*Author's Note*

Thank you for all the follows, faves, and reviews.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year, '79-80

Jessa POV:

A modestly decorated tree sat in the corner of the living room and a few presents were placed under it. I was sitting on the floor next to the tree with Silas sitting in my lap as Tolbert sat next to us. A fire was roaring nearby and I had a shawl thrown around my shoulders for extra warmth as my husband grabbed a present from underneath the tree. Holding the package in front of Silas, Tolbert smiled and said, "This is for ya, Silas." His grin widening, he slightly shook his head at our son and told him in a smooth, but cheery tone, "Yea, it's yer Christmas present from mama an' poppy."

Looking between my son and my husband, I asked, "Can you open it for him since he's on my lap?"

"Yea, I was goin' to." He nodded before opening up the package in his hands, revealing a wooden rattle. Shaking the rattle in front of Silas, Tolbert told him, "This is yer toy."

Silas' honey eyes darted back and forth, quickly following the rattle that his poppy was shaking at him. Suddenly, he reached his tiny hand out and made a grabbing motion for the rattle. Tolbert just smiled and handed our boy the rattle. As Silas shook his new toy, I smiled, "He likes it."

"He should, coast me a damn greenback." Tolbert gruffly remarked, quickly putting an end to his caring and loving fatherly act. Dear lord, he would be complaining about how much a baby toy cost.

For some reason unknown to me, my mind drifted to Shaw and how he always seemed genuinely pleasant and happy around Silas. How he never once complained when he was with my, well really our, baby boy. I mean he bought that blue-green patchwork quilt for Silas even tho it was $5; gave it to me without any grumbling or complaints either. God, he wouldn't know how to keep it in his pants…If he didn't decide to mess around with his 'housekeeper' then maybe things would be different. Well, it's too late to think about that now. I can't think about that. I'm with Tolbert, who's a good man despite his moody temper, so I need to just accept his ways (especially when it comes to being tight with money).

"Uh, let me get'cha yer present, darlin'." Tolbert told me before disappearing under the tree to grab my gift. After a few seconds, Tolbert popped out from under the tree with a small pouch in his hand. Um, what's in there? "I'll take 'im so ya can open yer present." Tolbert offered, tilting his head towards Silas, who was happily playing with his rattle.

"Okay." I simply said, passing over my son to Tolbert. As soon as Tolbert had Silas settled on his lap, he handed me my gift. Quickly, I opened the pouch and pulled what was in it out. Once again, I found myself looking at a ribbon bookmark.

Dear Jesus, doesn't Tolbert buy anything other than bookmarks for Christmas presents? Like seriously, he could've bought me perfume or hair ribbon. Damnit, anything, but another bookmark. Looking at the cream ribbon with a pearl charm on it, I couldn't help, but feel a bit of annoyance build up inside of me. God, it was like Tolbert just cloned his gift from last year. I know, different color ribbon and different charm, but it was the same thing in the sense that it was a bookmarker. Hell…and to think that I made him a new shirt. Cheap bastard.

"Thank you, Tolbert." I tightly said, placing the ribbon bookmark back into its velvet pouch.

Allie POV:

"He really likes that toy you whittled for him." I told Cap with a smile as my son sat on my lap, playing with a wooden horse that my husband had made for him.

"Of course, he does, Captain W knows his pa made it just for him." Cap proudly told me, a smile evident in his voice, as he grabbed a present from underneath our large and colorfully decorated Christmas tree. "This is for you, darlin'." My husband softly smiled, handing me over a small package. As I took the package, he grabbed our son. "Go on, open it." He goaded, placing our son on his lap.

I nodded before opening up the small package. I let out a small gasp as my eyes fell onto a gold chain necklace that had round a peridot pendant dangling on it. "Oh, Cap, it's beautiful."

"It's his birthstone." Cap told me, gesturing to the baby boy sitting in his lap. "As a mama I thought you'd like it."

"Oh, honey, I don't like it, I love it." I gushed before quickly putting on my new necklace.

Cap moved Captain W up to his chest, holding him tight, and leaned into me. With a smirk, he laced his calloused hand into my light blonde hair and captured my lips in a soft and tender kiss. "Merry Christmas, Allie Hatfield." My husband told me, resting his forehead against mine after breaking our kiss.

