick to tip him off to any trip wires. His daddy hadn't raised a fool and he was sure that the redneck security system was in place all over the property. And sure enough in his leisurely stroll he had found no less than three. He gingerly stepped over two and slid underneath one. He had no idea what might have happened if he hadn't seen them, but he was sure it would have involved the loss of body parts.

Finally he reached the top of the hill, the mile walk taking him well over an hour in his due diligence. But he was alive and had all of his fingers, toes and scalp. He came to an electrified fence where he stopped and debated whether or not he could slip through the gap between the wires. He tossed his stick at it and realized that the power was off at the moment, so losing no time he scurried through, his back skimming the one wire, but gratefully no voltage shot through him.

He was suddenly greeted by three dogs; two Black and Tan Coonhounds and a Blood Hound, all staring at him with mild curiosity. He waited for them to bark and signal the intruder alert but they just stood gazing at him and sniffing the air. "Well aren't you three a cliché if I ever saw one. Please tell me your names aren't Cletus, Roscoe and Guthrie," Nate told they continued to gaze at him. He looked around and saw several outbuildings ahead, so with his companions in tow he began the last leg of his journey.

"You need to work on your perimeter security," Nate said coming up behind his grandfather who was prying open a wooden box just inside a barn painted bright white.

"Jesus H. Christ, how the hell did you get here?" Seth asked gun in his hand as he spun around. "I could have shot you."

"Yeah, I guess you could have."

"What are you doing here? And why didn't y'all bark?" he asked the dogs.

"My DNA must smell similar to yours. I just wanted to see where you live; I felt that we left things a bit unsettled at our last meeting."

"Does your daddy know you're here?" He asked as he told the dogs to 'git' the local term for go away.

"I think you already know the answer to that. Oh before I forget Boyd Crowder is looking to do business with you again. Says money is no object. You might want to get in touch with him." Seth stared unsure what to make of the request he just nodded. "So how much land do you have here?" Nate asked scanning the area. He made note of the flag brandishing the rampant lion flapping in the breeze. It was the trademark of the family just as he had suspected, he was waiting for a bagpipe to whine in the distance.

"Boy if you cause your father to come storming up here after you, I will not be pleased at all."

Nate didn't seem to be paying attention as he continued to gaze at homestead around him. "Is that full of guns?" he asked nodding towards the box.

"Listen to me boy; you need to go right now. Just cause I helped you out once don't mean I want you hanging around here. I got no use for you."

"Why did you help my dad find me?"

Seth stood there unsure of how to respond. "Because you are my kin, and Campbell's take care of their own."

"But I'm not good enough to be here?"

"It ain't about that. Look this is complicated, your mama wanted to leave, so she did and she took you with her. I wanted you to stay, wanted you both here with us, but she didn't have the same plans. Her and Cade always defiant, and now I see you are the same way."

"And here I thought I got that trait from my father," Nate said studying the box at his grandfather's feet. "So does that mean I'm never welcomed again?"

"It means we've moved on and don't need you."

"Who sent me the t-shirt and the note that you were thinking about me?"

Seth looked at his grandson, genuinely confused by the question.

"Not you I take it." Nate surmised.

"Dammit," he said finally stuffing the gun back into the holster on his hip, much like Raylan's. "Woman!" he yelled out as he stepped out of the barn, with Nate trailing him.

An older woman came scurrying out of another outbuilding about twenty yards away. She squinted towards Seth as she walked unsure of who the boy was he was talking to.

"How do I know the marshal service didn't send you in here to scout out the place and report back to them?"

"Cause they don't employ eleven year olds and if they wanted to scout," Nate said using his fingers to indicate quotation marks, "this place out, they would just use Google earth."

"Figures the smartest one, ain't the one that stayed around," Seth said as his wife finally made her way to the gathering.

She looked at Nate and her hand flew to her mouth. "Oh my goodness, is this Nate?"

"Yeah he got your gift," Seth snapped angrily.

"I didn't send no gift, that was one of Nattie's tads. They just wanted to send something to their cousin, she didn't see no harm."

"Well, the harm is standing right in front of you. He ain't got no business here and is connected to the marshal service to boot. I don't need that kind of trouble."

"You equate children to infant frogs? Interesting local flavor," Nate stated.

"Oh he's smart; I knew he would be smart." She said. "Your mama was so smart," she continued beginning to tear up.

"Smart or not, she left and took him with her and that means he don't need to be here now so don't start, we need to get this boy out of here before a bunch of federals show up."

"But I just want to see him," she began, her eyes clouding up again.

"Bonnie, now don't you defy me."

"Good grief, I thought Arlo was in a league all by himself but apparently there are many more teams in that league than I believed." Nate said shaking his head.

There was a cloud of dust down towards the road where the lane made its way to the homestead. A car door opened causing the two Campbell's to gasp. Bonnie shrieked and began to make her way down towards the vehicle. "My baby, my baby is home."

"Christ, what the hell is he doing here?" Seth said glaring at Nate.

Nate shrugged. "I'm just as surprised as you are."

Cade stopped and hugged his mother but his eyes were focused on his nephew and father. "It's a damn reunion," the older man stated.

"Nate what the hell do you think you are doing here?" Cade asked.

"I been asking him that all morning," Seth spat out.

"I needed to come," Nate reasoned.

"Where's your dad?"

"Working," Nate replied.

"Like he has always done," Seth answered. "Leaving my girl on her own and with a baby no less."

"I'm not a baby," Nate announced.

"You were back then," Seth continued. "He had no right being with her."

"Love is a funny thing," Nate said smiling.

"Cept she left him," Seth reminded.

"She had no choice," Cade interjected. "I think I recall your insistence at their parting, in fact I think it was laced with a threat. You want to know about this man," Cade began turning his attention to Nate, "he told your mom he would kill Raylan if she didn't leave him." He then turned and looked back at his father. "So she did, only she left you too. You blamed him for giving her the means to leave when she had the resources herself all along. You were the one that pushed her so far away. Now I'm taking Nate with me, and we're leaving. Ma, I'm sorry that I have been gone for so long but I just couldn't be a part of this world and Nate has no business in it either."

She nodded, her face solemn. She looked over at the partially open box and sighed. "It's for the best. Nathaniel you are a very handsome boy and so smart. I'm glad I got to see you, but Seth is right you need to stay away, there is nothing here for you but trouble."

"And 'sides he's sickly," Seth added. "His body isn't strong or well. I got no use for that," Seth said staring at Nate. Cade, somewhat surprised suddenly understood what his father was doing and pulled his mother back towards him. "I need a strong fighter, someone who can run and hold his own. I need someone who can shoot first."

"I did shoot," Nate reminded.

"Not to kill, shootin' somebody in the knee is worthless."

"It wasn't worthless."

"You're too much of a thinker, ain't no room for that here. You stay up in the city where you're safe and not such a target. I won't be out to save your ass again."

"You did save me last time," Nate said quietly as if Seth needed to be reminded.

"Yes I did, but the only reason I did was just in case I needed a favor one day; having a federal marshal indebted to you is a great thing to have. Besides I can't have it gettin' around that some Yankee came down here and had his way with my grandson.

"So it wasn't even about saving me," Nate said looking hurt.

"Think what you want," Seth answered gruffly.

Cade looked over at the boy with sympathy in his eyes. "You get a shipment in?" he asked changing his view to the box.

"None of your business. Now take him and go," Seth ordered.

To be continued…