*Author's Note*

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

Sorry for the long wait on this update. I've been sick so… Anyways, hope you guys enjoy this chapter. It's got a major plotline in it too.

There's An Open Spot For A New Favorite

Allie POV:

After pulling our wagon to a stop in front of our house, Cap brought our kids inside and tucked them in bed before bringing me inside. Setting me down to sit at the kitchen table, he told me, "I'm gonna heat up some bath water for ya."

"Thank you, Cap." I weakly smiled at my husband as he went to grab some pots from the rack, I kept them hanging on above the stove.

"I'm sure you'll wanna wash off 'fore goin' to bed." Cap told me, acting as if what he was doing wasn't a big deal, as brought the pots over to the sink; filling them up.

"Being able to sleep on a real bed again sounds like heaven." I confessed while watching my husband bring the pots over to the stove. He didn't say a word, just stuck some kindling in the stove and lit it up, causing the fire to burn and heat up the kitchen.

"Uh, I'm gonna have to make a few pots, but it shouldn't take too long." Cap told me as he made his way over to join me at the table.

"I've been in a barn for days on end, a few extra minutes without a bath wouldn't hurt me, Cap." I assured my husband as he took a seat next to me.

Hanging his head, Cap sadly sighed, "Ya shouldn't 've been in there at all. I should've got'cha out sooner."

"Don't do that, Cap." I firmly told him, causing him to look at me with self-loathing shinning in his mismatched eye. I grabbed his hand, holding it in a gentle and assuring way, as I told him, "Don't beat yourself up. I know how hard to is to go up against pa; I don't blame you for not gettin' me out sooner."

Cap just nodded, even tho his mismatched eyes held a heavy sense of guilt and self-loathing in them. "I'm gonna get the tub from the back patio." He told announced before standing up and going over to the back door.

I sat silently as watched my husband as he went outside and got the tub. Since it was empty, even tho it was a large tin oval, it wasn't hard for him to drag inside. Once he placed the tub in the middle of the kitchen, he went over to the stove and checked the water. Deeming it hot enough, grabbed the pots and brought them over to the tub. After filling up the tub, he put some more pots on the stove and then got me a fresh shift to change into a long with a towel, a washcloth, and a bar of soap in order to wash up with.

It only took a few more minutes til the pots were ready to be dumped into the tub. Once the water was ready, Cap helped me strip and into the tub. He took me aback tho when he didn't hand me over the soap and washcloth, but instead used them to create a soapy washcloth to wash me with. We didn't say a word as he washed the dirt and grime off of me. There wasn't really anything to be said since we already said it while the first round of water pots were heating up.

After my body was cleaned, he rubbed some of the soap onto his hands and washed my hair with it. The only words he said to me was, "I gotta get a cup to rinse your hair with.", as he stood up and took off towards a cabinet.

"Okay." I simply said as he grabbed a cup from the cabinet.

Quietly, he returned to the tub with a cup in his hand. "Tilt your head back." He instructed as he crouched down next to me. I did what I was told only for him to fill his cup with some bath water and pour it onto my hair. He did it multiple times til all of the soap suds were out of my hair. "I'm gonna grab your towel." Cap told me, causing me to nod, before he went over to the table. He set the cup down and grabbed the towel.

After returning to the tub, he helped me out of it and wrapped the towel around me. "Thank you." I smiled at him, grateful that he helped me clean up since I was so exhausted.

As I dried off and dressed my husband bailed out the tub with a bucket, I used for moping that I kept in a broom closet. As he walked back into the kitchen, bucket in hand, he looked at me and instructed with a half-smile, "Go get some sleep. I'll be in once I'm done."

"Okay." I nodded before walking a few feet over to our bedroom door. After walking into the room, I climbed into bed and felt like I was in heaven. Oh my god, my back desperately needed the support of a real bed and now that I had it, I'm sure I was gonna be falling into a deep sleep.

