*Author's Note*

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Ain't Fair…

Shaw POV:

Dawn was breakin' as the wooden town sign reading Tazewell, VA came into view. Mary was slumped next to me, sleepin' against my shoulder. Her bag of things was on her lap; she was clutchin' it tightly too. I'm glad that she's asleep since for most of the night she was bitchin' and moanin' 'bout how unfair I was being by taking her to Granny Delize's. Apparently, I was the bad guy for going thru with my threat of shipping her away. Oh, that fact that she defied me and snuck out to see Billy doesn't seem to major in her mind. No, Mary just wants to pout and point fingers at me for her sudden move even tho she did it to herself.

I wonder how Mary'd be if our mom was still alive. If she'd be unruly and rebellious or if she'd actually listen; be obedient. I'd like to think that she's just bein' rebellious as a way to challenge my authority since she's growing up; that she'd listen to our mom if she was still here.

"Wake up, we're in Tazewell." I nudged my sister, causing her to blink her groggy eyes and wake up.

"What time is it?" Mary yawned, rubbin' the sleep out of her eyes.

"Dawn." Was my simple one-word answer as I snapped the reigns, causing the horses to speed up a bit as we passed the town sign.

"You should've let me sleep til we got to the house, Shaw." She snipped, stretching her arms and cracking her back since she felt some discomfort from sleeping sitting up in a wagon.

"Why, so ya can be yawnin' and draggin' your ass?" I rhetorically asked with sarcasm dripping from my deep timbre. "No, you're gonna be wide awake when you come face to face with Granny Delize."

Mary rolled her honey eyes. "I still think you're overractin' in bringin' me here." She huffed, foldling her arms over her chest.

I turned my attention to her and snapped, "I don't care what'cha think, Mary. I warned ya what'd happen if you kept up a friendship with Billy; you're the one that called my bluff and more or less sent yourself here."

"But Billy isn't a bad person. He's not like his daddy, he's actually nice." Mary had the stones to tell me.

"If ya don't want smacked into next week I advise ya to shut the fuck up."

Granny Delize POV:

I was headin' to the barn to milk my cow whenever I heard the sound of a wagon pullin' up. I wasn't expectin' nobody, so I knew that something had happened, something major. I stopped in my tracks and turned 'round only to see my great-grandson, Shaw, pullin' to a stop. He didn't have his family with him, only his sister. Mary had a sour look on her face so I knew that she wasn't happy 'bout comin' here.

Knowin' the they were here for a reason; I abandoned my intentions of milkin' my cow an' marched right over to the wagon. "What'cha doin' here for?" I asked, comin' up to the wagon as they were climbin' out of it.

"Mary decided to defy me by sneakin' out and consortin' with McCoys."

"It wasn't with McCoys, just Billy, but he's my friend." Mary sassed her older brother.

Oh no, I ain't havin' none of that. Shovin' the milk pal I was holdin' at the girl, I told her, "Go milk my cow. Ya can sass her if ya want, but she'll just moo at'cha."

"I wasn't sassin' Shaw. I was just sayin' that Billy's my friend and I was only talkin' to him."

"Girl, from what I've just seen an' heard you sassed your brother. Now, get your ass in my barn an' milk Clarabelle."

Mary scowled and stomped her foot in a snotty manner 'fore stormin' off towards the barn, all the while mumblin', "Ain't fair. Ain't fair at all."

"Am I the first or last resort in teachin' your sister some respect?" I asked Shaw as he took his sister's bag out of the wagon.

"Last since I've done all I could to keep her on the straight and narrow." He answered me while makin' his way over to my side.

"So, this Billy McCoy she's runnin' 'round with is the brother that takes after Tolbert in looks an' temperament ain't it?" I asked Shaw as he stopped in front of me; handin' me Mary's bag.

"Yep." Shaw popped his tongue as I took the bag from him. His shoulders slumped as he bitterly told me, "Goddamnit, Granny Delize, ever since she struck up some friendship with him, she's been disrespectful and defiant to both me and my wife." His honey eyes were full of desperation. "I'm at my wit's end; need ya to teach her some respect."

