*Author's Note*
Thank you for the favs, follows, and reviews.
Allie's estranged uncle, Silas 'Sill' Payne gets his big introduction in this. His face claim is Frank Grillo.
Mate Creek & Monty Creek
Shaw POV:
My wife was fast asleep as I snuck out of our bed and pulled on my shirt, pants, and boots as quietly as I could. As was my routine every night, I waited til my wife was in a deep sleep before throwing myself thru time in order to get a drink at a random bar. Since I had a real bad hankerin' so some whiskey tonight, I didn't even bother to grab my hat from the hook by the front door. Nope, I just stood a little way off from my bed and muttered to my ring that I needed to go to a bar where I'd be safe from anyone huntin' my head.
As usual, the universe tossed my ass in an alley by a bar. As I stood up and got my bearings, I noticed that the alleyway was dark and that old-fashioned oil lamps lit up the street. The smell of salt water tickled my nostils, making me realize that I was somewhere near the coast. I knew I wasn't in Florida tho since the alleyway leading to that barn wasn't so crammed and dirty looking, plus it was too chilly to be Florida. If I had to guess I'd say that I was in the Carolinas or maybe even Coastal Virginia.
I could hear bawdy singing echoing from the bar as I slowly walked out of the alley. The song, from what I could make out, sounded like a sailor's song. So, most likely I was in the coastal Carolinas since there's plenty of ports around their in-time period times. I mean it's not cold enough to be New England so…
I noticed that the wooden sign signing on an iron bar jutting out of the tavern's wall read Shanty Seas. Hmm, so I'm at a time period sailor's bar then. Hmm… Well, a bar's a bar. I just shrugged and opened the door to the tavern, only to be bombarded by the loud offkey singing of drunken men. Walking inside I quickly discovered that it was a bit dark and dingy despite the lanterns on the wall and the candles flickering on the table. I also noticed that some of the men were wearing tri-corn hats and I knew, just knew, that my stupid ring had tossed me back into colonial times.
Well shit…Looks like I'm going to be drinking ale in a dark back corner while trying to lay low. Stupid ring. Of course, I don't have any time period money so I have to steal some ale from some drunk that's ot payin' attention and book it to a back-corner table.
After successfully jackin' a pint of ale from some guy that was took busy stuffing his face down the front of some bar wrench's corset-blouse I found a nice spot in a dark corner. Actually, it was the only spot in the dark corner. It wasn't a table either, but a barrel. Eh, it works I reckon.
So, I was sipping my ale (which wasn't that bad) whenever the door came crashin' open followed by loud greeting and cheers for somebody named E.J. Since the name sounded familiar, I craned my neck to see who this man they were bawdily greeting was only to see nonother then E.J. Brooksdale. What the fuck?!
"So, E.J., ya scallywag, how was that smugglin' route with the Captain?" The barkeep asked the tall ginger as he took a seat at the bar.
"Went as well as could be. Those damn fuckin' redcoats didn't even know that we smuggled rum and other illicit items into port." E.J. chuckled, his voice deep and boomin' with mirth, as the barkeep placed a tankard full of ale in front of him.
What? He's a smuggler during the revolution? I mean it was during the Revolutionary War that people called the British soldiers redcoats.
"Heard word that a war's breaking out up yonder in Boston."
"Is that so?" E.J. asked, leaning forward on an elbow with an interested look on his ginger scruff covered face.
The way the candlelight from the cast iron chandelier above his seat at the bar glowed over his features made a chain around his neck glint. But with the way he bent forward the pendant on his chain slipped out of his shirt, but to my surprise it wasn't a pendant, but my ring. It was my time traveling snake ring with the ruby eyes. The very same one that I was currently wearing.
Holy shit, he was Endor. What the fuck? It couldn't be, but that's what everything was pointing too.
Instead of listening in on his conversation with the barkeep, I scurried off to find the back door. I needed to leave and go home. I had to prevent my boy from becoming Brock Brooksdale's stepson at all costs, come hell or high water.
Brock POV:
It was mid-morning and I was sitting in my office, sippin' on coffee and writing up a will for a client, whenever a knock sounded at my door. With a sigh, I set down my cup and rose from my desk. I walked out of my office, secretly hoping that T.C. wasn't at the door, and down the hall to my entrance way. Once at the door, I answered it only to see that Fred Wolford was at my door. What the hell is he doing here?
"Western Union came in for ya from Washington, Brock." He told me, pulling a piece of paper out of his pocket and handing it to me.
"Thank you." I told the mailman, causin' him to nod and walk off my porch.