Cap POV:

My wife's been sleepin' soundly for hours now. After her bath she easily feel asleep in our bed. So much so, that I think she'll be asleep for half the day. I nev'er got no sleep. I tried, but just ended up watchin' my wife. 'Fore I knew it, it was mornin' and I had t'cook somethin' for breakfast. There wasn't much in the pantry, well that was edible anymore, expect for oats. I ended up makin' them and openin' up a can of peaches t'go wit' it. I also had to milk the cow so that Levicy'd have some fresh milk cause I didn't wanna wake Allie t'feed her. My wife needed her rest. I didn't gather any eggs, instead decidin' to do it later cause I'm sure the amount of 'em in the coops ungodly.

I was sittin' at the kitchen table, feedin' my daughter while my son et his simple breakfast, whenever pa's loud voice boomed out from outside with, "CAP! GET YOUR GODDAMNED ASS OUT HERE, NOW!"

Oh no, he knows what I've done and he's here t'give me hell for it. I swallowed a lump in my throat and got up. Right as I went to walk over to my bedroom door, Captain W. told me, "Gr'pap sounds mad."

"Yea, he's real mad. Just et your breakfast." I told my son 'fore goin' into my room and placin' my daughter in her crib.

"CAP! I WANNA TALK T'YA BOY, GET OUT HERE RIGHT NOW!" Pa's voice echoed and boomed out in the air. I winced slightly as my wife rolled over. Oh god, I hope pa's hollerin' don't wake her up. She needs t'sleep.

Quickly, I made my way outta my room and over to my front door. Stepping out onto my front porch, I told my pa in a commandin' hiss, "Calm down, you're gonna wake up my wife."

"Oh, yes, that traitor ya freed last night. The one you're s'posed to be divorcin'." He spat, malice and disdain flowin' from his words like a waterfall as he stood in front o'my on the porch.

Standin' toe to toe with him, I held my head up an' declared wit' as much courage and backbone that I could muster, "Pa, she's my wife. Mine, not yours, so I'll be makin' my own decisions 'bout her instead of lettin' ya do it for me."

"You've wounded me real bad, Cap. Real bad." Pa told me, lettin' me know that my decision hurt him. Well, his decision to lock her up hurt me, tore me in two, but he didn't seem t'care 'bout that. Shakin' his head incredulously, he revealed, "This I'd expect from your boneheaded brother, not you."

"Pa, I can't turn my back on my wife. I made a vow t'her." Was the reason I gave for what I did. I hope pa understands it, but I doubt it. He seems mad an' dead set on lettin' me know I'm wrong for goin' 'gainst him.

"So, you'll turn your back on your family, your blood that you were born into, cause of a vow ya made to a woman?" Pa asked in a sarcastic and rhetorical chuckle. One that was dark and low. His icy blue eyes were hard as he told me, "As of now you're no longer employed by me. Ya wanna live wit' a traitor then do it wit' your own merits. I won't be supportin' ya wit' pay." What, he was firin' me cause I picked my wife? How does he expect me to support my family? As if he could read my mind, pa told me, "I don't care what'cha do for money, but it won't be loggin' for me."

"Does ma know you're here?" I asked while crossin' my arms over my chest.

"Your ma can't talk me down from this son. Her baby's Johnse, not you, so she's lettin' me handle how I treat your betrayal of our family; our trust." Pa told me, lettin' me know that my brother was the only one my ma ever fought tooth an' nail for. Hmm…just my luck, right?

"So, that's it, I've cut off from the family?" I asked even tho I knew what his answer was. I just needed to hear it so it'd be real.

"Til further notice, yes, son, you are." He told me, his voice level and cold, as he stared right into me with a look that'd make most men flinch an' shake in their boots. His look took me aback, but it didn't send me into a fearful fit. Hell, I'm sure I had a similar look of my own that I used to strike fear into people.

"You're makin' a mistake, pa. Cuttin' me out cause I did right by my wife ain't fair."

"Life ain't fair son. It's far from it." Pa told me, his face hard and void of anythin'. "Ya went 'gainst the family, gotta live wit' the consequence of that.", He told me 'fore turnin' his back on me and walkin' down the porch and over to his horse tied to the hitch-post.

