*Author's Note*

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

Once again, we got another (quick) update. Yay!

The face claim for Granny Delize Vance is Glenn Close.

Hillbilly Justice & Hillbilly Hell

Tolbert POV:

I was sittin' at my mama's supper table, drinkin' a cup o'coffee while she was next t'me fussin' ov'r the fact that I could've died. Poppy was pacin' the floors, waitin' for Jim, Pharmer, Calvin, an' Bud to return from Pikeville wit' Perry an' Brenton. Don't know why he wanted 'em for legal advice for, fact is Shaw Eldridge burnt my house down wit' me in it, attemptin' t'murder me. No advice needed, only prosecution.

"Ya gotta stay 'ere, where it's safe, for a while, son." Mama told me wit' a soft, but worried look in her eyes as she patted my hand that was restin' on the table.

I just nodded, sippin' on my coffee. I knew I was stuck movin' back home since it's winter; too cold t'camp out at my still.

Poppy stopped his pacin' only to look at me an' say, "Don't worry, Tolbert, once Perry an' Brenton get 'ere they'll help us get justice for the attempted murder that heathen did t'ya."

Settin' my coffee on the table, I remarked, "He better hang for this."

'Fore my folks could reply t'my remark, the door opened an' Bud walked inside. "We brought Perry an' Brenton, poppy."

Perry Cline walked thru the door, followed by Brenton, while sayin', "Randall, Jim told me that you needed to see me right away."

"What's so urgent that I was dragged out of bed and out here for?" Brenton Landon added wit' a tired an' aggravated tone as he walked into the house with my brothers right 'hind him.

"Shaw Eldridge burnt down Tolbert's house wit' him in it, attemptin' t'murder him, only hours 'go t'nite." Poppy told the lawyers as they walked over to him.

Lookin' at me, Brenton asked with an arched brow, "Is this true, Tolbert?"

"Of course, it's true, Brenton. Randall wouldn't have sent for us if it wasn't." Perry told his brother-in-law 'fore I even got a chance to open my mouth an' answer the man. Perry came over to the table an' took a seat next to me 'fore sayin', "Tolbert, you've got a case against Shaw Eldridge on the account of arson and attempted murder. I'll talk to Judge Wagner to get an official warrant for his arrest along with a trial date."

"He'll hang, right?" I asked, wantin' that bastard t'pay for everthin' he's done. For burnin' my house, tryin' t'kill me, an' stealin' my family from me.

"Yes, when the jury convicts him of his crimes he'll hang." Perry Cline assured me, noddin' his head and pattin' my shoulder.

"Good." I simply said, pickin' my coffee cup up an' bringin' it to my lips.

Once Shaw was done an' gone I'd be able t'live my life wit' Jessa an' Silas once 'gain. We'd be happy, like we were 'fore that Vance bastard meddled an' stole her 'way.

Jessa POV:

The living room was lit up softly with a couple of wall scones as I sat on the sofa waiting for Shaw to walk thru the door. I was worried sick; so many things were going thru my head right now. God, Sally's crazed ramblings were in the forefront of my mind. I was afraid that Shaw had killed Tolbert.

I was broken from my thoughts whenever I heard the door creak open. I turned my attention to the front door only to see my fiancé walking thru it. Taking his black Stetson off and hanging it on the wall hook, he stated in a level tone, "I see you're up, honey."

"What the hell did you do, Shaw?" I immediately asked, cutting right to the chase instead of making small talk, as I watched him take off his jacket and hang it up.

"I did what I had to do." Shaw remarked, walking away from the hooks by the door and into the main room.

"Meaning what, Shaw?" I pressed as he took a seat next to me on the sofa.

"Meaning that Tolbert won't bother us again." He answered, causing a chill to run down my spine, as he leaned back into the sofa.

"You killed him?" I asked in a flat tone even tho it sounded more like a statement.

"Maybe, I mean me and Jim set his house on fire so…" Shaw answered me, his deep timbre drifting off at the end of his sentence.

"What? Jim helped you commit arson while Tolbert's asleep inside the house? How could you do that?" I asked in a slew of back to back questions. Shaking my head, I added in the quip of, "I thought you'd talk to him, not try to make fried chicken out of him."

Shaw looked straight ahead at the flames that were flickering in the fireplace. His honey eyes seemed transfixed on the dancing red and orange flames as he told me in a shameless tone, "The time for talkin's done, Jessa. He destroyed my livery so I destroyed his cabin. The scales are leveled now and if the drunk was passed out and burnt up," Shaw shrugged, "oh well…"

Shaking my head incredulously, I sighed, "I just can't believe you did that. Why would you do that for? It's insane and mean."

"It might be insane and mean to you, but here it's considered justice. The law's worth a bucket of spit in these hills so the only way to go is hillbilly justice." Looking me straight in the eyes, he firmly told me, "I'm not gonna apologize for what I did tonight cause I did it to protect our family."

