*Author's Note*
Thank you for all the follows, faves, and reviews.
Dinner & A Departing
Shaw POV:
When I was done with training Tornado, I put him up in his stable, cleaned up, and then headed out to the Hatfields for dinner with my family and Olga. The quick ride to our destination was full of silence, but I didn't mind since I didn't feel like talkin' anyways. Hell, I was tired and didn't even want to go out for dinner, but had to since Olga was being a lazy stupid cray bitch tonight and refused to cook (meaning I had to bring everyone to Anse and Levicy's otherwise we'd starve cause it was too late for me to get anything goin' on the stove). As the house came into view, I felt the thin brunette next to me slightly tense. Dear lord, bet she's already upset that she has to be in the same room with Roseanna. Oh hell. Giving her a pointed look, I ordered, "You better be nice to Roseanna."
"I ain't gonna be mean t'her Shaw." Olga dryly scoffed, giving me a narrowed look. She better not. A sneer appeared on her face as she announced in a detestable tone, "She ain't the one I hate." Yea, well, that makes two of us, bitch. Reason why Olga needs to leave, we can't stand each other's guts.
"Olga, don't go there. I need to have a word with Devil Anse about something and I don't want you putting me in a bad mood before I do that." I firmly told Olga while pulling our wagon up to the main Hatfield house.
"Ain't my fault yer in a bad mood. If it's anybody's fault it's yer own." Olga snipped out, acting like she wasn't startin' shit even tho she was.
Before I could say anything back to her my sister spoke up from the back of the wagon with, "Whatever Levicy's cookin' smells good." Yea, the smell of home cooking was wafting in the air as I pulled the wagon to a stop right in front of the house. God, the smell of the food was mouthwatering. At least I'd be eating something good tonight. I'm actually glad Olga was too lazy to cook, I'm quite tired of eating potatoes a thousand ways all the time.
"I'm gonna go find Robert E." My brother told me while jumping out of the wagon as I pulled the break on it.
"Go on and find the girls, Mary." I told my sister, looking at her from over my shoulder.
"Okay." She simply said as we both climbed out of the wagon.
As my sister ran off to find her cousins (well they were really my cousins, but technically they were hers) I held my hands out to Olga and told her, "Hand me over Lydia so you can get down." She just nodded and gave me Lydia. I didn't even wait for her to get down before walking away from the wagon.
"Shaw, where ya goin'?" I heard her ask me as she climbed down from the wagon as I was walkin' up the porch steps of the main Hatfield house. Uh, where the hell do you think I'm going? Inside the house, duh. I didn't say a word to her, just walked across the porch and over to the front door I could hear her boots pitter-pattering against the ground as she rushed the few yards from the wagon to the porch.
Not waiting for Olga, I just knocked on the door. I heard Olga walking up the porch steps as the door creaked open, revealing Roseanna. Looking over her shoulder she informed Levicy, "Shaw and his family's here for dinner, Mrs. Hatfield."
"That's fine, dear." I heard Levicy's syrupy voice sound out from her spot cooking at the stove nearby.
"Come in." Roseanna smiled, moving aside so that me and Olga could enter the house.
As soon as I walked into the house I stopped by Roseanna and asked, while subtly tilting my head at my daughter, "Can you hold her? I need to talk to Anse for a moment."
"Yea, I can hold her." Roseanna smiled, instantly holdin' her hands out to take my daughter. She was so sweet and good with babies, I didn't mind her watchin' Lydia. She'd make a good mom, but I hope she doesn't go thru the heartbreak of havin' her baby die before she turns a year (since that's what's supposed to happen).
"I could've done that, Shaw. No need for the McCoy t'do it." Olga grumbled with a sour look on her face while I handed Lydia over to Roseanna.
"No, Olga, ya couldn't." I told the brunette, causing her to scowl at me. Giving Olga a pointed look, I reminded her about her mental state with the remark of, "You know you're not stable enough, not with your depression and all."
"Olga, dear, why don't you help me check the roast." Levicy suggested, putting an end to any protest that Olga might've had in mind. Turning her attention to me, she stated, "Shaw, Anderson's out back with Johnse."