Well, looks like I'll be tellin' Allie this bad news once she wakes up.

Shaw POV:

Neither Devil Anse nor Cap were at work today when I arrived bright and early to the loggin' camp. When I asked Uncle Jim, Ellison, and Lias where they were, they all just shrugged and told me 'I dunno', 'Dunno', and the ever snarky, 'Well, clearly they ain't here. Now need t'ask where they at, now is there?'. The last remark was from Jim's crochety ass, but that was a no brainer huh?

Well, even tho my boss wasn't around, I just went to work stackin' boards. Hell, I knew that if I slacked off then Ellison (the ever good and honest man) would rat me out to his older brother and I'd get docked 25 cents from my pay. Yea, Devil Anse was good for holding back a quarter if he thought you were slackin' off.

When my boss did show up, it was without Cap and with a dark scowl etched into his stonily cold face. I knew something had went down between the father-son duo just by the look on the tall and imposin' man's face. I'm pretty sure their fallout had something to do with Allie, but til Devil Anse comes out and says it…. Well, I just continued stackin' boards while Devil Anse hitched up his horse.

Instead of going off to check in with Lias or Ellison, Anse looked over to me and ordered in a loud bark, "You're on patrol duty now with Jim. Grab your gun an' get to it."

"Um, what 'bout Cap?" I asked with furrowed brows, standin' by the boards I'd just stacked up.

"He's no longer workin' here or welcomed in the family." Anse told me, his voice hard and void of all emotion, as he took his pipe and small tobacco pouch out of his pocket.

"What happened, if ya don't mind me askin'?" I asked, just wanting confirmation that Cap did go against his dad and picked his marriage over him, as I walked over to him while he set up his pipe.

"He busted his traitor wife outta the barn an' took her back t'his house wit' their chil'ren." Anse informed me as his lit his pipe and took his first puff of it. "He wounded not just my trust, but our family's trust. He's on his own for the unforeseeable future."

Ah, so the apple of the devil's eye fell from grace. Oh well, that's the price he has to pay for mannin' up and pickin' his wife over his daddy. In a way I'm glad that he's kicked out of the family, means I don't have to deal with his bullshit and I also got a job promotion.

"I see." I nodded. "I'll go get my gun and head up to Uncle Jim now, Anse." I told my cousin, earnin' me a nod of approval from him, before walkin' by him and to my horse to grab my Winchester from my saddle. I looked over my shoulder only to see Anse stormin' off towards Ellison, no doubt to vent to him 'bout what Cap did. I just slung my gun over my shoulder and took off towards the spot I knew Uncle Jim favored as his patrol area.

It didn't take me long to find him either.

"What'cha doin' up 'ere, son?" My crochety mountain man uncle asked me as I climbed up the hill (which was really a mountain side, but for some reason Appalachian people always call them hills) to reach him.

"Replacin' Cap since Devil Anse shit canned him and kicked him outta the family for freein' and reuniting with his wife." I answered my uncle while climbin' up the hill, walkin' at a sideways angle so that I wouldn't go tumblin' down the steep mountainside.

"What? Our boy Cap went up 'gainst his pappy; picked Allie ov'r 'im?" Uncle Jim asked, his rough tone havin' a tint of shock in it, as his brows rose up into his hairline.

"Yep." I popped my tongue as I reached my uncle's side.

"Well, never thought that youngin' had it in 'im to do that." My uncle told me in a slight huff as he shook his head. "Hell, he's always been Devil Anse's loyal an' obedient son. Always thought he'd follow 'im to hell an' back."

Pulling my cigarette case out of my pocket and flipping it open, I shrugged, "Reckon his bitch of a wife's got a stronger hold on him."

"Boy ain't gonna make it on his own, not wit' all 'em McCoys out for our family's blood." Uncle Jim told me in a sure and firm way that was a bit eerie since it seemed a bit prophetic.

