*Author's Note*

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

Elderberry Strudel

Allie POV:

After grabbin' my kids and stormin' out of the Eldridge house, I went straight home. I poured myself into doin' my chores and takin' care of the children as a way to deal with the hurt and anger I felt by how I was treated by both Shaw and Jessa. I busied myself, causin' the hours to go by quickly. Before long, my husband was walking thru the door after a long, hard day at work patrolin' the lumber yard.

"I tried talkin' to Jessa about us takin' Cotton, but it didn't go over too good. Shaw barged in and showed his ass." I told Cap, as he hung up his hat and guns by the door after enterin' our house, while I set the dinner table.

"Of course, he did." Cap dryly remarked, makin' his way into the main room to greet our kids. "Just leave them alone. All they're gonna do's fight wit'cha. Hell, Shaw chewed out pa this mornin'." MY husband told me, scoopin' our daughter up in his arms before rufflin' our son's blonde hair and helpin' him stand to his feet.

"About what?" I asked, goin' over to the counter to grab the milk pitcher, while Cap brought our kids into the kitchen.

"Cotton." He simply answered, helpin' Captain W. into his chair while I brought the pitcher of to the table.

"Oh." I simply nodded as I started to pour a glass of milk for my son while my husband placed our daughter into her high chair.

"Yea. Shaw's snappin' at anybody that tries to talk to him 'bout Cotton or give him advice. Best thing to do's let him be." Cap told me, takin' his seat while I placed Captain W.'s milk glass in front of him before fillin' one up for lil Levicy.

Shakin' my head and placin' the glass in front of Levicy, I admitted, "I still can't believe that Jessa just sticks by him."

"He's her husband, Allie. She's gonna take his side even if it's wrong cause he's got a strong hold on her." Cap explained in a long sigh as I poured us some glasses of milk before taking my seat next to him.

"I know, but I wish that wasn't the case." I sighed, makin' my son up a plate while Cap quickly made one up for our daughter.

"I just hope Cotton doesn't suffer from bein' with 'em." Cap revealed to me as we gave our children their plates before makin' up our own.

"Me too." I admitted as we piled up our plates.

Cap didn't say a word, just took a bite out of his meatloaf. By the way his milky white eye and its icy blue twin were hard and starin' at the food on his plate I knew that our conversation was over. I just silently ate my meatloaf, potatoes, and green beans while keepin' an eye on my kids as they ate their dinner, unaware of the things goin' on within the family to cause tension.

Meanwhile Somewhere On A Desolate Road In South Texas…

Tolbert POV:

"How long's it gonna take to get to San Antonio?" I asked, sick an' tired of ridin' in the blazin' heat, as we rode down a vast plain that was more or less a damn desert wit' tumbleweeds rollin' 'round in the wind.

"Dunno." The Mexican cook simply said, causin' me to let out a groan. Lookin' 'tween me an' the dirt road 'head of us, that was mergin' into the damn desert 'round us, Jose Luis thought, "If we push our horses we'll be there sometime 'morrow, Senor Tolbert."

"God, why couldn't we just take the damn train?" I let out in a rhetorical mumble, irritated by the heat an' the sun beatin' down on me. Sweat rolled down my neck in thick beads an' I'm pretty sure my light red hair's soaked underneath my hat too. Goddamnit, it's too fuckin' hot for fall.

"You know why, Senor. It'd ruin our guise as bounty hunters since they don't ride trains, but horses to their target towns." Jose Luis answered me wit' a pointed look. Seems that the meanin' 'hind my rhetorical grumblin' went ov'r his head cause he answered somethin' that he didn't have to.

"I know, Jose Luis…" I sighed; my teeth slightly gritted in frustration. Hell, I hated long rides thru the Texas heat. I always hated cattle drives too, but at least wit' those ya had yer mind preoccupied wit' makin' sure the cattle didn't run off; stayed in their herd an' didn't run off into a spooked stampede. Ridin' lonesome or wit' somebody on a desolate road's dif'rent. There's no task t'keep yer mind preoccupied wit' an' the ride seems t'go on forever.

The only thing keepin' me sane on this long ride was the thought of Jessa an' our boy, Endor. Goddamnit, how I longed t'see 'em 'gain. I was gonna stop at nothin' to make sure that they were safe an' sound wit' me.

