*Author's Note*

Thank you for the favs, follows, and reviews.

Here's the new chapter. It's kinda short, but it gets right to the point. Anyways, have fun reading.

Ya Just Saved Your Pappy

Cap POV:

I was walkin' 'round the loggin' camp, patrolin' it with Uncle Jim while pa was stackin' up boards many yards below us. Nothin' unusual had gone on for hours, til it did. Outta the corner of my good eye I noticed somethin' rustlin' up in some trees up in the distance (right 'bove were pa was at stackin' boards). When I looked up, I saw Parris McCoy crouchin' down next to a tree wit' his brother behind him. He had his rifle (which had a telescope on it) aimed towards pa. 'Fore he could even get a shot off I aimed my own Winchester and pulled the trigger, hittin' that McCoy bastard right in the neck.

Pa startled at the noise, lookin' up only to see Squirrel hightailin' it thru the tree line to safety. I did get a few more shots off, but they missed the lone McCoy brother since he was runnin' too fast, like a scared jackrabbit. "Anse, we got ourselves a real McCoy!" Uncle Jim chuckled, causin' pa to look up at us. As soon as I slung my rifle over my shoulder, Uncle Jim clasped me on the shoulder an' smirked proudly, "Ya just saved your pappy. I'm proud of you, son."

I nodded an' smirked, "Course I did. Ain't gonna let no McCoy get ov'r on our family."

"I swear boy, you're gettin' better everyday."

Suddenly, Sully came gallopin' into the loggin' camp. He was wavin' 'round a paper while shoutin', "Anse, Anse, we're damned by the New York Globe!"

"Hmm…wonder what he's goin' on 'bout." Uncle Jim pondered as Sully pulled his horse to a skiddin' stop right by pa.

Lookin' 'tween him an' the unfoldin' scene of Sully dismountin' an' shovin' a paper into pa's face, I suggested, "Reckon we oughtta get down there an' find out."

"Let's go." Uncle Jim nodded 'fore stalkin' off down the mountainside. I didn't say a word, just trudge right 'hind him.

"Goddamnit, why in the fuckin' hell would Abel betray his own sister like this? I know he's makin' to Harmon McCoy's daughter, but doesn't that dumb son of a bitch know that hashin' this up's not gonna hurt me, but Allie, Cap, an' our entire family?" I heard pa ask in a loud roar, clutchin' the paper our cousin gave him so tight that I thought he was gonna tear it in half, while me an' Uncle Jim made our way up t'him an' Sully.

"I think Abel hates you these days since you fired him and imprisoned his sister in a barn for a bit, plus he is married to Nancy…" Sully informed my pa in a long sigh, givin' him a look that was slightly raised.

"What's goin' on, nephew?" Uncle Jim asked as we came to a stop right by him an' pa, who looked ready t'kill.

Sully let out a huff and looked right at me. A sardonic look crossed over his face as he told me in a dry tone, "T.C. Crawford interviewed both Perry Cline and Nancy McCoy about Harmon's death, but since Abel was home with her he decided to tell the journalist all about that time your daddy kept your wife prisoner in the barn and you were supposed to divorce her, but broke he out and brought her home instead."

"Shit…" I let out in a low gasp; my eyes as wide as quarters.

"Well, looks like we'll just have to tell our paperman some bullshit that makes us look good." Uncle Jim chuckled, causin' pa to just nod is head in agreement even tho he had a stern look on his face.

"Anse, what'cha want us to do with 'im? Stick 'im in the woodchipper?" Alex Messer asked as he an' Plyant Mahon carried ov'r Parris' dead corpse from the hill it was shot on.

"Jesus Christ, you can't put him in the woodchipper!" Sully exclaimed, his eyes poppin' out of his head while his brows rose up high into his hairline.

"Why not? He's just a goddamn McCoy; lower than dirt." Uncle Jim shrugged wit' a small smirk tuggin' at his lips.

Turnin' his attention to my pa, Sully firmly told him, "Anse, if that body ain't returned to Pikeville you're putting a target on everyone's backs. I'm sure that next week's New York Globe story'll be a front-page piece on how you had Parris killed and disposed of the body; causin' all of America to go into an uproar since people go mad at disappearances and murders."

"Sully, you're overthinkin' this. Once the dead one's brother says where they were when he got shot everyone'll know it was due to tresspassin'." Pa waved off Sully's warnin'. Takin' his pipe out of the corner of his mouth and pointin' it at Alex an' Plyant, he said, "Go 'head; put him in the woodchipper."