"Merry Christmas, Cap Hatfield." I smiled breathily, overjoyed that my Christmas morning was being spent with my husband and son, whom I loved more than anything in this world.

Shaw POV:

"Ya sure ya don't need any help?" I heard Olga ask me from her spot on the sofa in the main room as I opened up the oven door with a mitt covered hand.

"No, just watch the kids open their presents." I answered, reaching into the hot oven and grabbing the cast iron pan of sticky buns that were done. I knew they were done by the sweet cinnamon smell that wafted from the kitchen into the entire first floor of the house.

"Okay, but I don't mind helpin' wit' the pastries." She told me as I placed the hot pan onto a trivet on the counter.

"Olga, I don't need help." I assured her as I went back over to the stove and closed the oven door. "Hell, it ain't that hard to serve sticky buns." I remarked, a bit ruder than I reckon I should've, as I made my way over to the cabinet, I kept the small plates in.

"Mom always made sticky buns for Christmas morning and since she died last year Shaw does it, so just leave him alone." I heard Todd bluntly tell Olga as I grabbed some plates from the cabinet and placed them onto the counter by the pan of sticky buns.

"Yea, leave him alone." Mary chimed, backing up our brother, as I grabbed the serving spoon from its spot on the counter.

"Oh, I wasn't 'ware bakin' breakfast pastries was a tradition yer ma did on Christmas morn." I heard Olga's dulcet voice ring out from behind me as I served the sticky buns onto the small plates.

"Why would you, it's not something I ever told ya." I shrugged, grabbing my siblings' plates and making my way into the main room to hand them over to the kids as they tore their presents open greedily.

"Shaw-" Olga began til I quickly cut her off with, "Just don't, Olga. Whatever you gotta say I don't wanna hear it.", as I gave Todd and Mary their plates.

"Thank you." My siblings told me in unison, causing me to just smile and nod at them.

"Ya didn't open my gift yet, Shaw." Olga told me, pointing to the small package on the sitting table by my chair, as I walked right by her on my way to the kitchen.

"I'll open it when I come back." I assured her as I made my way to the counter. She didn't say a word, but I suppose she prolly nodded or something, as I grabbed the last two plates sitting on the counter. Without a word, I went back into the main room. I handed Olga her plate before taking a seat in my sitting chair. Setting my plate onto the side table and grabbing the small package, I told the pregnant brunette, "I'm opening up my gift now."

"I think you'll like it." She smiled; her doe brown eyes fixed on the package in my hands.

I tore open my gift only to be met with a square of cotton. I looked at it only to realize it was a handkerchief. I didn't pay attention to the pattern on it since, in my opinion, the gift was useless because I already had a perfectly good hankie. The one Jessa made me was kept in my pocket at all times. I even handwashed it if it got dirty for fear that Olga would lose it or ruin it. That hankie was the only thing I had of Jessa; I cherished it.

"Thanks." I politely told Olga, placing the handkerchief onto the table and grabbing my plate.

As I took a bite outta my sticky bun, Olga asked me, "Do ya like it?"

Since my mouth was full I just nodded. Hell, even if my mouth was full, I would've nodded. Once I swallowed down my food, I simply told the woman I was stuck with, "It's very nice."

"I liked the gift ya got me. It was very thoughtful." Olga smiled, lightly tilting her head towards the various colored materials and threads on the sofa next to her.

"Thought you'd need to start working on a baby quilt soon." I shrugged, taking a large bite outta my sticky bun. Truth was, she had to make a baby quilt cause I wasn't buying one. I already spent money on a quilt for my firstborn and I didn't want to spent a lot of money on one for my second born, especially since I was trying to force myself to care for its mother. I know, I'm a coldhearted man, but I just can't help, but to feel that way.

Jessa POV:

"Jessa, look at Silas!" Squirrel's voice shouted from the main room, causing me to look up from the potato I was peeling only to see him holding my son, who was clad in a fur coat (complete with goddamn squirrel tail tassels) and looked ready to cry, as Parris stood nearby (since he obviously placed the coat his jackass brother made onto my son).

"What the hell?" Shot out of my mouth as my brows furrowed.

"It's his gift from me. I made him a coat." Squirrel proudly grinned.

