*Author's Note*

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

WARNING!: Tarot cards are used in this and I know nothing about that stuff, just winged it and used google to get info about how they're read and their meanings. Yep, Sully's involved in some mystical shit… Randall would have a conniption fit if he knew that huh?

Anywho, since Peter (the dead drunk step-daddy Shaw hates) is mentioned again I decided to give him a face claim. His face claim is Daniel Day Lewis.

Hard Truths

Abel POV:

The alarm went off, ringing loudly in the air and piercing my ears. Blindly, since I still had my eyes closed, I stretched out my arm and patted my hand around my small nightstand til I was able to turn off the alarm. Oh god how I missed iPhone alarms right now, so much easier to turn off then old-fashioned crank clocks. Their sound also didn't go right thru you like the brass bells of old-fashioned alarm clocks either. I let out a little groan, rubbed the sleep from my eyes, and sat up in bed. Right away I spotted my drunk ginger cousin-in-law sprawled out on a pallet set up between the stove and kitchen table. He was snoring, most likely from being blackout drunk. Great, looks like I'm not getting any morning coffee til I get to the lumber yard since Tolbert's blocking the path to the stove. Damnit…

Carefully, I got out of bed so that I wouldn't wake Nancy. Yea, my wife wasn't much of a mornin' person and could be a downright bitch if woken before she naturally wanted to open her eyes. I hated dealing with her when she was woken from her beauty sleep cause I caught hell for it. Letting out a small sigh, I stood up and proceeded to grab my clothes from the small dresser that was in the corner of the room by my bed. Quickly, I dressed and put on my boots. As I was walking by the bed Nancy rolled over and I felt myself hold my breath, hoping that she didn't stir awake. When she remained asleep, I let out the breath I was holding and headed towards the door.

Unfortunately for me, the sounds of my boots thumping on the floor woke up Tolbert. "Ya headin' out?" The drunk groggily asked while sittin' up.

"Yea, I do work for a living you know." I deadpanned, feeling a bit aggravated that he'd even ask me that at the ass-crack of dawn. No, I'm off to go hunt and flay some peeps Ramsay Bolton style, like of course I'm heading off to work you fucking douchenugget. Yea…can't tell Tolbert that even tho I want to cause it'd just go right over his hot-head.

"Make any coffee?" Of course, he's askin' me that. Jesus, is it too much for this man to make his own coffee? I mean I'm sure he was doing that for himself before Shaw burnt his house down. Damnit, that crazy dude would burn down Tolbert's house.

"No, don't got time or I'll be late." I half-lied since I just didn't bother with the coffee cause I didn't want Tolbert waking up, something he did anyways.

"Oh." Tolbert simply told me as he stood up from his makeshift bed (a bunch of blankets thrown on my floor).

"You selling your shine today?" I asked, needing conformation that my cousin-in-law was going to be doing more then hanging around my house all day.

"Maybe." Tolbert shrugged before picking up his blankets and telling me, "I gotta check my still tho."

I nodded, accepting his answer the best that I could, before bluntly asking, "It's spring now, you going to rebuild your house soon?"

While going over to the far corner of the room to drop off his bedding, he told me, "I ain't won back Jessa yet, no need to rebuild so soon. 'Sides, Nancy said I could stay 'ere as long as she's 'ere."

"Of course, you're welcomed to stay." I gritted out, feeling my blood boiling hotter than Heat Miser's. "But I advise you not to wait on Jessa to rebuild cause you ain't winning her back anymore then I'm gonna be the next King of England." I told Tolbert before walking over to the door and out of my cabin, slamming said door behind me (due to frustration at having to house and fed that ginger drunk).

"Goddamnit! Who slammed that door?!" My wife yelled from inside the house upon bein' woken up as I marched over to the stable to grab my horse. Whoops, my bad. I woke up sleepin' beauty and turned her into the goddamn dragon lady. Great, I'm never gonna hear the end of it when I get home. I swear, my life was so much easier before I got married.

*A Short While Later…*

"Hey, there any coffee warmed up?" I asked my brother-in-law as soon as I dismounted my horse and hitched it up with the others at the logging camp.

Cap was walking around with Jim Vance, doing their tour of guard duty, so he was close to the large hitching post and wagon area. Cap just nodded and told me, "Yea, there's a pot hangin' 'bove the fire." Pointing to a metal tripod settled over a small fire, he went on to say, "It's right over yonder."

"What's wrong, that McCoy bride of yours don't make coffee?" Jim Vance asked in a long chuckle, teasing me, as I walked away from my horse.