Pattin' him on the shoulder, I assured my great-grandson, "Don't worry none, Shaw. Mary'll learn respect; won't be runnin' wild 'ere either." Wrappin' my arm 'round his broad shoulders and usherin' him towards the house, I told him, "You need somethin' t'et and some rest 'fore makin' the long trip back home t'Mate Creek."

"Here's the milk." Mary announced as she loudly slammed the kitchen door open an' stormed thru it.

"Don't be so loud, Shaw's nappin' out in the main room an' ya don't wanna go 'bout wakin' him." I told the girl, giving her a stern look, from my place fryin' up some bacon as she brought the milk pal over to the milk jug in the corner.

"I don't care if he naps or not. I mean if he didn't drag me here in the middle of the night then he wouldn't be so tired." The blonde-haired brat had the sand to remark as she poured the milk out of the pal an' into the large tin milk jug.

Turnin' the bacon over in the pan, I honestly told that brat, "Mary, I'm just gonna be frank wit'cha girl. You used to be real nice an' sweet, but I've seen you've changed into a sassy lil brat since you've befriended your Billy McCoy an' I ain't gonna be puttin' up with your new attitude one bit."

"I ain't a sassy lil brat." Mary protested as she dropped the empty pal next to the milk jug with a clatterin' clunk.

"Yes, you are." I told Mary as I heard her shuffle over to the table. Lookin' at her from over my shoulder, I shook my wooden spoon and declared, "The way ya act's absurd an' I ain't puttin' up with it." Mary flopped down at the table and let out a tiny huff. Clearly, she wasn't too pleased wit' havin' to live here. Oh, I'm gonna break her of this newfound disrespectful attitude. Pullin' the pan off the stove an' settin' it on the nearby counter, I ordered, "Get up an' fetch your brother for breakfast." Opening up the cabinet and pullin' out a platter, I added in, "Bacon's done; it's time t'et."

"But I thought he needed his rest?" Mary asked in a sarcastic, but sweet tone as she sat at the table with her arms folded over her chest. Goddamnit, this 11-year-old snot-nosed brat's challengin' my authority, my word. Oh, ain't she a bold one. Mhm, her friendship with Billy McCoy's definitely gave her the stones t'be sassy to her elders.

"He does, but he needs t'et too. Shaw can sleep some more once his belly's full." I explained to the girl as I filled the platter up with the freshly fried up bacon. "Now go on, girl. Fetch your brother for breakfast." I shooed her off wit' a quick wave of my hand as I turned 'round with a platter piled up with bacon in my hand.

Mary didn't say a word, just got up from the table an' stormed off to do as she was told. Woo-wee, does that lil girl have an attitude… I can see why Shaw brought her 'ere to me. He's got youngin's of his own t'raise an' a brother he's still guidin' up into manhood; he don't got the time t'be babysittin' his sister every wakin' moment.

Shaw POV:

I must've dozed off while sittin' in the arm chair in the main room cause one minute I was exhausted and slumped back in a chair and the next somebody was shakin' my shoulder. "Wake up, Shaw. Granny Delize says it's time to et." I heard Mary tell me as I blinked my tired eyes open. As I sat up with my eyes fully open, I saw my sister pivotin' on her heel and stormin' off towards the kitchen.

Well, safe to say she's pissed at me for bringing her here. Oh well, she did it to herself. With a tired sigh, I pushed myself out of the chair and followed my sister down the hall and into the kitchen.

"Mary, go tend to the chicken coop." Granny Delize, who was sittin' at the head of her table eating her breakfast, told my sister as she went to sit down at the table.

I made my way over to the table and took a seat while my sister's honey eyes grew wide as she asked in an appalled tone, "Now? But what 'bout my breakfast?"

I subtly looked between Granny Delize and Mary, grabbin' bacon from the platter and placing it onto my plate, while the old hag barked, "You'll et once your chores are done, girl." I grabbed the platter of eggs and scooped some onto my plate as I watched my granny shoo my sister off with a quick flick of her wrist. "Now go on, do as your told."