"Get that damn thing off of my son." I quickly ordered, pointing my parring knife towards the godforsaken coat my son was stuck in.

"Jessa, he looks like a real McCoy now. He's keepin' it on." Tolbert gruffly told me, overriding my command to remove the ungodly fur coat from my baby.

"I think, maybe, Jessa might prefer lil Silas in a black Stetson instead of a squirrel fur coat." Nancy remarked snidely in her sickeningly sweet tone, from her spot on my left, while peeling potatoes. She gave me a piercing look with her beady black eyes, cutting into my soul and silently letting me know that she knew my secret about Silas' birth father.

Oh god, was she going to be a danger to my son? I knew she hated Jim Vance, but would she out my secret to get some kind of sick revenge on the man since he was by blood Silas' great-great-uncle. Dear lord, I needed to keep a close eye on that black-eyed beauty.

"Nancy, that's a rude thing to say." Roseanna chastised her cousin in her bell like voice as she cut one of the peeled potatoes into cubes. My sweet and fair sister-in-law gave me an empathetic look with her blue eyes and for a split second couldn't help, but to wonder if Roseanna knew my secret too. I mean she knew I was once serious with Shaw; she even seemed to want to me marry him and was sorry for me when I couldn't. Whether she knew or not, at least I had the soft-spoken blonde in my corner.

"Who cares if she wants her baby in a fur coat or not." Sarah, Jefferson's girlfriend, remarked from her spot at the table, snapping and cleaning peas.

Sally, as she was kneading dough, looked over at my son, who was now being held by Tolbert. Suddenly, her brown eyes went glassy and she paused in her kneading. My mother-in-law's voice was eerily flat as she recited the words of, "One day Silas will wear his father's hat. He'll give it to him 'fore he goes off to atone for his sins."

"Goddamnit, Aunt Sally, your seer ramblings are so creepy." Nancy groaned, tossing a freshly peeled potato into the large bowl onto the table. Alifair just nodded her head, apparently agreeing with her cousin's remark, as she cut corn off the cob in order to make sweet corn pudding with.

Seer, what the hell's that? Oh lordy, why can't holiday dinners with the McCoys be normal?

Allie POV:

Everyone was gathered around the table, eating Christmas dinner with smiles on their faces. Well everyone was smiling expect for Shaw and oddly enough my brother Abel. I mean I understand why Shaw's not beaming since he's still brooding over his failed relationship with Jessa. I know it's been a year since they broke up and months since she gave birth to their son (a bit dramatically too), but he was still hung up on here. Whether it was some kind of true love/soulmates shit or an obsession I didn't know, but it was something fueling his desire for my ex-best friend. Why Abel had a long face on tho was a mystery. I couldn't figure out why he seemed like he wasn't pleased to be eating dinner with the family. Abel always seemed happy around our family (the Hatfields). Hmm, something was up with my older brother.

Johnse was sitting next to me with Captain W perched on his lap. The site of my golden-haired pretty boy brother-in-law holding my son and dotting on him warmed my heart. It made me feel like he'd be a good daddy to the baby he'd have in a couple of years with Roseanna. I was determined to make sure that Devil Anse approved of them cause Johnse deserved to be happy and to have the chance to be a daddy. Talk about Devil Anse, he seemed to notice his oldest son's change in demeanor (his nurturing side) around my son. A warm motherly smile was on Levicy's face as she noticed how Johnse was carefully feeding Captain W a little spoonful of mashed potatoes.

"I think he likes mashed taters." Cotton said with a big smile as he looked at Johnse feeding Captain W across from him.

"Yea, I think he likes them too." I smiled at my slow minded cousin-in-law, using my sweet voice that I used to use with kids at the bar-b-que joint I once worked at before coming to the 1800s.

"Does he eat any other mashed vegetables?" Shaw asked me, most likely cause my son was a couple weeks younger than his, before eating a forkful of ham.

"We gave him some mashed carrots the other day; he seemed t'like 'em." Cap told his cousin in between eating a piece of ham.

"Mashed taters an' carrots are good things to introduce first to a baby." Ellison remarked while nodding his head in approval.