"Oh, you really think this is going to protect our family?" Before Shaw could say yes, which I knew he was gonna do, I quickly followed up my rhetorical question with the outburst of, "Damnit, Shaw, Tolbert is Sally's favorite child and she's been babbling for years that you're gonna kill her baby. This is gonna send the McCoys after you like a bloodhound."

"We're living amidst the bloodiest feud in history, the McCoys are gonna be after us just cause I'm a Vance bastard." Shaw reminded me, even tho I didn't need him too. I mean it was hard to forget about the feud when it was around you in some way, shape, and form every single day.

"I'm pregnant, Shaw, and I can't handle stress and fighting right now." I wanted to tell him about the baby in a nicer way, but his little arson stunt with Jim Vance left me no choice, but to blurt out the news tonight.

"You're pregnant? Really, babe?" Shaw asked with an awed look all over his face.

"Yea, roughly a month along." I told him, in a way wanting him to know that the baby was most likely his. I knew that Shaw wasn't like Tolbert and won't shun the baby, but I guess I still wanted him to know that the baby was a result of his passionate and overactive libido.

Shaw grinned as he proudly said, "Well, that's good news."

"Yes, it is." I nodded. A small smile ghosted my lips since I was happy about being pregnant, especially since I wasn't sure I'd be able to even get pregnant. This new baby was a blessing. "But you can't be going tit for tat with Tolbert anymore, not now that I'm pregnant."

"Okay, Jessa, I'll leave him alone from now on. I promise." Shaw vowed, but only because he just found out that he was going to be a daddy again. I wasn't stupid, I knew that he didn't want me stressed while pregnant since my pregnancy and birth with Silas was so hard.

Sully POV:

Since Uncle Jim went to work at the lumber mill, I was home alone this morning. I was sitting in the main room of the house, reading the paper while having a cup of coffee. The house, even tho my uncle and his dog weren't home, smelled heavily of tobacco, cheap whiskey, and stinky dog. After staying with Jim for a couple of years I've gotten used to the smell, but I still put a bowl of potpourri out every now and then to try and freshen up the cabin's smell.

My attention was taken off of the article I was reading whenever a knock sounded at the door. Placing both my paper and coffee mug on the side table by my chair, I stood up and made my way over to the door. I opened it prepared to say hello only to see my best friend, Brenton, standing on the porch. "Brenton, what're you doing here? Shouldn't you be at Perry's law office working as a clerk?"

Brenton had a solemn look on his face as he told me, "Perry's speaking with Judge Tobias Wagner over at the Pikeville Courthouse about your son."

"About my son? Why, what did Shaw do?" I asked as a mixed sense of panic and dread washed over me. If Perry was talking to a Kentucky judge then my son was in some waist deep trouble.

"He burnt down Tolbert's house last night." Brenton told me in a very factual tone, one that I myself use on my students.

"What?" Fell out of my mouth before I could think better of it.

Brenton just ignored my blurted out one word question and went on to say in his factual and legal minded way, "Since Tolbert was inside at the time, Perry's making a criminal case for arson and attempted murder charges."

"So, Perry's getting a warrant signed for my son's arrest today is what you're telling me." I stated, not asked, since that's what I gathered from what my best friend told me.

"Yes, I'm afraid so." My friend nodded, confirming what I already figured out.

"Thank you for telling me, but you better get back to Pikeville so I can deal with this." I quickly dismissed Brenton

I knew that Uncle Jim was the family pyro and the only one that knew how to make Molotov cocktails; that he either gave my son the tools to set Tolbert's cabin ablaze or helped him do it. I needed to confront Jim about the mess he got my son into. I also needed to find a lawyer to represent my pyro in training son too cause I'm sure in a couple of hours Shaw'll be locked up in the Pikeville Jail.

A Short Time Later…

"Jim, you crazy old bastard, what did you help Shaw do last night?" I asked in a loud demanding shout while marching over to where Jim and Cap were patrolling near the base of a hill not that far from the entrance of the lumber mill.

Cap just gave our uncle an arched brow look. Clearly, he was curious to hear what Jim had to say.

"Burn down Tolbert McCoy's shithole." Nonchalantly flowed out of Uncle Jim's mouth. God, he said it as it wasn't a big deal, even tho it was. Only my crude uncle would act as if trying to burn somebody alive in their house was normal.

"Yea, I thought so since Brenton Landon showed up on our doorstep to warn me about how Perry Cline's obtaining a warrant to pick up Shaw with for the charges of arson and attempted murder." I deadpanned, giving my uncle a hard and narrow look.

"Ah, too bad Tolbert McCoy didn't burn up in that cabin of his." Uncle Jim sarcastically chuckled.