"Stop ragging me 'bout Nancy. It's not her fault I couldn't get any coffee this morning, but Tolbert's." I snapped at Jim Vance while coming to a stop in front of the large burly man and his one-eyed nephew (who I'm blessed to call uncle-in-law and brother-in-law cause of my sister's marriage.).

Cap gave me an odd look before asking in a low rumble, "Tolbert? Tolbert McCoy's in your house?"

"Ooo, wonder why that is?" The crochety mountain man sarcastically asked, mocking my marriage to Nancy.

Giving Jim a narrowed look, I told both him and Cap, "Nancy's been lettin' him lay low from you ever since he came by ramblin' bout how he stuck Shaw in the lung."

"Harborin' a McCoy's bad for ya, brother." Cap told me in a tone that men usually use when they scold their kids. For the love of god, I'm a grown man not a kid that needs scolding. He needs to save that tone for my nephew.

"I'm not harboring him cause he hasn't been charged with anything." I reminded my brother-in-law as I struggled to keep my cool. I was wanted to tell everyone to fuck and, go to hell, and to leae me alone since every single day's been a shitshow so far for me.

"Reckon your right 'bout that." Jim nodded, slightly shrugging his shoulders. Spitting out a large wad of tobacco juice, he went on to say in a proud tone, "Shaw'd rather kill him when he least expects it then lettin' the law deal wit' him."

Is this guy for real right now? Dear god, why is he always talking about killing McCoys? No wonder Shaw's nuts, his Uncle Jim's nuts. Cap didn't say a word, but he did crack a grin at his uncle's words. Fuck, now my brother-in-law's gone and lost it too. Lucky me.

"Hell, stop talking about killing my wife's kin. It ain't bad enough that Tolbert's over done his welcome at my house by gettin' drunk all day instead of sellin' his shine? Shit, I don't need bullshit from all of my in-laws." I blew up at them, earning me pointed looks and shrugs. Feeling frustrated, I just turned my back on them and went over to where the coffee kettle was at.

Today was going to be a long day both at work and at home, I could just feel it in my bones. Just my shitty luck, right?

Sully POV:

I had closed the school down today for a teacher duty day. I told my students yesterday not to come in cause I needed to utilize today to immerse myself with grading all of their reports and assignments from the last couple of days. My students were all to happy for the day off, even if it was based on a white lie. In truth, I already graded their papers, but needed the day off in order to trek deep into the woods hours away to visit Iulia, a Romanian Gypsy woman that made potions and read fortunes. She lived so far in the woods of the Appalachians that I'm pretty sure it was outside of the Logan county line. I made it a habit to visit her every month for both a youth serum and a reading on my son. Hey, I had to stop my aging or else I'd never be able to travel back to the point where I left the future from or the point where my son was enrolled in high school. I needed to stay young so that I'd be able to just pop back to the future if I needed to later on to restart the process of saving my son and in extension my family from the McCoys.

After hours of traveling thru the dense forest, I came upon a colorfully painted wooden caravan/trailer and a small pen filled with goats. Ah, I've arrived at my destination. I dismounted my horse and led it over to a tree. After hitching him up to a branch, I made my way over to the gypsy's trailer and knocked on the door.

"Ah, Sully, I see you've come for your monthly visit as always." Iula told me instead of giving me a greeting after opening up her door. "Come in, I have your vile ready." The woman wearing a red headscarf over her blue-black hair told me before pivoting on her heel and making her way to her fortune reading table, which had a crystal ball and tarot cards on it. "You wish for a reading on your son." She stated, not asked, as she sat down at her table while I walked into her caravan.

I had to hunch down since the roof of the trailer was so low. "Yes, as I always do." I nodded while giving her the same answer, I've been using since I started seeing her many years ago as I made my way over to her table. "My son got hurt a few weeks ago; I fear his life might be in danger." I honestly told the middle-aged gypsy (who I'm sure was an ancestor of the woman that sold my father the enchanted ruby snake ring) as I took a seat across from her.

Iulia just nodded her head and opened up the purple painted chest she kept her tarot cards in. She wiggled her moon, star, and Sanskrit tattooed fingers over the cards while lightly and softly muttering out, "Fates, Gods, and Goddess, show me with the cards the answers this man seeks for his only child." She picked up the cards and dealt them into a spread on the table. One by one she turned them over and studied them, closing her eyes to revel in their meanings.

I waited patiently (okay actually impatiently) for the gypsy to tell me my son's future. Pointing to the first card, she told me, "The first card of his past is the Nine Of Diamonds; it evokes unforeseen events that must be dealt with and the lateness of others. As you know it's an ominous omen."