"Ain't fair that he gets to et and I don't." My sister pouted instead of goin' off to tend to the chicken coop outside as I grabbed a biscuit and put it onto my plate.

"Seems fair t'me since you're the one in trouble for consortin' wit' McCoys and he ain't. Far as I'm concerned, he's entitled to his meal first while you earn yours with a chore since you're bein' so rude an' disrespectful." Granny Delize explained to my sister between eating her food while I poured myself a steaming hot cup of coffee.

"I don't think it's fair since I ain't the only one to consort wit' a McCoy. I mean his wife, Jessa, shacked up wit' Tolbert and even birthed his bastard son, Endor, so he's bein' a hypocrite sendin' me here for talkin' to Billy, but keepin' her in his house as his lawful wife."

"Ya shut the fuck up, Mary! Don't ya dare run your mouth 'bout my wife!" I roared in a blindin' red rage as I flung my steamin' out coffee across the table towards my sister.

"Oh my god!" Granny Delize gasped as Mary let out a blood curdlin' cry as the hot coffee splashed her face. "Go on an' git on back t'Mate Creek 'fore I tan your hide for burnin' your sister." She snarled at me 'fore risin' outta her chair and rushin' over to Mary's side.

"I didn't mean to-" I began only to be roughly cut off my Granny Delize tellin' me, "I don't wanna hear that shit. No get outta my house an' go on back t'your own.", as she ushered my sister over to the sink.

Granny Delize POV:

Shaw didn't say another word, just shamefully shuffled out of the kitchen with his tail 'tween his legs. "How bad does it hurt, girl?" I asked Mary while grabbin' a washcloth off of a rack by the sink me an' the girl were standin' at.

"It stings an' burns." She told me as I pumped some water into the sink; wettin' the cloth for her.

"As long as your face don't feel like it's meltin' off then ya should be fine." I assured her while placin' the wet cloth on the part of her face that was red. Grabbin' her hand an' puttin' it onto of the cloth to hold it there, I added in, "It'll sting for a bit, but the water'll calm it down. In a lil bit I'll rub some butter on it; that'll help it heal."

Mary didn't say a word, just nodded her head at me.

"Well, reckon ya just earned yourself somethin' t'et." I half-sighed 'fore usherin' the girl over to take a seat at the table her brother had just abandoned mere moments ago. "But I'd advise ya to be mindful of your tongue, Mary." I bluntly told her as I poured her a glass of milk from the pitcher I had out on the table. "Your brother's reaction, tho out of rage an' horrid, was warranted since ya slandered his wife an' baby." I explained, takin' my set at the head of the table.

"But-" The girl began only for me to sharply cut her off wit', "You're still a child, Mary. You don't fully understand what goes on 'tween grown folks; why they do the things they do an' make certain choices. When you're older hopefully ya can understand why your slanderin' of Jessa hurts Shaw so much."

I wasn't a naïve woman, far from it considerin' I had so many bastard chil'ren wit' three different lovers. I knew how the world works for a woman; how loneliness can et her up an' swallow her whole too when she wasn't paired up wit' somebody. I'm not surprised that Jessa let herself be occupied by that deceased ginger-haired McCoy while Shaw was locked up in my son's cabin gettin' sober. I know that if Shaw wasn't gone for so long that most likely his youngest child truly'd be his. Shaw's accepted the child as his own, so has my Jimmy and Sully.

The sooner Mary learns the ways of the world an' stops actin' like a disrespectful brat the better. The world ain't fair, far from it so that girl better prepare herself for hardships. Better prepare herself for nev'r seein' that Billy McCoy 'gain too. Girl's too young an' naïve to see that Shaw and Jessa are just tryin' to prevent her from gettin' hurt by the McCoy an' goin' thru hell.

Poor girl, she's too set in her newfound sassy an' rude ways to see that her brother and sister-in-law are just tryin' to protect her. Reckon it's my job t'straighten her out an' raise her up to be a respectful young lady now.

AN:

This was a filler chapter, but it more or less ties up the plot of Shaw shipping Mary off to Granny Delize's. Next up will be the 3rd birthdays for Silas and Captain W.