I placed my case back into my pocket and took out my matchbook. "I dunno, maybe Cap's survival mode'll kick in and he'll figure somethin' out." I remarked, lighting up my smoke and taking my first drag off it.

Uncle Jim spit out a lage wad of tobacco juice before telling me, "Hopefully Sully comes thru on findin' some of Allie's distant kin for Cap cause I got a feelin' they're gonna need that kin's help."

I didn't say a word, just nodded in agreement. My uncle was right, my cousin and his wife were gonna need some kinda help otherwise they'd never survive in these hills durin' these hard feud times. But, at least me and mine'll survive.

Allie POV:

I had no idea how long I was asleep for, but when I woke up the light seemed to be a pinkish-velvety-orange peering in from the window. Either it was dawn or dusk, but I wasn't sure what one it was. If it was the latter, then that meant I slept the entire day away. Quickly, I dressed in a simple blouse and skirt and left my room. Upon entering the kitchen, I saw that Cap was at the stove cookin' while Captain W. was in the main room playing with some toys. The Moses basket was on the table and Levicy was sound asleep in it, swaddled in her blanket.

"What time is it?" I asked my husband as I shut the door behind me.

Lookin' over his shoulder as he stirred something in the fryin' pan, he simply gave me the answer of, "Almost six."

"What? It's that late? Oh my god, I slept all day." I remarked, a bit surprised that I slept so long and he never woke me, as I went over to the table and sat down at it.

"Yea, well, ya needed the sleep, darlin'." Cap shrugged as he placed his wooden spoon on the counter. "Want some milk or coffee?" He asked, going over to the cabinet that all the mugs and glasses were kept in.

"Coffee sound good." I replied with a smile. God, I needed a caffeine boost and quick. Even tho I slept the day away I still felt tired.

"Uh, pa came over this mornin'." My husband told me as he grabbed a mug and went to grab the coffee pot from the backburner of the stove. I didn't say a word. I wasn't stupid, I knew that my father-in-law had unleashed some kind of hell and fury on my husband for pickin' me and our family over the large hoard of Hatfield kin. While pouring me some coffee, Cap revealed, "He's pissed 'bout me honorin' my marriage vow t'ya; kicked me outta the family an' fired me."

"What? He fired you?" I asked in disbelief as he brought me over my coffee. I figured he'd give him a nasty lecture and ban him from the house for a while, but I never thought he'd fire him and throw him out of the family.

"Yea and more or less disowned me for time bein'." Cap told me as he went back over to the stove.

"Cause of me." I stated, not asked, as I sipped on my coffee and watched my daughter, who was sleeping soundly in her Moses basket a few inches across from me on the table.

Picking up his spoon and going back to stirring the food he was cooking (which smelled like salt pork and potatoes) he told me, "Yes, but I love ya an' would pick ya ov'r 'gain, but sooner, if I had to."

"But what're we gonna do 'bout money and protection? We're not farmers so we can't sell crops and with the McCoys lurkin' around it's dangerous not having family backup."

"Reckon I'm gonna have t'find a way to make money 'long wit' teachin' ya how to handle a gun. Since it's just us, we're both gonna need t'keep guns handy."

Oh god, we're gonna struggle…I can see it now…

Meanwhile A Few Miles Down The Road…

Jessa POV:

Dinner was over and Shaw was doing up the dishes while I sat at the kitchen table. Today was a bad day for me, my pregnancy sickness was bothering me even tho I was nearing the 5-month mark. I was also gaining weight a bit rapidly, maybe too rapidly since I already looked like I had a bowling ball shoved under the bodice of my dress. Before long that bowling ball will turn into a beach ball and then finally, I'll become Shamu. Yea, I never had easy pregnancies and never looked cute while pregnant either.

Shaw didn't seem to mind tho. I mean my weight gain didn't affect his attraction towards me and we still made love on a regular basis. Of course, we were only intimate on my good days, but on my bad days we cuddled and still showed affection. This pregnancy was different from my first in that aspect since when I started to get 'too big' Tolbert didn't want intimacy anymore. I was glad that Shaw still craved me; that my pregnant belly wasn't a turn off.