Yea, I know, my son's entire life up to this point's been dealing with unforeseen events. From me popping into his life suddenly at 12-years-old to him getting stuck in the lung by Tolbert a few weeks back, everything's an unforeseen event for Shaw. I just nodded, prompting her to continue the reading.

"The second card is the Seven Of Swords." She announced after flipping over the card. "As you know it represents lies, trickery, deceit, cheating, and a lack of conscience." She told me like she does every time I come since the Seven Of Swords is always drawn just like the Nine Of Diamonds is too. "I know I always tell you this, but your son's done a lot of manipulating in his short life."

"Damnit, can't you ever pick any other two cards for his past?" I asked in a long sigh, shaking my head and doing a facepalm.

"I only pick the cards the fates provide, nothing more and nothing less." Iulia answered me before flipping over the next card. "Ah, presently drawn is the Eight of Pentacles." She told me, pointing to the card in the middle of the spread "It seems that your son and his lover have built something valuable together."

"Yea, they run a livery and are raising their two children along with his orphaned siblings."

Iulia just nodded at me before flipping over the next card and saying, "The Three of Swords is in your son's future. He shall suffer a great heartbreak and sorrow due to separation and loss."

"What? But he's due to marry at the end of the month."

"What he's due to do and what shall come to pass do not align with the cards fate has dealt for him." Iulia explained while flipping over the final card in the spread.

"Last card of his future is the King of the Clubs. It seems even tho your son shall lose his love he will never stop being the patriarch of his family; protecting his children and lost love from any dangers the fates bring about."

"Well, that's not the worse outcome, but surely not the best either." I sighed while Iulia got up and made her way over to a shelf to grab my draught.

I took my wallet out of my breast pocket and grabbed a dollar from it. As I placed the dollar on the table, she arrived with my youth draught. Extending it to me, she looked at the ring on my hand and said, "I can feel the energy and power radiating off your ring." As I took the vile from her tattooed fingers, she told me, "I can sense you want to use it to help your son, but I highly caution against it." I didn't say a word, just popped the cork on the vile and downed it quickly. "Messing with the powers of time is no small feat; can have effects and reactions in ways that're worse than what the fates have already woven in their tapestries." Iulia told me as I placed the empty vile on the table and stood up.

"I don't need your warning, Iulia. Once I read about my son's fate, I vowed to save him from it anyway I could." I bluntly told the gypsy before quickly storming out of her wooden trailer.

I couldn't save my son from having been treated horrible by Peggy's husband, Peter, since I couldn't convince her to leave him and come away with me in the future, but I was able to save him from that terrible butchering accident by taking him back with me. I also saved the lives of both Allie and Jessa's parents (who were fated to drown in that wagon train accident in the Tug) by bringing them to Tulsa when the girls were babies. Hell, Jessa's mad mother was able to get treatment for her mental illnesses cause of me and Allie's father was able to find a step-mother for his children too. Of course, I wanted the girls to learn about the feud in my history class in order to help me change some of its elements, that was only natural. I also wanted to bring both Jessa and Allie to the Hatfields, but that didn't go as planned since Jessa go swept downriver, but at least she did end up with my son like she was supposed to. Unfortunately, she also got with Tolbert. Seems that I didn't know about that triangle til it was too late, but that's on me since I didn't do enough digging and research on my son's wife and children. Everything I did, do, and will do is for my son and nothing's ever going to change that. Iulia can issue all the warnings she wants; they'll only fall on deaf ears.

Shaw POV:

It was mid-day and I was at my office, just sitting at my desk and sipping on a coffee cup full of shine (but it did have a splash or two of coffee in it for caffeine purposes). Hey, even tho my side was bandaged and healing it still got tender every now and then, thus my need for whiskey. I was alone in the livery since I sent Todd out to make a delivery. He was driving a wagon full of piglets to some farmer an hour or so away since I couldn't do it, I had to manage the office and make sales. I'd just put my cup down and grabbed my cigarette case whenever the doorbell rang. When my eyes looked up from the case I'd just flipped open I was met with the site of Nova Landon-Brooksdale, the only child of my dad's best friend, waltzing into my livery like she owned the place.

As I stuck a cigarette in my mouth and tossed the case back onto my desk, her eyes roamed around my office as she made the remark of, "My pa told me you opened a livery, but I guess I couldn't believe it til I saw it with my own eyes."

Grabbing my matchbox and striking a match, I asked, "What're you doing here, Nova?"