"Thinkin' 'bout your family?" The cook asked me, his thick accent makin' his question sound more like an observation.

"Yea, I am." I honestly answered, havin' nothin' to hide when it came t'my feelin's for my ex-common-law wife an' our son.

Jose Luis just nodded. I nodded back at him 'fore clickin' my tongue an' makin' Eldoraldo trot a bit faster. Sooner I get to San Antonio the better. Jose Luis made his horse keep up wit' mine while assurin' me, "Don't worry, Senor Tolbert, you'll get your Senorita and son back."

God, I sure did hope so. I hope she follows her heart an' comes back west wit' me otherwise I'm gonna be makin' a helluva lotta trips to the Appalachian Mountains t'check up on her; try t'get her to change her mind too.

Shaw POV:

It's been a couple of days since I had words with Devil Anse in the cemetery. Been a couple of days since I've gone to work too. Frankly, I didn't give a fuck anymore. I was tired of my cousin actin' like he was lord and master of everybody since he was the head of the family. I didn't care if he was the messiah, if I didn't share his view on somethin' I was gonna let Devil Anse know; I wasn't gonna blindly follow and listen to him either just cause he's the head Hatfield.

Uncle Jim stopped by this afternoon to check up on me and my family, which is why we're sittin' on the porch. We were just rockin' in rockers, talkin' and takin' in the fall landscape of the distant hills and trees. As my uncle rocked back and forth, causin' a soft creak to echo into the air and mingle with the squeak comin' from my own chair, he looked at me and said, "Anse's is pissed at ya, son, for not showin' up for work these last couple days."

"Can't say I'm surprised by that." I mused; a slight chuckle stuck in the back of my throat.

"I heard you had words wit' him ov'r Cotton goin' to the cemetery." Jim revealed to me, tossin' a metaphoric bucket of ice water over my head by how deep and firm his tone was.

"Yep." I popped my tongue, knowin' better then to lie to my crochety old mountain man uncle.

Jim took his flask out of his pocket, popped the cork, and took a long pull off it. Lookin' at me, he gave me the well-meant lecture of, "I understand you feel protective ov'r Cotton cause he's slow an' Ellison entrusted him t'ya, but you can't be buckin' heads wit' Anse ov'r how t'care for him. Whether ya like it or not, Devil Anse is the head of our family; we gotta abide by that."

I snatched the flask from my uncle's chubby hand, downed half of it and gave him back the flask while tellin' him. "I know, Jim, but I'm not gonna sit back with my thumb stuck up my ass when it comes to my opinions and reservations on raisin' Cotton. I ain't gonna be pushed 'round and told how to care for my kid by my hard and imposin' cousin that's the head of the family."

"Cotton ain't your kid, but your ward." He pointed out, restin' his hand clutchin' his flask on the armrest of his rocker.

"I promised to raise him as my own, Uncle Jim. He's my own now." I informed him, takin' my cigarette case out of my pocket, openin' it, and shovin' a cigarette into my mouth. Droppin' the case back into my front shirt pocket, strikin' a match, and lightin' up my smoke, I told Uncle Jim, "Cotton's slow; he ain't like other boys his age so it's up to me to protect him from the monsters under his bed and any other dangers that're lurkin' 'round." Takin' my first drag of my cigarette and exhalin' the smoke out thru my nostrils and mouth, I ended by case with, "I'm gonna do whatever I see fit to protect, watch after, and raise my family no matter what anyone and I mean anyone thinks."

Jim nodded, causin' a silent lull to form over us in a metaphoric raincloud, and took a swig of his flask. I wanted another drink and bad, but I knew if I snatched his flask 'gain he'd be lockin' me up in his fucked up makeshift rehab for overdrinking or some shit. I just had to wait til I got inside to crack open my crystal decanter and pour myself a water glass full of shine to ease my nerves with.

Billy POV:

My family dynamic was really fucked up right now. Mama was sittin' by the fireplace, rockin' in the corner and gazin' out the window in a catatonic kinda way instead of preparin' pies an' deserts for the Thanksgivin' holiday tomorrow like she would've done 'fore the pawpaw tree execution of my brothers, Pharmer an' Bud. My sister Alifair was stuck wit'the burden of takin' care of the household. Bein' on the teeterin' line of spinsterhood, havin' to focus her entire bein' on raisin' her siblin's, tendin' to a house, an' carin' for a mama was goin' to damn her chances at findin' a husband. Eh, not like her chances are that good anyways wit' this feud goin' on.