"Thanks, Levicy." I told her before heading towards the back door.
Olga POV:
I felt myself wantin' t'claw Roseanna's eyes out as she took a seat at the table wit' my baby as I went ov'r to the stove t'help Levicy. My lord, I can't believe Shaw handed her ov'r our baby an' then tried t'make the reason for it bein' me not able to tend t'her. Damnit, I can tend t'my daughter just fine.
Levicy looked 'tween me an' the roast she took outta the oven t'check while tellin' me, "Dear, I know this might sound harsh and I don't mean it to, but I think it's time ya went back to your own." Deemin' the meat still needed more time t'cook, she placed the lid back onto the pan an' placed it back into the oven. "You and Shaw just ain't right. I just don't see ya'll bein' together. He ain't happy and you sure ain't happy either."
"Yea." I nodded, knowin' what she said were true. Me an' Shaw weren't ever gonna work. I finally accepted that when he told me t'go this afternoon.
"Sad thing is there's a baby put 'tween all this." Levicy shook her head, standin' up after closin' the oven door. She tucked a stray piece o'hair 'hind my ear 'fore sighin', "Truthfully, ya'll never should've had that baby. Your relationship wasn't strong 'nough for it." Lookin' me right in the eyes, she lengthily told me, "But you did have a baby. Had one with a man that don't take fatherhood lightly due t'his own struggles as a child; takin' his baby from him'll kill him like slow poison."
My doe brown eyes widened wit' shock as I muttered out in disbelief, "Are ya tellin' me t'leave on my own, but let Shaw keep Lydia here?"
"Yes, and don't ya come back." Levicy sharply spat, her syrupy tone turnin' heavy an' hard. "Best thing for everyone involved's for ya to just go back to your own, by yourself, otherwise Shaw'll turn out hateful like Uncle Jim and that's somethin' this family and the feud don't need." She told me 'fore walkin' off t'grab somethin' from the pantry, leavin' me standin' by the stove stunned into silence.
Oh my god, I can't believe what I heard. Levicy, who I thought was a kind woman, told me t'leave my child wit' it's blackhearted da an' t'go back t'my people. As a mother herself how could she be so cold an' tell me such a thing?
I could feel Roseanna's blue eyes starring at me. Turnin' 'round, I arched a brow at her an' asked, "What'cha lookin' at?"
"Nothin' in particular." The McCoy girl told me 'fore quickly sayin' in a soft voice, "Levicy's right, you an' Shaw ain't right. He loves Jessa, should be able to freely go after her."
My brows furrowed at her. "How can ya say that? She's wit' yer brother."
"Tolbert was nev'r right for her. He only got interested in Jessa once Shaw came ov'r for dinner; started courtin' her."
"Well, she ended up pickin' yer brother so in my opinion she oughtta stay wit' him."
"She got stuck wit' him, that's not pickin' him." The fair girl said in a matter-o-fact tone.
'Fore I could utter a word the back door flung open an' in walked Johnse askin', "There anythin' I can help with?"
"Can you hold Lydia so I can help Levicy cook?" Roseanna asked with a small smile.
"Sure, my beautiful sweet darlin'." Johnse smiled, strollin' right on ov'r t'Roseanna. Dear god, what's the use of all the pet names. One should suffice.
"I can do that, I'm her mama ya know." I blurted out wit' a dryness t'my dulcet tone.
"Well, accordin' to my cousin you ain't a very good one." Johnse told me as Roseanna handed him over my baby. Of course, Shaw's turnin' his kin 'gainst me. Allie was right, the selfish blackhearted prick wanted me t'look crazy an' like an unfit ma.
As Roseanna went ov'r to the stove Levicy walked out o'the pantry wit' a few jars. Decidin' that I'd rather sit by my baby instead of cook, I went ov'r to the table an' took a seat next to Johnse while lettin' Levicy and Roseanna handle dinner. At least after t'nite I won't ever have t'deal wit' this bullshit ever 'gain.
Shaw POV:
I opened up the backdoor and walked outside only to see Anse and Johnse standin' with their backs to me. I was about to walk up to them, but stopped whenever I heard Johnse whine, "But, daddy, I don't see why I can't take Roseanna to my cabin once I put the paper windows in and fix it up a bit. We're both of age and want to be together proper."