Anyways, while I sat at the table watching Shaw do dishes his siblings were in the main room watching the babies. Well, they weren't babies anymore since they were toddlers, but to me they'll always be my babies. I think that's just a mom thing tho.

"Devil Anse gave me a promotion today." Shaw told me as he fiercely scrubbed the burned-on bits and grease off of the meatloaf pan.

"Really? What's your new job?" I asked, curious about what my husband was now doing at the lumber mill. God, I hope he wasn't manning a saw. I don't think Shaw's coordinated enough for that.

"Patrol with Uncle Jim." Shaw proudly told me, lifting the pan out of the soapy water to check his progress of his scrubbing.

"But isn't that Cap's job?" I asked with a quirked brow, watching my husband dunk the half-washed pan back into the sink.

"It was 'fore he snuck off in the middle of the night with his wife and kids, causing his daddy to disown and fire him." Was my husband's answer to my question as he scrubbed the rest of the dirty pan.

Wow... "I can't believe Cap picked Allie, but I can believe that Devil Anse disowned and fired him tho. I mean that man's an outright imposing terror." I told Shaw as he took the pan out of the sink, dried it, and set it aside on the nearby counter.

"Yep." My husband popped his tongue, slinging his dishtowel over his shoulder. Grabbing a pot and submerging it into the dishwater, he told me in a nonchalant, but sly tone, "But since Cap's disowned that means there's an open spot for a new favorite Hatfield boy to fill."

"You want to win over our cousin so that we'll have better footing in this feud." I stated knowingly instead of asking as an impressed smirk crossed my face. I had to admit, my husband's cunning and wit was admirable. Was something I highly appreciated about him since I also had to use my own cunning and wit to make live altering decisions, including the one that made us man and wife.

"Yes, I do." He confirmed as he washed the pot that was used to make tonight's mashed potatoes in. I just nodded at him, which cause Shaw to abandon the sink and walk over to me. Taking a seat next to me and softly placing a hand (which was wet and soapy from the dishwater) on my cheek, he told me in a low whisper, "I already have a business relationship with Bad Frank, which'll save us from his posse, but bein' one of he favorite Hatfield boys'll help keep us safe even more during the feud."

Placing my hand on top of his, I told him, "I understand, we have to do whatever it takes to survive and keep the kids safe."

He smirked before declaring, "I love you.", and pressing a kiss to my lips.

"And I love you too, but you better get back to those dishes." I told him with a smirk as I removed his hand from my cheek.

"Don't worry, I'm already Uncle Jim's favorite so I'm sure he'll push Devil Anse towards givin' me a bigger role in the family's feud dealin's." Shaw told me before returning to the sink to continue washing the dirty dishes.

"I'm not worried, honey." I assured my husband, wanting him to know that I was as confident as he was.

"Babe, I promise we're gonna make it out of the upcoming hell and bloodshed." Shaw vowed in a strong, unmoving tone as he dried off the pot he'd just washed before setting it aside with the handful of other things he washed up.

I knew he'd keep his promise. I don't know how I knew, but deep down in my bones I just knew. We were gonna go thru trials and tribulations, walk thru the fires of hell and endure endless bloodshed for years, but we were gonna survive it all. Sad thing is I can't be certain that my longtime on-off-again best friend and her family would survive. No, not when they've been thrown out, cast aside to rely on themselves during a very dangerous time.

Unfortunately for Allie and Cap, me and Shaw can't help them. No, not when our own survival depends on us being in Devil Anse's favor.

AN:

Yikes, things sure did take a turn, didn't they? How do you guys feel about Devil Anse firing/disowning Cap over Allie? Also, what do you think about Shaw's promotion? Do you think his scheme will work and he'll take Cap's place as Anse's favorite or no?

Next up will be a short (prolly few weeks) time jump. Also, Tolbert's gonna rear his ass up out of the ashes…

Oh, do you guys want to wait til the feud goes countrywide to see Olga and Asa again or do you want a tiny update on them sooner?