Curiously, I leaned against my doorjamb and read the Western Union.
Get Johnse and Roseanna Hatfield on a train headed west. My wife does not and I repeat does not want them in the Tug anymore. Tension is too high.
Well shit, now I'm stuck escorting Hatfields to a train station. My brother's wife would be friends with Roseanna. With a sigh, I folded up the note, shoved it into the pocket of my waistcoat, and went inside to grab my hat and jacket.
Meanwhile In West Virginia…
Roseanna POV:
"Johnse, these paper stories are gettin' real bad. It's scarin' me a bit." I told my husband, gesturin' to the paper he was readin', as I sat on the floor with Sarah Elizabeth while teachin' her to play Patty-Cake.
"Don't be scared, my beautiful sweet darlin'. Nothin' in these papers are gonna hurt ya." Johnse softly told me in a tone that was s'posed to be reassurin'.
"But what's in there could make people mad 'nough t'hurt you tho, Johns." I countered him, remindin' him that his name was Hatfield an' everything in the papers painted Hatfields out to be bad.
Lookin' over his paper, he assured me in a soft tone, "Nobody's gonna hurt me, Rosie." Turning the page, he added in the sigh, "But they might hurt daddy or Cap, hell even Shaw."
"I doubt anybody'll hurt Shaw. He's too much of a snake to die." I scoffed in a bitter tone before helpin' Sarah Elizabeth clap her hands in a Patty-Cake pattern.
"But darlin', he's kin an' you can't just go 'round callin' him a snake."
"He's done an' said so much, Johnse. I just don't trust him, not all the way."
"I know, darlin', I know, but we need to move past that. Tolbert's alive an' well so…no harm done…"
"I don't like how our folks' are at each other; killin' eachother an' the papers are just printin' stories 'bout it every other week. How're we ever to live in peace if everyone's always riled up."
"Rose-" Johnse softly began only for me to cut him off with a cry of, "I'm scared for Sarah Elizabeth, Johns. I don't want her growin' up torn 'tween two families that're always killin' ov'r nothin' an' everythin'."
With a deep sigh, Johns put down his paper and made his way over to me. Sittin' down next to me an' wrappin' his arms 'round me, he pressed a kiss to my temple and promised me, "I won't let nothin' happen to ya or our baby girl. Sarah Elizabeth'll grow up good, that I'll make sure of."
Brock POV:
Roughly an hour after leavin' my house, I pulled up to a modest cabin. It was too close to the Tug to be considered safe, which is probably why my brother told me to get them on a train out of West Virginia. With the price on his head and the stories T.C. keeps printing about Devil Anse and the Hatfields harming the McCoys, well I'm sure soon enough somebody's going to want to cash in on that. I mean it wouldn't be too hard to take down Johnse either since he's a shiner, seems to be too gullible and trustin' too from what I've heard.
With a sigh, I climbed down from my buggy and made my way over to the front steps and onto the small porch. Quickly, I went over to the door and knocked on it. I heard the shuffling of somebody crossing the room before the door opened. Standing right in the open doorway was Johnse. He just gave me a uzzled look and asked, "Can I help ya?"
"I'm Nova's brother-in-law, Brock, and she told me to send you and your family West." I politely told the blonde pretty boy that was standing in front of me.
"Why?" Johnse asked with a scrunched up look on his face.
Dear lord, he really is a dense ond ain't he? "Cause she's worried about ya'lls safety, that's why."
"But we ain't got no money to go West. Hell, we're gettin' by as it is right now from my shining, but a trip West'll set us back."
"It ain't a trip, Johnse, but a permanent move. One that has to be done unless you want your family torn apart." I informed the shiner, who's face showed the signs of his mind mulling over my words.
"Come inside. I needa tell my wife we gotta pack up and leave right 'way."
I just nodded and walked into the house as soon as Johnse stepped aside. No sooner then I set foot into the house Johnse was going into the kitchen while shoutin' that they had to pack up and leave cause Nova sent somebody to get them on a train headed west.
So, while I sat on a chair waiting around like some kind of asshole, Johnse and Roseanna packed up a few things that they wanted to take with them. I don't know how long it took, but after what felt like forever they stood in front of me packed and ready to go. Johnse held a pair of bags in each hand while Roseana alanced their baby on her hip.
"Ready to go?" I asked, standing up since I was ready to take them to Charleston.
"We're only going cause Nova sent ya. If she wants us to leave then she must know something since Perry Cline's her uncle." Roseanna told me, giving me a leery look.
"I understand." I nodded. I wasn't offended by her being a bit untrustful of me. Hell, if I was in her shoes, I'd probably feel the same way.
