Okay this is my first Hatfields & McCoys story ever! Now this one is from the McCoy side & features Tolbert/OC! So please be nice, read & review!

Meetin' Uncle Perry

I sat on the porch with my little bag packed as the autumn breeze wafted through my coppery-colored hair. My eyes were sore and burned a bit from all the cryin' I had done of late. My Mama had passed over the river Jordan to forever sing with the angels a few days ago after birthin' my step-daddy a baby boy. Since Mama was dead, Fred, my step-daddy was sending me off to live with my Uncle. I had never met my Uncle before, all I knew about him was that he had studied law in Louie-Ville Kentucky and had a house somewhere near Pikeville Kentucky. I was currently in Asheville, North Carolina along the Blue Ridge Mountains, sitting on the rottin' porch that was heavily littered with empty corn-likker bottles. My step-daddy was inside carin' for his son while I sat here in the autumn breeze with sunlight glittering on fallen leaves waitin' for my Uncle to get me from Kentucky. He was comin' to get me since Fred sent him word to, or at least that's what he told me.

At 7 1/2 years old I never thought I'd lose my Mama and be shuffled to be raised by some Uncle I didn't even know. Mama didn't talk much of her older brother, just that he was smart and had managed to use their Pa's money to get into fancy-smancy colleges and stuff.

I don't know how long I was sitting for, felt like hours, when I saw a carriage pull up being led by a pair of horses. The man in it had on a nice suit with a pretty fancy looking hat. He was tall with dark hair and a mustache. He smiled at me as he climbed out of his carriage. His smile seemed a bit fox like, sly if ya know what I mean, but still warm and nice. I watched as he walked up to the base of the porch.

He looked at me and said in a nice way, "Hi, why you must be Novella Landon, I'm your Uncle Perry Cline."

"Hi, Uncle Perry Cline." I mustered out in a small, frightened voice as I rose from my perch on the porch step with my small bag in hand.

"Come, child, we must get going to our home in Kentucky." He motioned for me to walk down to where he was with the slight wave of his hand.

I just nodded my head and walked down a couple of steps to meet my uncle at ground level.

"My, you look just like my sister. God rest her soul." Uncle Perry told me before we made our way to his carriage.

After a long travel I arrived at my Uncle Perry's home. It was very nice and clean looking. It even had white wash on it! I hurried into the house as soon as the carriage stopped, I just couldn't believe that I would be in such a nice home. I forgot my uncle was their right behind me until he spoke up, sayin', "Your room's up the stairs first door to the right. It's simple but I imagine we'll be able to fix it suitable to your liking in time."

"Okay, thank you, Uncle Perry." I replied politely, still not used to the idea of having to be raised by an Uncle I barely knew.

"Yes, you're welcome, Novella, now go put your bag in your room and go get cleaned up and rest a while. Later tonight we'll be having dinner with Aunt Sally McCoy and her family."

"Okay." I nodded my head and then went upstairs to find my room.

I didn't know much about my new family, I was nervous about goin' to Aunt Sally McCoy's tonight for dinner. I knew nothin' about her, never even heard of her neither. I pushed all of my thoughts about tonight's dinner with an Auntie I didn't even know existed to the back of my mind and quickly found my room. I opened the door and walked right into it and Uncle Perry was right it was very simple, looked as if it was for the use of guests not kin, but it was mine and it was nice enough for me.

As I unpacked my small bag that I had rested on my new bed I decided that maybe things wouldn't be so bad after all and maybe, just maybe, I could be happy. Happy like I was before Mama married Fred and before she passed away to the heavens.