"Reckon by Easter T.W.'s gonna be ettin' taters an' carrots at the supper table." Skunk Hair mused with a smirk, taking a large bite out of his buttered biscuit. Yea, Skunk Hair and Vera had started to refer to their son Timothy Willis as T.W. It sounded cute; no doubt our sons would be best friends since they were the W's (plus their parents were best friends).

"T.W.'ll be ettin' taters while Captain W'll be nibblin' on biscuits." Vera smiled, eating a bit quickly since she had no idea when her newborn would cry for a changing and feeding.

"You seem to be a natural with babies. Ever think of settling down?" Sully asked Johnse, clearly opening up the door for both Johnse and his parents to ponder the idea of him marrying and having a family of his own in the near future. Smart move on his part.

"I'd settle down if I met a girl who I felt somethin' for. I'd have babies with my wife too." Johnse answered Sully before eating a quick spoonful of his dinner. "I built a cabin so I got a place t'bring a wife when I get one someday."

"Hell, Johnse, that cabin's more of a shack." Uncle Jim bluntly said (what everybody at the table was thinking) around a mouthful of ham. Jim shook his head and shoved another forkful of food into his mouth before letting out a loud jeer of, "I wouldn't let Mr. Howls live in it let 'lone bring a woman to live there."

"Johnse's cabin ain't that bad lookin'. I mean mine looks similar." Abel shrugged, cutting up the large slice of ham that was on his plate.

"And I can just imagine what you bring back to it." Cap scoffed, shaking his head and rolling his mismatched eyes at my brother.

"He brings whores back to it, right?" Cotton blurted out innocently, causing everyone at the table to just nod.

"Hey, I don't bring whores back to my place." Abel said a bit defensively, grabbing his glass and taking a sip from it.

"If she's with you, Abel, then she's a whore." Shaw pointed out before eating a forkful of beans.

Levicy's eyes narrowed at the men seated at the lower part of the table as she let out a frank order of, "Enough with this talk of whores. It ain't fittin' for the dinner table." Turning her attention to Olga, who was next to Shaw, Levicy changed the feel of the atmosphere by asking the expecting mother, "How's your pregnancy, dear?"

"Good," Olga answered with a small smile. Suddenly emotion welled up in her eyes as she revealed, "But I'll feel better once I go past 7-months since that's how far 'long I was when I miscarried my first."

The room went so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. Nobody expected to hear that at the dinner table during the large family Christmas ham supper.

Tolbert POV:

It was New Year's Eve an' I was at the saloon my cousins and my brothers, 'cept for Jim since he was at some get t'gether his girl Lissa's family was throwin'. We were drinkin' an' playin' cards, ringin' in the New Year the right way. My wife assured me she'd be fine at home wit' the baby by herself so I didn't feel too bad 'bout goin' out. Hell, after not goin' out t'drink wit' my brothers an' cousins in so long it felt good t'be at the Pikeville Saloon wit' 'em 'gain.

"You an' Jessa thinkin' 'bout havin' more chil'ren?" Calvin asked me, placing a card down on the table 'fore takin' one from the deck.

"Yea, ya'll bein' careful or not?" Parris added in, knockin' back his shot 'fore takin' his turn disgardin' a card an' pickin' one up.

"We ain't sure we'll be able too since she had the baby cut out." I placed a card down an' grabbed my shot glass, knockin' back the high-end whiskey we'd sprung for our New Year's Eve cel'bration.

"Oh, I'm sorry t'hear that cuz." Squirrel told me, takin' the whiskey bottle from the table an' pourin' himself a shot.

"Jessa's young, ya'll got a good chance she healed up right an' can have more babies." Pharmer piped up as he took his turn in our card game.

Bud didn't say a word, just tossed a card onto the table 'fore grabbin' one. I think he felt a bit uncomfortable 'bout what was bein' talked 'bout. Bud was young, barely 16, so I got why he's not addin' to the conversation.

"So, Jefferson, ya serious 'bout the mailman's sister?" I asked my cousin, changin' the subject so Bud'll feel more at ease, while takin' the bottle of Old Crow from the table an' pourin' myself a shot.

"Yea." Jefferson nodded. Lungin' 'cross the table an' takin' the whiskey bottle outta my hand, he added, "Just started stayin' wit' her, but Fred ain't too happy 'bout it."

"S'pose not since he's the only one workin' in the house." I remarked while Calvin checked his hand.