"No, I won't have no son of mine shackin' up with a McCoy." Devil Anse coldly told Johnse, his voice level and sharp, as his pipe dangled in the corner of his mouth.
"But we wanna get married, with your permission." Countered Johnse in a long whine, one that reminded me of a neighing horse.
"What did I say a few days ago, Johns?" Anse rhetorically asked before quickly adding in a firm tone, "The answer's no."
Okay, now I needed to cut in before their spat went on and on. I let out a cough, making the men turn around to look at me. "I hate to interrupt, but Anse I needa talk to ya for a minute."
"You're not interruptin', Shaw. I was just 'bout ready to go inside and see if Mama and Roseanna need any help with anythin'." Johnse assured me in a tight tone before walking by me and going inside of the house.
Taking a long puff off his pipe, Devil Anse asked, "What is it you want to talk about?" Before I could answer him, he added in a sure tone, "Must be serious since you usually go to Uncle Jim or Sully for talkin'." Yea, he was right about that. When I needed advice or to vent, I usually did hit up my dad or Jim. I used to go out a lot with Cap, but over the last few months that's come to a standstill since Allie doesn't like me very much.
I decided that with what needed to be said I couldn't beat around the bush, so I bluntly told Devil Anse, "You need to stop being so hard on Johnse about Roseanna."
Anse shook his head while musing, "Oh no, not you too. First your pa and now you." Oh course my dad's rallying behind Johnse and Roseanna, he's seen what I'm going thru and most likely doesn't want another family member to experience it.
Not finding his reaction very becoming, I narrowed my honey eyes at him. "Just listen to me for a minute, Anse."
"Fine." Anse nodded before pointing his pipe at me and ordering, "Now you go ahead and say what you need said."
"Not allowin' Johnse to marry Roseanna and truly be with her just because of your issues with Randall's wrong. It's not their fault that you guys hate each other and punishing them by not allowing them to have a life together ain't right." I lectured my cousin with such conviction in my voice.
"Of course, you'd say that." Anse shook his head. Lookin' between me and the vast hills in the distance, he told me, "But one day you'll understand my stand on this when your child comes of age."
Oh no, he didn't. Yea, no the kid gloves are coming off. He needs to hear it how it is and now I'm not holding back. My voice turned into hard steel as I honestly, but bluntly, told my tale of heartbreak. "Children, Anse, I've got two of them. Remember? My oldest is across the river cause the McCoys twisted up Jessa's head when it came to me. They made her choose between me and having a roof over her head and then when she came up pregnant they made her believe I wouldn't want nothing to do with her; made her settle down with Tolbert as a way to keep from having an unwed girl knocked up by a Vance under their roof spreading around town like gossip wildfire."
"Shaw-" Anse tried to say, but I cut him off with, "I know without a doubt that if you don't let Johnse and Roseanna be together then they're going to be fucking miserable. I know this as a fact cause I'm miserable. I understand what they're going thru, loving somebody on the other side of the Tug, and it's hard when everyone keeps you apart."
"You really think my son's serious about this McCoy girl?" Anse asked me, his face never breakin' from its solid stone-cold look. Damn, I'd hate to play poker with him…
"Yes, I do." I nodded. "They remind me a lot of me and Jessa; I only hope that they're able to be happy together cause I wasn't able to get that. McCoy's hate for my family cost me the woman I love and our child, something that haunts me everyday." I told Devil Anse before going back into the house and leaving him alone to think for a bit. Hopefully if he's able to mull over my words he'll soften up a bit. If not, then I'll just have to go to plan b and deal with Johnse about this, try to give him a pep talk that'll give him enough backbone to defy his father when it comes to Roseanna.