"Well, I was on my way to visit my dearest friend, Roseanna, whenever I spotted your livery and decided to pop on in and say hi." She told me, coming over to my desk and taking a seat in front of it as I lit my smoke. "I heard from my pa that you and Miss Jessa George's got a boy and a girl. Congratulations." She told me with a sincere smile.

"Thanks, but she's been going by Miss Jessa Eldridge since I stuck a ring on her finger." I answered while letting a smoke ring float out of my mouth.

"Oh, I didn't know you were married.' Nova said with an embarrassed look painted on her face. She bit her lip before rambling on with, "Pa never told me that in any of his letters, only that Jessa left Tolbert and made amends with you after ya'll's failed courtship."

Taking a deep drag of my smoke, I honestly told her, "We're engaged; due to be married at the end of the month."

"Oh, I see." The redhead nodded, causing her hair to rustle around her shoulders.

"Where's your husband, out campaigning somewhere?" I asked between drawling on my cigarette.

"No, he's actually over in Pikeville right now entertaining Uncle Perry and pa by letting them see our children." She smiled once she said the word children. I could tell that she enjoyed motherhood by how warm she seemed when she even thought about her kids. Hell, they must be the same age as my kids or close to it.

"Ah." I nodded, tipping some ashes into my ashtray. Reaching for my cup, I asked, "What do you have?"

"A son and a daughter." Nova simply answered. Instead of telling me their names, she went on to make the remark of, "I thought my father would've told your's and you would've heard that way, but reckon I was wrong.", instead.

"I let my dad know that I don't care to hear anything Brenton has to say, especially how his antics nearly lost me that love of my life and my family." I honestly told the petite redhead between sipping on my disguised shine.

"Pa's on the fence when it comes to the feud, he's only trying to do what he feels is best for himself and his family."

Giving her a pointed look, I bluntly asked, "And what side are you on?"

"I side with Roseanna, she's too sweet and caring of a person not to have somebody on her side."

"Then I reckon you're secretly aligned with the Hatfields?" I asked, in so many words wanting to make sure she understood that Roseanna was a Mrs. Hatfield now.

"Since Roseanna's married to Johnse, yes I know." Nova nodded while sitting up a bit straighter in her seat. Pointing to my cup, she bluntly told me, "You keep drinking mugs full of shine and you won't be having a wedding."

"I'm not a drunk, I had an accident a few weeks back." I explained, earning me an eyeroll from the redhead that was decked out in a custom-tailored bustle dress.

"Shaw, I've been to enough social functions in the capitol to know the smell of likker and likker mixed with something and I smell coffee tinted likker rolling off of you like sweat rolls off of a whore on nickel night."

Pointing my cup towards Nova, I suggested in a deep and firm tone, "I think it's time for you to go visit your dearest Roseanna now that you're insulting me."

"I'm not insultin' you, just tellin' you a hard truth you don't seem to want to hear." Nova countered me, trying to make her insult out to be nothing, but helpful. Bitch please, I don't need your help and I'm doing just fine. Damn.

"Get out, Novella." I ordered thru gritted teeth, holding my cup so hard that it was about to crack in my hand.

The redhead didn't say a word, just gave me a curt nod and stood up from her chair. In quick strides she made her way over to the door. Right before opening it she looked over her shoulder and told me, "At least Peter put more then a drop or two of coffee in his whiskey cup."

"Fucking bitch!" I screamed at her as she scurried out of the door. "I'm nothing like that goddamned man! I'm nothing like Peter!" I yelled at the top of my lungs, throwing the cup at the door only to have it bounce off it and hit the wooden floorboards with a loud shatter.

I hated being compared to that hateful, heartless, abusive, drunk dead step-father of mine. Peter did nothing for me, my mom, or my siblings other then scare us to death and keep us under his thumb. Hell, if it wasn't for Sully, I'd either be A.) dead, B.) deformed or some shit, or C.) a fucking runaway without a family. Eh, I'd like to think my life would be C. if Sully didn't take me with him when I was in middle school, but realistically it'd most likely be A. or B. God, I was nothing like that man. Nothing at all! I'm good to my woman and my kids, no matter how often or how much I drink. I can handle my booze cause I'm not Peter Eldridge. I'm a much better man then he ever was. Unlike him I can function with shine in my system.

AN:

I know this only had 3 scenes instead of, but I think everything that needed to be done got done and didn't see a need to force an extra scene in. So, Nova is made an appearance and is aligned with Roseanna. That's good for when the feud really heats up (like if Roseanna and Johnse need help getting out of Appalachia). Yikes, Shaw's going down the rabbit hole… Abel, yea he's so over Tolbert at this point. And Sully's motivations are made clear, he only cares about making sure his son survives the feud.