Jefferson knocked back the shot he just poured 'fore sayin', "Not my fault I can't find work. Nobody wants t'hire me, plus I ain't much of a farmhand."

"Oh no, look who just came in." Pharmer said a bit wearily, noddin' his head towards the saloon doors that just opened wit' a swing of their squeaky hinges.

I looked ov'r my shoulder only t'see Shaw Eldridge and Cap Hatfield strollin' on in. "The hell they doin' here?" I asked, seein' red as that Vance Bastard an' his fog-eyed Hatfield cousin made further into the saloon.

"Maybe he brought 'em here since he used t'come 'ere lot." Parris said, pointin' to Cap's brother-in-law the Calvary man as he walked on in.

"Abel, hi." Jefferson waved at the man who was part of the Vance-Hatfield party. "Thought you'd be out wit' my sister, Nancy." Jefferson added, making all of us at the table give him curious look. Uh, since when was Nancy seein' Abel, a Hatfield in-law?

"Shut up 'bout that. Nobody knows, Jefferson." Abel lowly seethed under his breath, givin' my cousin a death stare as he stood by our table.

"Well, seems like we all know now." I chuckled, foldin' my hand.

"My sister's family don't and I plan to keep it that way. I don't need hateful people giving me shit for who I date." Abel snapped above a whisper, his teeth gritted so tightly that they looked 'bout to break, as he gave all of us a sharp look.

I shook my head. "So, he admits the Hatfields are hateful. Who would've thought?"

"Oh, shove it up your ass Tolbert." Abel barked at me, clearly not amused by my sarcastic quip.

"What's gonna on here, Abel?" Shaw asked as he moseyed up to my table, Cap in tow. Nudgin' Abel in the shoulder he chuckled, "Givin' these yellow-bellied drunks some hell."

I cut my stormy eyes at that shady bastard while gruufly sneerin', "Who ya callin' a yella-bellied drunk, ya shirker?"

"Shirker?" Shaw's rose arched up. Foldin' his arms ov'r his chest, he lowly remarked in a deep drawn-out tone, "Hell, I know you didn't just call me that Tolbert McCoy."

"Well, I did, ya no good Vance bastard." I told him, starin' him down an' darin' 'im to correct my thinkin' of his character.

"Calm down you two, I don't wanna be gettin' into a bar fight on New Year's Eve." Abel spoke up, soundin' a bit rough an' on edge, lookin' 'tween me an' the Vance Bastard.

"What's crawled up your ass, Abel? Afraid of a fight?" Shaw bluntly asked, his honey eyes pointed at the ex-soldier.

"I ain't afraid of a fight, I just don't want to get into one's all." Was Abel's answer, which made sense. I mean since he was seein' my cousin Nancy I understand why he didn't wanna be fightin' my family. Hell, that boy sure did get himself into a pickle when it came t'bein' on sides in this feud.

Cap was just silently standin' by Shaw, backin' him up an' lettin' ev'body know that he was on his side.

"We'd invite ya for a game, but ya can't see the cards wit' bein' a half-blind fog-eyed bastard." Jefferson chuckled; a slight slur mixed into his drawn-out tone.

"Easy t'laugh at somebody different then ya, huh." Cap sneered coldly at Jefferson; his mismatched eyes narrowed irritably at him.

"Ya'll better leave our table less yer lookin' for a fight." I warned the black Stetson wearin' men that were intrudin' on the poker game me an' my kin were playin'.

"Considerin' ya took my family from me I wouldn't mind beating your ass." Shaw sneered at me, his lips snarlin' over his white teeth like a wildcat ready t'strike.

I pushed my chair 'way from the table an' stood to my full height, which was a few inches shorter than Shaw, and went toe to toe wit' him. I puffed my chest up an' jutted my chin as I gruffly told him, "I didn't take nothin' from ya. Jessa just picked me ov'r ya cause I'm a better man." The Vance bastard's face shook wit' fury as his honey eyes darkened an' turned into narrow hateful slits. "She decided she wanted t'have a family wit' me an' not some Vance bastard, but can't say I blame her since yer nothin', but a lyin' blackout drunk."

'Fore I could even blink Shaw just hauled off an' punched me in the mouth, causin' my head t'snap to the side. I even felt one of my teeth rattle from the hit. Bastard. Quickly, I punched him back.