Devil Anse POV:
As I sat at the head of the supper table, I subtly looked over at Johnse and Roseanna. What Shaw told me was fresh in my head, made me pay more attention to my son and the McCoy girl. He was helpin' her place some meat on her plate and it took me for a loop cause I'd never seen Johnse help make up a plate 'fore, other then Allie's back when she was pregnant with Captain W. The way my son looked at Roseanna made me uneasy, it was clear love and adoration shone in his eyes. From Roseanna's shy, blushin' smiles it was clear she shared Johnse's feelin's. Goddamnit…
"How's the livery goin', Shaw?" Levicy asked our cousin as a way to strike up dinner conversation since the table was eerily quiet.
"Goin' good." Shaw answered my wife before eatin' a forkful of pot-roast.
"That's good." Levicy warmly smiled. Before eatin' some potatoes she declared, "You know since your family we want ya to be successful and happy."
"Well, one outta two ain't bad." Shaw dryly remark, shruggin' 'fore stuffin' some food into his mouth. My god, I swear that boy eats just like Uncle Jim does, which is more or less inhalin' instead of chewin' the food.
I noticed that Olga's eyes rolled slightly and her posture went rigid in response to Shaw's remark. I didn't know what to make of that girl. She seemed nice 'nough, Allie and Vera was friendly with her too, but the fact that she had problems with raisin' her child didn't sit well with me. The fact that Shaw always had their kid with him made me think that Olga wasn't in tuned with motherhood. Levicy told me once she didn't think the girl was a bad person, but thought she was a bad fit for the family. Especially after her mood shifted once she gave birth and got the news she weren't able to have no more babies.
"One day you'll be happy, I'm sure of it." Roseanna told Shaw with a small smile.
"Yea." Shaw nodded, givin' Roseanna a lined smile while Olga cut eyes at the blonde.
"Gonna hire any employees or you're just runnin' the livery by yourself?" I asked Shaw as a way to nip whatever was brewin' 'tween Olga and Roseanna in the bud. I could sense that Olga didn't like the McCoy girl and I'm pretty sure it had a lot to do with Miss George, the girl Shaw was still hung up over.
"Come January Todd's gonna be my assistant." Shaw told me, spearing some meat and vegetable with his fork.
Lookin' between Shaw and his brother, who was close to Robert E.'s age, I asked, "Ain't he gonna be awfully young to work?"
"No." Shaw shook his head, picking up his biscuit from his plate. Before taking a bite of the biscuit, he informed me, "He'll be 12 come February."
Givin' him a knowin' look, I sighed, "Sully's not going to like you unenrollin' him from school to make him work instead."
Shaw shrugged, "I don't care what he likes, I gotta do what's best for my family." Uh, when is makin' a 12-year-old boy work considered best for the family? Boy's too young for a job, maybe at 13-or-14, but not 12. Sounds like Shaw's just too cheap to hire anybody, that's all.
"My shine business is doin' real good." Johnse spoke up, grabbin' his glass off the table. Before takin' a sip of his milk, he proudly smiled, "I even made 'nough money to fix up my cabin; add a few things to it." Goddamnit, he just had to bring that up infront of his mama. I knew the reason why he wanted to fix it up and told him no too.
Shaw gave me an arched brow look, darin' me to take his words in account and soften up towards the idea of Johnse and Roseanna. I just gave him a hard look. I didn't like bein' put on the spot.
"Oh, Johnse, what're ya gonna do t'fix it?" Levicy asked our son, giving him an interested look, before eating a forkful of carrots.
"Put in some paper windows and install a stove. Even build a stable." My son listed off in between eating his supper.
"That's nice, son. Sounds like it'll take a lot of work 'fore it's livable." Levicy told our son in her warm syrupy voice, the one she used on our chil'ren.
"Johns, if you need any help, I don't mind lendin' a hand. I mean you did help me build my house so…" Shaw told Johnse in between eatin'.
"Thanks, Shaw. I'll hold ya to it." Johnse remarked with a grateful smile.
Oh hell, looks like Johnse's determined to make his cabin suitable for a wife and Shaw's gonna help him. Hopefully, with winter on our heels, the cabin'll take a while to get done so I don't have to be put on the spot 'bout a decision on Johnse and Roseanna. I honestly don't want them together, but Shaw made a hard-pressed point when talkin' to me earlier. Also, my son does look happy with the girl, even spends his time at home instead of in the whorehouses and bars too. Goddamnit...