Ever since the pawpaw tree incident (as it's become known throughout the Tug Valley) Poppy spends most of his days drinkin' an' broodin' in Perry Cline's law office. The lawyer had collected a large amount of money, some which I think he took from his own stockpile, and posted over 30 bounties on the Hatfield men that were involved in the deaths of Pharmer, Bud, and Bobby Belcher.

Sooner rather then later bounty hunters should be comin' into town wit' the hopes of makin' a quick buck off of catchin' the Hatfields. I don't think it's gonna be that easy to catch 'em. They ain't stupid, prolly know the McCoys'll be sendin' some kind of retribution after them. They might be different levels of crazy ov'r in Mate Creek, but one thing I knew for certain was that those folks had a helluva lotta horse sense.

My brother Calvin spent all of his down doin' farm chores while I kept myself secluded up in my still. I only came home to et an' sleep. Hell, half the time I just spent the nite on my cot by the large fire I had roarin' by my still since it had a large awnin' over it. In time I'd have to start rebuildin' the cabin that my brother once had, the one that burnt down, since the stone foundation was still there. I just couldn't handle my home life anymore. Everythin' was fallin' apart; I was sick of it. At least Jim was married an' lived in town so he didn't have to deal wit' the shit the rest of us did.

Once a week I'd go down to Tolbert's old house to collect my mail. Yea, I had Mary send me letters there; the mailman always did his job and delivered them too. After Election day tho, I wasn't gettin' mail anymore. I still went to the house, hopin' that Mary'd send me somethin'. I sent her endless letters, only to get nothin' in return.

Today was one of the days I was retreivin' my mail. I was prayin' that I'd finally get a letter from Mary. After my last letter, how could she not reply. I literally poured my entire soul into that last one I sent, voicin' my fears of losin' her friends and expressin' my sorrow at what both our families have done to the other reguardin' murders.

I was a few yard 'way from the ash covered stone foundation of the house whenever my eyes spotted a stark white envelope waitin' for me. I let out a breath I didn't even know I was holdin' and rushed over to the stone. Quickly, I picked up the envelope and sat down on the stone; tearin' it open and pullin' out the letter folded up inside of it. Unfoldin' the letter, a small smile tugged at my lips as I instantly recognized Mary's writin'.

My eyes locked onto every word she wrote as I read,

Dear Billy,

I'm so sorry for not writing you sooner, but with everything going on I couldn't. Granny Delize has been keeping a close eye on me, insisting that I learn how to run a farm and how to hold my own. She's also been talking my ear off with stories about Ellison as a way to grieve him. She might be a mean old hag, but she's hurting over her grandson's murder. A murder that was described to us in gruesome details by Jim Vance.

I know that you wrote me, telling me what happened, but his words painted an uglier picture then yours did. Billy, if we're to remain friends during this feud we have to be honest with each other no matter what. No matter how hard or how much the honesty is and hurts, we can't hold things back from each other, otherwise one day we'll stop believing and trusting each other's word. Instead we'll rely on the word of others, which'll kill our friendship.

You're really, truly, my only friend and I don't want to lose you. If I lost you, I'd be alone.

Billy, I sorry for your loss. What happened shouldn't have happened. On either side, to either family.

Your friend,

Mary

I folded up her letter and tucked it into my pocket. I was relieved that she still wanted to be my friend. I can only imagine tho how hard keepin' up that friendship's gonna be once the bounty hunters start goin' after the Hatfields. Reckon I better write her 'bout that, but give her strict orders not to say nothin' to nobody unless she wants both our heads on the choppin' block as kin traitors.

Meanwhile In Tazewell, VA…

Mary POV:

I was trailing behind Granny Delize, who had a rifle slung over her shoulder, as we walked further and further away from her house and into some dense field. She had the bright idea of huntin' a turkey for Thanksgivin' dinner tomorrow. I didn't wanna go huntin' (that's a man's job anyways), so I told her, "Granny Delize, since it's just the two of us can't we just make a stuffed chicken tomorrow?"

"No, girl, we can't. We gotta get a turkey cause it ain't gonna be just the two of us."