"This isn't funny, Jim. My son's gonna get charged; could end up at the gallows for this." I spat, finding my uncle's amused attitude appalling. How could he chuckle at a time like this, what he helped my son do could get my boy convicted and hanged by the neck.

Uncle Jim rolled his eyes and scoffed, "Shaw ain't gonna get found guilty."

"Like hell he ain't, he's gonna get taken to Kentucky for his trial and that's McCoy territory." Cap remarked, his deep timbre serious, as he gave our uncle a pointed look with his mismatched eyes. At least he got how drastic the situation was.

Uncle Jim didn't look worried at all. A smirk crossed his face as he drawled out in his crochety timbre, "Hell, he was just retailatin' 'gainst Tolbert's attack on his livery."

"Tolbert attacked the livery?" I asked since I didn't know about that. Brenton didn't tell me that Tolbert set things in motion and provoked my son. Hell, those two have been at each other's throats since they were kids. First it was over marbles and card games, but now it was about property and my son's woman.

"Yep." Uncle Jim popped his tongue with the slow nod of his head. "Busted it all up and even set all 'em animals free." Hell, no wonder my son burnt down Tolbert's house. He was settling the score. "Shaw asked me for a loan, but I didn't have the money he needed so I told him to take his family down to my mama's to ask for the loan."

"So, he's on his way to Tazewell to see Granny Delize then." I concluded, causing Jim to just nod his head at me.

"Hell, after a visit with her jail'll seem like a holiday." Cap chuckled, shaking his head in an amused gesture.

God, out of all of us only Jim thought his mother was normal. Nobody in the family particularly liked the woman. She wasn't the type of grandma to bake cookies and give you lots of hugs and kisses. Nope, that woman was the type to kick you out of her will cause you made a snide remark about her bean soup (she did that to my cousin Jonas when we were teens and as I understand she still hasn't re-added him to her will yet) and she was also the type to smack you across the head so hard that you'd fly off your chair. Yep, Granny Delize was a hard woman. I only visited her once a year (just to show face) and that was even too much.

God, I sure do hope that Jessa can handle Granny Delize's ways. Oh, and since the last time Shaw saw the old hag was when he graduated high school, I doubt he's going to get a warm reception from her. I hope she loans him the money, but with her attitude…well…good luck.

"Well, since Shaw's out of town it looks like I'll have a few days to get him a lawyer and prepare for his arrest." I sighed out in relief. Thank god I had some time to find a lawyer for my impulsive boy. Damnit, if he wouldn't thought his actions thru I wouldn't be trying to help him clean up his mess (one that he doesn't even know about yet).

"Go talk to Devil Anse 'bout that." Uncle Jim told me before quickly adding in, "If he don't know somebody then Wall sure will."

I just nodded my head at my uncle before walking off towards a stack of lumber that Anse was at. Anse was counting the boards, using his pipe to point at the stacks he was mentally tallying, whenever I reached his side. "Anse, Jim told me you might know a lawyer."

Looking at me, my cousin asked, "Why'd you need a lawyer for, Sully?"

"Got word from Brenton Landon that Perry Cline's getting Judge Tobias Wagner to sign a warrant for my son's arrest on the charges of arson and attempted murder since he burnt down Tolbert McCoy's house last night."

"I'll talk to my friend, John B. Floyd about it."

"Thank you, Anse."

Anse pointed his pipe at me while saying, "You're welcome, but you need to remind your son that I'm the head of this family and attacks against the McCoys that I didn't approve of ain't right and won't be tolerated."

I nodded my head before explaining, "He only attacked Tolbert cause he busted up his livery."

"Ah, he was leveling the scales, but McCoy and the skunk Cline ain't lettin' it stay leveled." My cousin said knowingly, sticking his pipe into the corner of his mouth. "Don't worry, I'll make sure that John B. Floyd helps your son win over the Kentucky courts." Anse told me, patting my shoulder before walking off towards one of the large saws.

God, he better or else my son is a dead man. Damnit, I reckon if things don't work out, I can just go back in time and prevent my son from returning to the Tug River Valley.

Jessa POV:

For hours on end Shaw drove us down an open and desolate road out of West Virginia and into Virginia (where Granny Delize lived). The air was cold and biting, accenting the silence that hung heavily over our wagon. Nobody talked as we took our family road trip to Tazewell (some town close to the West Virginia-Virginia border). My fiancé seemed very tense, gripping the reigns with a white-knuckle grip, as he drove. I could tell that he was dreading seeing his great-grandma just by the way his body language was. I couldn't help, but to wonder why Shaw was nervous to see Granny Delize.

"How much longer, Shaw? I'm tired." Mary asked in a half-yawn.

"Not much longer." Shaw told his sister before pointing to the left and adding in, "It's that farmhouse in the distance over there."