"Damnit, I said I didn't want a fight to break out you guys!" Abel shouted, soundin' a bit agitated, as Shaw blocked a punch I'd just thrown.

"Get 'im, Shaw." Cap chuckled, uncorkin' the bottle of whiskey he had in his hand and taking a sip of it.

"You fucker, I ain't gonna just sit back an' let'cha play happy family wit' my family." Shaw seethed lowly as he shoved me into the table my brothers an' cousins were sittin' at.

"I ain't playin' happy family wit' yer family. They're mine, not yers." I spat at him, rollin' my shoulder an' dodgin' a hit he was 'bout t'make.

Sounds of chairs scootin' cross the floor was heard an' I knew that my family was 'bout t'join in on this fight. "Help yer brother." I heard Jefferson say as he pushed one of my brothers ov'r to help. I didn't notice who he pushed ov'r since I was too busy tryin' to pry Shaw's hand off my neck. Goddamn, that shifty bastard was quick. I didn't even know his hand was goin' t'my neck til he wrapped it 'round my neck, pressin' a thumb into my wind pipe.

Cap POV:

I was watchin' Shaw beat Tolbert's face in, if you ask me, he had it comin' since he was tauntin' my cousin, whenever Pharmer smacked right into me, causin' me to fall flat on my ass. The whiskey bottle I was holdin' broke once it hit the ground. Oh hell, that fat ass just broke a bottle that cost me good money. Pharmer stood up, makin' to go pull Shaw off of Tolbert, since he was beatin' his face in, whenever I sprung t'my feet and hit him. "You cost me a whole bottle of whiskey, ya dumb fatass."

Pharmer didn't say nothin', just punched me back. Looks like I'm gettin' into a bar fight tonight. Hope Allie don't get too mad at me 'bout it.

Abel POV:

Stop it, you douchebags!" I ordered in a loud and brash tone, cutting my eyes at my in-laws that were beating up my girlfriend's cousins. Damnit, this is some jacked up shit. How did I get myself mixed into this? Goddamnit, I should've just let Shaw drag Cap here by himself; I should've known that nut wanted to come here to start a fight with Tolbert. Speaking of fighting with Tolbert, the ginger just kneed Shaw in the stomach and got him to let go of him.

I watched with transfixed eyes as Tolbert stood to his feet and pushed Shaw. Shaw skirted back on his feet, but quickly found his balance. After firmly planting his feet back onto the ground he slugged Tolbert in the jaw and pinned him back onto the table. Shaw's left had wrapped around Tolbert's neck, squeezing it, as he held his fist in the air and taunted darkly with a chuckle, "I'm gonna beat ya to death for what you did. For turnin' my girl against me and stealin' my family."

I saw a blur of light pink ruffles and high piled gold curls rush out of the double doors of the saloon quicker then a flash of lightning. "God, one of the whores is runnin' off to get the law. Stop fighting!"

Of course, nobody stopped fighting. Shaw was having to much fun pounding Tolbert's face in; choking him too, while Cap was using poor fat ass Pharmer as a punching bag since he broke the bottle of pricey booze he bought. Eh, that bottle would've been mostly drained by Shaw if it didn't get broken, so either way Cap wasted his money. And of course, the other McCoys were just drinking and shouting out fight advice to their kin that were getting their asses handed to them on silver platters.

Damnit, I should've just brought Nancy to my cabin and spent the evening with her, but no I listened to my sister and went out with Cap and Shaw instead. I swear, when the sheriff comes, I'm outta here. I ain't getting arrested cause Shaw and Cap decided to open up a can of whoop ass on the McCoy brothers.

Shaw POV:

Happy New Year, I'm locked up in the Pikeville jail. Beating Tolbert to a bloody pulp was worth it tho. Cap was locked up with me since he ended up getting into a fight with Pharmer after he bumped into him, breaking the expensive bottle of whiskey he bought for us to drink and ring the New Year in with. Abel, well he hauled ass once the lawmen came and rounded us up. Reckon he didn't want to go to jail. Hopefully he'll be back to bail us out.