"What?" I blurted out, confused by her comment.

"Mhm…" She nodded. Lookin' at me from over her shoulder, she explained, "Your brother wrote me; he's buckin' heads wit' Devil Anse over Cotton so he's bringin' the whole family 'ere for Thanksgivin' instead of goin' to Anse's like everyone else.", as we trekked on 'cross the dense field.

"Oh…" I let out in a heavy trailin' sigh that stretched out into the air. Of course, Shaw was clashin' with Anse over Cotton. Just another person and another reason to be snarky; to fight. Seems that my brother enjoyed gettin' into spats with people.

"Your brother's a strong man at such a young age t'be goin' up 'gainst the head of the family. Not most older men would go 'gainst Anse let 'lone a young one." Granny Delize told me, defendin' my brother's actions instead of condemning 'em. I'm sure the rest of the family didn't share her view 'bout my brother goin' up 'gainst the head of our clan.

"What're ya sayin', Granny Delize?"

"That your brother might make waves, but he's fearless in doin' it. Shaw's a lot like his uncle, my Jimmy. He's gonna do what he sees fit and nobody's gonna budge 'im from that." She told me as we spotted a few turkeys waddlin' 'round in the distance. "Git down, girl; watch how t'bag a turkey." The crochety woman ordered me in a whisper, wavin' her hand quickly at me.

Quickly, but quietly, I crouched down in the brush. Granny Delize also got down, only to carefuly cock her rifle and aim it at one of the turkeys. She clucked her tongue, makin' gobblin' noises, only to make the turkey waddle closer to us. When the large bird was in range, she pulled the trigger of her gun and shot it.

Well, looks like I know the gist of huntin' now. Reckon I better tell Billy 'bout it in the next letter. Bet he'll get a kick outta it since girls ain't supposed to go huntin'.

Johnse POV:

When I rode up to my cabin after a long day of shinin' the smell of some kinda pastry was waftin' in the air an' travelin' right up my nose. I didn't know what my beautiful sweet darlin' of a wife was bakin' t'bring to my parents' place for dinner tomorrow, but I know that it sure did smell good. Quickly, I unhitched my horse from the wagon, got him settled in the stable, an' walked into my house.

A smile instantly pulled at the corners of my mouth as I saw Sarah Elizabeth perched in her highchair right at the table while Roseanna was rollin' out dough. Even tho the death of her brothers still weighed heavily on her; she wasn't sulkin' in our room no mores. Instead she took t'bakin' treats to work out her hollow an' solemn feelin's. Seein' her singin' a song to our daughter while rollin' out dough for either a pie or strudel (from the smell emergin' from the pastry already in the stove) made me feel that she was gonna be okay; that she wasn't gonna break.

"What'cha makin' that smells so good, Roseanna?" I asked, goin' over to the table an' takin' a seat.

"Elderberry strudels." My wife informed me wit' a small smile.

I smiled even wider at her. I couldn't help it, seein' her smile a real smile after so long was refreshin'. "No wonder I think it smells so good. I sure do love elderberry anythin'."

"Your mama gave me some of the jam she made; suggested I make somethin' for Thanksgivin' with it so I am." She explained, placin' her rollin' pin onto the table since the dough was the way she needed it t'be.

"Well, I'm glad you're takin' mama's advice." I truthfully told her, watchin' as she picked up a knife and made strips in the dough, for wrappin' 'round the fillin' that she'd be puttin' in the middle soon 'nough.

Roseanna smiled, her nose wrigglin' up in the air from the smell of the strudel bakin' in the oven. "Johns, can ya pull that one out? I think it's done."

"Course, I can, my beautiful sweet darlin'." I told my wife, risin' from the table an' peckin' her on the cheek 'fore goin' over to the stove an' pullin' out the golden weaved pastry that had spots of berry jam fillin' bubblin' hotly in it.

I just placed the strudel on the window sill to cool 'fore returnin' to my spot at the table. Silently, I watched my wife as she made the second strudel. I'm sure that everyone at Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow's gonna just love her elderberry strudel, made wit' mama's blue ribbon winnin' jam.

AN:

So, in a nutshell the Thanksgiving season's tense for both the Hatfields and the McCoys. At least Johnse and Roseanna's doing better.

Next up is a tiny time jump with a twist on Skunk Hair's murder. Dun dun dun…