I looked over in the direction that Shaw was pointing to only to see a 2-stoy farm house that had both a large front porch and a small porch off of the side/kitchen. The house also stood out in the snow since it was painted butter-yellow. It also had white trim and a red brick chimney shooting out of the roof. I also noticed that like all farm houses, a barn, outhouse, and other outbuildings were scattered in various distances behind it. The land Granny Delize's house was on seemed to go on and on and since it wasn't fenced in; I wondered exactly how many acres the old woman owned.

"Let me do all the talking." Shaw told us as he turned off the main road and onto the small path that led to the Vance farmhouse. "Granny Delize can be a bit…uh…much…"

"Okay." Todd and Mary said in unison, no doubt nodding their heads too.

Believing that my fiancé was over exaggerating, I told him, "She can't be that bad, Shaw."

Shaw just shook his head at me while stating in a half-hiss, "She raised Jim Vance, honey. She's worse than 'that bad'."

"Considering what you and Jim did last night you don't have any room to talk, hun." I remarked with the slight tilt of my head.

"Jessa, don't go there." Shaw gritted thru his teeth, snapping the reigns to make the team of horses pull our wagon faster.

I didn't say a word, just watched Granny Delize's farm house get closer and closer as we rode down the snow-covered path to it.

Within minutes, Shaw pulled our wagon to a stop a few feet from the front porch of the house. Silently, we all got out of the wagon. "Stand by Jessa when we get up to the door, okay you two." Shaw told his siblings as we made our way up the porch.

"Okay." Todd and Mary said in unison as they walked in front of us.

"Babe, don't stand too close to me. Okay." Shaw told me as we stepped onto the porch, getting ready to walk to the front door, that still had a Christmas wreath on it.

"Okay…" I let out, a bit confused on why Shaw didn't want us too close to him while he knocked on the front door, as I adjusted the babies on both of my sides since their weight was talking a small toll on my hips and back.

"Well, here goes nothin'…" Shaw mumbled under his breath before knocking on Granny Delize's door. Half a minute later, the door flung open and an old woman with a sharp angled face and a head full of white hair (that was pulled back into a very messy bun) stepped onto the porch. Looking between her and Shaw I realized where him and all of the men in his family got their facial structure from, her gene pool. Holding his arms out and going in to hug his great-grandma, Shaw greeted the woman with a warm, "Hey, Granny Delize."

Shaw never got to hug the old woman because she just hauled off and smacked him hard across the face. So hard that he stumbled, lost his balance, and fell flat on his ass. Pointing her old boney finger down in his face, Granny Delize barked, "Don't ya 'Hey, Granny Delize' me ya lil fuckin' piece of shit." As Shaw pushed himself up off the porch floor, the old woman continued her rant with, "Ya haven't seen me in two damn years, but ya show up wantin' a hug. Hell, bet you're broke and need money; decided to hit up ol' Granny Delize since I got more money than god." Before Shaw could open his mouth, Delize turned her attention to me. "So, you're his woman I take it." With a snigger she added, "I don't know whether to pray for ya or give ya a drink for puttin' up with Shaw's bullshit." A smile appeared on her face as she let out the slight chuckle of, "Oh, looks like I'm a great-great-granny now.", as she looked at the babies slung on each of my hips.

"Cap, er William Junior, has a baby too. Couple weeks younger than our son." Shaw told his great-granny, no doubt as a way to get back into her good graces and get the heat off of himself.

"That fuckin' shit, I didn't know that. Oh, if he ever visits me I'll beat the tar outta him." Delize ranted, shaking her head in a disgusted manner. Yep, the heat was definitely redirected onto Cap now.

"Uh, can we come in?" I asked since it was cold out and I didn't want the babies to freeze to death. Hell, why are we even still on the porch for anyways? Normal grandma's just let their children inside. Oh, yea, that's right nothing about Shaw's family is normal.

"Reckon so since ya came all this way and got bags wit'cha." Granny Delize remarked while stepping away from the door and onto the porch. Oh, so she finally noticed the bags that Todd and Mary were carrying. So nice of her to do that… "Shaw, ya know where things are so make yourself at home. I gotta go skin that possum I caught earlier near my chicken coop so I can make some possum pie for dinner." The old woman told my fiancé before walking by us, down the porch steps, and to where her dead or about to be dead possum was being kept.

Jesus Christ, she's making possum pie for dinner. Did I die and go to hillbilly hell? Dear lord…

Shaw gave me a 'I told you so' look before leading all of us into his great-grandma's house. The house that we'd be staying in for the next few days.

AN:

Well, that meeting/family reunion with Granny Delize went well huh… So, what do you guys think about Perry Cline helping Tolbert press charges on Shaw? All of this rivalry between Shaw and Tolbert's impacting the Hatfield & McCoy feud, hmm… And Sully's remark about going back to the future to prevent Shaw from returning to Mate Creek (if he's found guilty of his charges) was interesting wasn't it?