Olga POV:
Not long after dinner was ov'r, Shaw took us home. Once home, I put Lydia t'bed while Todd and Mary played a game of checkers. Shaw was startin' on his shine bottle early, ploppin' his ass at the kitchen table and drinkin' for his desert. Not that I minded since I needed him passed out drunk so I'd be able t'leave wit' Lydia (soon my Imogene) t'nite undetected.
I was sittin' on the sofa watchin' Todd an' Mary play their third game o'checkers when Shaw pointed at 'em from his spot at the kitchen table an' ordered, "Bedtime you two, put the game away."
"But Shaw it's Saturday night." Todd protested in a groan, upset that he had t'go t'bed early on a weekend.
"Yea, can't we stay up a lil longer?" Mary asked wit' a slight pout.
"I don't give a fuck that it's Saturday night." Saw barked at his siblings 'fore takin' a large sip off his bottle. "I'm the adult and you're the kids, when I say it's bedtime it's bedtime."
"Okay." The chil'ren sighed, startin' to clean up their checker game.
"Mary, d'ya want me to tuck ya in?" I asked the lil girl since she was still so young. I tried to tuck her in many times 'fore, but Shaw always seemed to beat me to it. It seemed like he didn't want me fully takin' care o'his siblin's 'long wit' our baby. Like he had'a be in control of everythin'. Well, he's gonna lose control t'nite once he's drunk an' I leave wit' Imogene.
"No, Shaw can do it. He does it every night." Mary told me while Todd placed the checkers box onto the bookshelf.
"I'll be up in a few minutes to read ya a story and tuck you in, okay?" The blackheart sweetly told his sister wit' a smile 'fore tippin' back his bottle an' lettin' the shine burn down his throat.
"Okay." Mary simply told Shaw 'fore followin' Todd upstairs.
Shaw was drinkin' like a fish an' I knew he'd be out cold within an hour or so. I felt like time was standin' still as I waited for him t'drink himself tired. After a few minutes, he put his half drunken bottle on the table an' got up. Silently, he made his way ov'r to the stairs. The only sound in the room was the thuds o'his feet hittin' the stairs as he went up 'em.
As he tucked in Mary upstairs, I looked ov'r at his shine bottle an' couldn't help, but think that for once I was happy he was a heavy drinker. I just couldn't wait for him t'pass out so I could leave.
*A Few Hours Later…*
It was pitch black out an' after midnite as I walked the road that'd take me to Charleston so I'd be able t'catch a train. I decided t'walk cause I didn't want Shaw to acuse me o'horse theivin'. I wouldn't put it past that blackheart t'do that either. I just wanted t'lay low an' get the hell outta West Virginia. It might be pretty land wit' rollin' hills, but the people are hard an' hateful.
I had Imogene (I never liked the name Shaw picked out, Lydia, and always wanted Imogene as her name) buddled up so she wouldn't be cold. I was holdin' her close t'my breast an' she was sleepin' soundly. She was a good baby; always slept good.
My legs felt like jelly as I walked an' I was so tired, but I knew that I had t'press on. My future an' my daughter's depended on it. I couldn't afford t'sit an' rest a spell, I had'a make it t'Charleston by dawn in order t'catch an early train to the hub in New York's Grand Central so I could catch the transcontinental t'San Francisco. At least there I had Jenny and Amsterdam t'help me, more then what I'd say 'bout Mate Creek.
I only wish I was a fly on the wall t'watch Shaw when he wakes up an' finds his Lydia an' me both gone. I wonder if the blackhearted bastard'll break or just turn more hateful.
AN:
And there ya have it, folks. Olga was able to leave with Lydia aka Imogene. So, do you think Shaw's talk with Anse is gonna work or not? And what do you think about Olga's last line, will the loss of Lydia turn Shaw hateful or break him emotionally? Does he have a heart or is he really a blackheart?
Anyways, next chapter Shaw discovers Lydia is gone and all hell breaks loose. Also, Brenton and Jessa have a chat at Sunday dinner and he reveals some details about Tolbert and Shaw from their childhood. Plus, Cap and Allie's reaction to Olga leaving will be featured too.