"You're gonna regret doin' that, cousin." Sully shook his head 'fore walkin' over to his horse.

"Get back to patrolin' ya two." Pa ordered me an' Uncle Jim while Sully mounted up his horse an' trotted off.

Wit'out a word, me an' Jim walked off towards where we were patrolin' earlier.

Allie POV:

I was sweepin' some dust and dirt outta my house and onto my front porch whenever I spotted my family shrew pullin' up in her wagon. Dear god, what did I do to deserve a visit from her. Lookin' over my shoulder at my kids, who were sittin' on the sofa playin' with some toys, I told them, "Mama has to go outside, but I'll be right back. Just stay right here, okay."

"Okay, mama." Lil Levicy nodded with a big toothy smile while my son just said, "Okay."

I stepped out of the door, shut it behind me, and placed the room against the wall all while Nancy was parkin' her wagon and climbin' out of it. I walked down my porch while the shrew picked up my niece (poor girl's curse to be half McCoy; with Nancy as her mother and all…) out of the wagon and slung her on her hip. "Why're you here, Nancy?"

"Don't have an attitude with me, dear sister. Believe it or not I'm hear to give ya a warnin' out of the kindness of my heart cause I'm married to your brother, who as you know would do anythin' to protect ya." Nancy told me while walkin' over to the porch steps I was standin' on the bottom of.

"Humor me, what's your warnin'?" I asked, my arms crossed over my chest as I gave her a pointed look.

Nancy's long face fell into a show of fake sympathy as she said, "A news article came out today on the front page of that New York paper, the Globe, an' it's very bad for your demon Hatfield in-laws."

"How bad?" I asked before I could think better of it. I mean if this shrew's here cacklin' 'bout one of T.C. Crawford's stories it must be bad. Really bad.

"Well, Lawyer Perry Cline said a bit 'bout my pap's death an' so did I, but Abel blurted out a bit bitterly 'bout how Devil Anse locked ya up in his barn an' how Cap almost divorced ya to only bring ya home t'care for the babies instead."

"What? Why would he said that to a reporter?" I asked in a flabbergasted gasped. Suddenly, my senses came back to me and I narrowed my eyes at the black-eyed bitch standin' infront of me. "You put him up to it, didn't you? Didn't you?!" I shrieked at Nancy, causin' the little girl on her hip to cry and burryin' her head into the shrew's shoulder.

"Hell…now look what'cha did. Ya made Harmony cry." Nancy crooned, tiltin' he head at her daughter while pattin' her back. Her black beady eyes locked onto my sapphire ones as she declared, "I swear, I didn't make him tell that reporter 'bout your hardtimes an' tribulations at the hands of your husband an' his demon family. He did that on his own, most likely thinkin' that if more people rally 'gainst the Hatfields and see them for what they really are then you will too an' maybe you'll even leave that husband of yours for a better life."

"My life was just fine with my husband before my brother meddled." I countered my sister-in-law, who I'd as such a thing. "Now, if you'd be so kind please get off of my property." I ordered Nancy before turnin' on my heel and stormin' up my porch.

"I'm not tryin' to hurt you and neither is Abel. Allie, we're just tryin' to help ya." That bitch had enough balls to say as I stepped onto my porch.

Lookin' over my shoulder, I scoffed, "Could've fooled me.", before stormin' over to my door and into my house.

Jessa POV:

It was a lovely spring day and for once I wasn't feeling sick. It felt like a Christmas miracle, even tho Christmas was a long way off. Oh, I usually had so many bad days when pregnant that when I had a good day it was exciting in a way to me. Since it was so nice out, I was outside hanging up the wash while Cotton and all the kids were playing underneath the shade of a nearby tree. The giggles and laughter of Cotton and the kids made me smile. It warmed my heart that they were enjoying themselves, especially in these shaky times. Times that they didn't even know were rough and potentially dangerous for them.

I hung up a sheet and bent down to pick another out of the wicker basket only to notice, as I lifted my head up, that Nancy McCoy-Freeland had just pulled her wagon up to my house. Instantly, I dropped the sheet back into the basket and rushed over to see what the woman wanted. I was never friends with her, but never per say enemies either, so I assumed she was hear about Endor. I'm sure she knew about him bein' Tolbert's since, as I understand, he was living with her and Abel around the time I got knocked up.

By time she climbed down from her wagon and scooped up her daughter, placing her on her hip, I was halfway to her. "Nancy, hi." I waved to her, figuring it's better to catch bees with honey then with vinegar.