Tolbert and Pharmer got locked up too. They were actually in the cage next to me and Cap. God, that ginger family stealer looked like shit. He wasn't a good fighter when he had a few drinks in him and if the sheriff and his deputy didn't come into the saloon, busting up the fight, I think I might've killed him. Every time my fist landed with his face my hand squeezed a bit tighter round his neck. My hate for him fueled me; I was so close to just wrapping my other hand 'round his neck and snappin' it like a chicken's whenever the fight was stopped and I was pulled off that fucker.

"Sheriff, did ya send word to Perry Cline that we're in here?" Pharmer asked the short fat man that was across the room sitting at a desk and eating a cookie.

"Yes, my deputy should be back soon with your family lawyer." Sheriff Maynard nodded, chewing on his sugar cookie. If ya ask me he could lay off the cookies since he was looking like Santa's doppelganger.

Tolbert was holding his head and giving me a nasty stare. I just rolled my honey eyes at him while crossing my arms over my chest. I wasn't afraid of him, hell I kicked his ass so he should be afraid of me.

The door to the jail opened and in walked the doofy looking deputy followed by both Perry Cline and Brenton Landon. Perry, dressed in his high-priced dapper suit and hat, strode over to the sheriff's desk while announcing in his overly slick voice, "I'm here to bail out Tolbert and Pharmer McCoy."

Brenton followed behind Perry, shaking his head at me and giving me a disapproving look as he did so. I snarled at the man, who in my books was a goddamn liar and traitor since he was supposed to be best fucking friends with my dad, but told the McCoys all this personal and damning shit 'bout me.

"That'll be $50." Sheriff Maynard told Perry, placing his cookie down on his plate and brushing some crumbs off of his chest.

"Has anyone been sent 'cross the river to fetch somebody for their bail payment?" Brenton asked, pointing a finger at the cage me and Cap were in, while Perry took out his wallet and retrived a 50-dollar bill out of it.

"No, not yet. Only got one deputy and he had to fetch ya'll." The sheriff answered, quickly snatching the money that Cline was holding out to him. Looking at his deputy, Sheriff Maynard ordered, "Let the McCoys out."

As the deputy went grabbed the large set off keys off the wall and went over to the cell next to me, Brenton told the sheriff. "I can pay their bail to get them out of jail so they can go back t'where they came from." As the deputy unlocked the cage and let the McCoy brothers out, Brenton went on to say, "It'll cause less headaches then having a heard of Hatfields accompanied by Jim Vance busting in here demanding their freedom."

As Tolbert, Pharmer, and Perry Cline scurried out of the jail like rats jumping a sinking ship, I bluntly told Sheriff Maynard, "Sheriff, send your deputy to fetch my dad to pay our bail. I refuse to accept this McCoy's money as my bail payment."

"What're ya doin', Shaw? Brenton's a family friend." Cap whispered hissed at me, shocked I was turning down Brenton's offer.

"He ain't no friend. Brenton Landon's playin' both sides; he told all the McCoys and Jessa at dinner 'bout me knocking up Olga and her becomin' a midwife." I whisper hissed back at Cap, causing his mismatched eyes to widen. "Hell, I didn't even know those things bout Olga, but he did. When I confronted my dad, he denied tellin' Brenton, but…"

Cap nodded before turning his attention to the sheriff and ordering, "Go get Sully and Jim Vance, they live together so they'll both come to bail us out."

Brenton looked at me, slightly insulted, and I just shot him a cold, but smug, look as I leaned against the wooden wall that was behind the wooden bench, I was sittin' on. Yea, I know what you're up to Mr. Landon. "Very well, I won't bail out the Vance and the Hatfield troublemakers." Brenton lowly said, his timbre shaking with disgust, before he stormed out of the jail.

"Bob, go to Mate Creek and tell Sully Sullivan that both Shaw Eldridge and Cap Hatfield are locked up in the Pikeville Jail; that their bail's $25 apiece."

"Sure thing, boss." The deputy nodded before making his way out of the jail to go do what he was told, feth my dad and by extension Uncle Jim. Both me and Cap knew that Jim would be coming with Sully to bail us out, especially once he learned why we were locked up.

AN:

So, how many of you saw Shaw seeking out Tolbert and fighting with him coming? Yea, that psycho isn't helping the feud out huh? Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed the Hatfields and the McCoys Christmas scenes.