"Come on, my beautiful sweet darlin'. We're gonna go to Oregon like we always talked 'bout and start up a new fresh life 'way from all the hate an' killin' our families keep doin' to one 'nother." Johnse told his wife in a positive and cheerful tone before usherin' her out of the house and over to my buggy.
Monty Creek, Western PA
Sill Payne POV:
I walked into the shithole store to get some supplies, only for the damn clerk to stare at me wit' furrowed brows. "What, Pete?" I asked in a loud gruffy snap of my voice while goin' over to the clerk's counter.
Pete had a tentative look on his face as he asked, "Uh, didn't ya say once at the tavern that you had a sister? That she married a man called Freeland; but ya lost touch wit' her when they moved south 'fore the war."
"Yea, why?"
The clerk chewed the inside of his cheek 'fore tellin' me, "Um, I think ya gotta niece in trouble with Devil Anse Hatfield."
"WHAT?!" I exclaimed; my eyes wide with horror. Devil Anse was known in a four-state radius to be a real deadly, cold, and shrewd loggin' man that was in a blood feud with an old friend turn foe: McCoy. If my niece, who wasn't even born the last time I seen my sister, was in trouble with that man then I needed to get her out of it 'fore she ended up dead.
"There's a story in a big New York paper I read the other day cause my brother sent me a stack of papers from New York to read, he does that when the stories are good, and I read that a man married to Nancy McCoy, Abel Freeland, claims that Devil Anse locked his sister in a barn. That Allie, his sister, is married to Cap Hatfield too."
"What the fuck? Devil Anse locked my niece, his own daughter-in-law, in his fuckin' barn!"
"Yep. And Cap was supposed to divorce her, but he didn't cause he needed her to take care of their kids."
"Fuck…" I swore, my breath lingering out in the air. Goddamn, Pete was right, my niece is in trouble with Devil Anse. Shit, I walked into this store for supplies, but got a damnin' revelation 'bout my kin. Knowin' that if I didn't do nothin', my niece and her kids would most likely suffer, I told the store clerk, "Deliver my usual supplies to my cabin an' put it on my charge. I gotta get down to West Virginia to get my niece divorced and moved up here to safety."
"Sure thing, Sill." Pete nodded his head.
"And make sure to tell Ned where I went so he don't worry." I added in since I didn't want my boy worryin' when I didn't come home today. He tended to be a worry wort ever since his ma died last year of the fever. He was a clinger and didn't like it when I didn't come home. Yea, so let's just say that I quickly became a day patron at the whorehouse cause of that.
"Ya want me to take 'im home with me?"
"Nah, he's almost 9, he'll be fine with some supplies. Just remind him to lock the door."
"Okay."
I gave the clerk a nod before pivotin' on my foot and storming over to the door. Quickly, I walked outside and went across the street to the hardware store to buy some more ammo for my pistols that I always wore strapped on me, even tho Monty Creek was a quiet shithole up near Thatcher Mountain in the middle of fuckin' nowhere Pennsylvania. Old habits die hard I reckon. Damn, did my years of servin' under Sherman fuck up my head…Eh, good thing it did or else I wouldn't be ridin' off into the middle of Hatfield run West Virginia to get my niece out of whatever trouble she married herself into.
My nephew was as much of an asshole as his father or else he would've done somethin' 'bout his sister instead of whining to a newspaper 'bout it. Eh, reckon he's too busy buryin' himself balls deep into his McCoy wife to pay any attention to his sister's problems. I only met the little shit once when he was a bay and he was a bad one back then. Lil fucker spit up on me when I held him.
After loadin' up on ammo, I retrieved my horse, Gideon, from the hitch-post by the store and rode off south, towards the direction of West Virginia. Goddamnit, those fuckin' hillbillies better not give me any problems or else I'll put a bullet in all of their goddamned heads; then they won't have to worry 'bout 'em McCoys huntin' them down no mores. Devil Anse was gonna make sure that his son gave my niece a divorce an' the kids or else his son will be gettin' a bullet thru the eyeball. One way or the other, I'm bringin' my niece and her kids back to Monty Creek with me where they'll be safe.
I failed in watchin' over my sister, but I ain't gonna fail my niece. A niece I didn't even know that I had til now too boot.
AN:
Hope you guys liked this chapter. It was more or less a filler. So, Shaw figured out who E.J. is and his secret (he time travels with the ring too). Brock got Johnse and Roseanna to the train station so they can escape anything bad that's coming up. Yikes! Uncle Sill Payne wants to break up Cap and Allie. Any thoughts on that?