"Well, Jessa, ain't it a lovely thing how ya great me the way one should, unlike the snappin' an' coldness I got just minutes 'go from Allie when I paid her a visit." Nancy smiled, her voice a bit sugary (but not in a threatening way) as she quickly made her way over to me.

"Why'd you visit her for?" I asked as we came to a stop, meeting each other in the middle of the property near the side of my house.

"To warn her, same as you, 'bout the article that New York paper the Globe put out today."

"It's damning to the Hatfields, particularly Shaw and Devil Anse." I stated, not asked, since I knew that anything T.C. Crawford wrote most likely painted my husband and my cousin-in-law as monsters.

"It's damnin', but for Devil Anse, Cap, and Jim Vance. In a way your husband too I suppose, but the article's mainly about my pap's murder, but Abel did let it slip about how Allie was locked up in Devil Anse's barn; was gonna be divorced by Cap too til he decided he couldn't care for his babies alone an' took her home instead."

"Well, I can see why you warned her, but why're you warning me for?"

"Cause I know that your youngest boy, Endor, belong's to Tolbert. Hell, anyone wit' workin' eyealls knows an' I just don't wanna see none of my family gettin' hurt by Hatfields, even ones they live 'mongst."

"Thank you for your warnin', but I assure you I can protect Endor just fine."

"But if one day ya can't please get 'way from your husband. Shaw's as vile an' evil of a bastard as his uncle Jim Vance is. One day he'll snap; when that day comes find somewhere to go."

"Like where, with you and Abel?" I asked, coming across a bit snarkier than I intended, as I gave Nancy an arched brow look.

Nancy shook her head. "No, our place's too small, but I'm sure ya could find help in Kentucky. Lots of people'd be willin' to help ya cause of your boy, Tolbert's boy." Well, only one I could think of might be able to help, that lawyer brother of Senator Booksdale (Brock Brooksdale) since he lived half an hour away from Pikeville and wasn't too involved with the feud (other than knowing T.C. Crawford).

"I'll keep that in mind, Nancy." I assured her, earning me a thin line of a smile from the black-eyed beauty of the Tug River Valley.

"Well, I best be gettin' goin'." Nancy politely told me before turnin' 'round and heading over to where her wagon was parked.

From over her shoulder her daughter grinned and waved at me. I knew she was a month older than Endor, so I just smiled and waved back at the little girl. When I turned around to head back over to the clothing line, I noticed that Cotton was playing tag with the kids underneath the tree still and that they most likely didn't even notice that I was gone from the line; talking to somebody.

Asa POV:

When the post man came knockin' on my hotel door with a Western Union for me, I knew that my editor back in San Franscico was ready to assign me another story. When I read my Western Union, my brows rose up in concern since the thing said Read today's New York Globe and get to the bottom of that shit article. So, bein' the good reporter that I am, I went down to the nearby general store corner and bought a paper from the paperboy.

I saw that one man crumbled up the paper and spit on the ground before shouting out the claim of, "Damn McCoys, makin' Hatfields look bad!"

Another woman shook her head and sneered, "If Jim didn't kill Harmon then somebody else would've. Yankee traitor."

Well, these people's reactions to the front-page story in the Globe had me curious about what T.C. Crawford wrote. Quickly, I made my way back to the King's Hotel and up to my room where I sat at the small table and chair set to read my newly bought paper. Once my eyes caught hold of the title, I knew the story was a whooper. Quickly, I immersed myself with the article, only to feel a sense of shock and disgust at what I read.

Finishing the article, I folded the paper up and placed it onto the table. Sighing, I ran a hand thru my hair and pondered how I was supposed to explain the New York Globe article for my boss. Hell, how was I supposed to even ask Devil Anse and Jim Vance about it? I doubt they'll want to talk about any of the accusations (damning ones too) that were printed in today's paper.

Then a thought came to me. I could interview Cap about what transpired between his wife and father. I could also ask him about his uncle too. If worse came to worse and he refused to talk, then I'd go to Devil Anse poking around for answers about T.C. Crawford's allegations.

Well, I sure do have my work cut out for me tomorrow. Looks like I better tell Larry 'bout our next assignment and then send a Western Union to my wife, asking her if she has any insight about the subject of Jim Vance murdering Harmon McCoy or about any problems between Devil Anse and his daughter-in-law.

AN:

Oh boy, Nancy's up to something. Sully's tried to talk some sense into Devil Anse,but it didn't go as planned. Oh boy, Jessa's already thinking of going to Brock for help if things get too hairy. YIKES! Next up is Asa's counter article along with some other things.