#You thought it was a lesson but it's about Micah Bell again

[brothermoth]

Some of y'all are grown ass fucking adults who didn't pay attention in English class and make it OUR problem now. No, somebody is not a bad person for liking a villain character. Human morality is not black and white like that, and all you are doing is stripping writers of our chance to make you think for once in your goddamn life. Antagonists play a role more than antagonizing. They're meant to tell you something about yourself, about the world, about relationships.

Just because I think a character is interesting will never ever mean I condone or agree with the things they do. It's fiction, in real life I would despise them, but because they're not real I can toy with them in Google docs like a little puppet. This is not the 1600s anymore where you're terrified to make one wrong move lest you be sent straight to hell do not pass go do not collect 200 dollars.

If you're going to be an avid consumer of media, at least learn how to analyze it. Don't be reactionary xitter users, please?

--this is about red dead redemption I'm sorry--

BUT Micah is a bad person. We all agree. We shan't defend the things he does or believes because despite being unfortunately average opinions of the time, his actions do little but hurt the people around him.

YET he's just some guy, at the end of the day. He's a reflection of Arthur, of who he could potentially have been if his father hadn't been hanged and had kept him around. Arthur has the same potential to be Micah as Micah has to be Arthur. Hell, his brother left and started a family, he could've done so as well. The game is about choice. It's about actively choosing to do the right thing, even if the right thing is a bit questionable sometimes. You cannot in good faith aim your staunch moral opinions toward this game. You miss so much nuance and important conversation that the writers wanted you to have. Arthur isn't some golden retriever good boy, he's done terrible things and acknowledges that. He beat a man with a terminal illness to death over like thirty bucks, and he thought nothing of it until he got sick himself. Arthur had his chances to leave too, but he dug his heels in the same as Micah did, he refused to take that opportunity and resigned himself to being a violent arm of the gang.

Kill the puritan worms in your brains guys. Please. Use the thinking meat, that's what it's there for.

[inkrabbit]

A Promise to Keep - Micah x GN!Reader

I liked the beginning, then hated the end. But it’s done and you all get to deal with it.

Summary: Micah keeps his promise of taking you to dinner and a show, and you find the man to be on his best behavior while on the little date.

Word count: 1,823

 True to his word, you find yourself on the back of Baylock in the late evening, Micah all dolled up (as best he could be and felt like) and asking if you were ready to go. You had laughed when he took your hand, pressing a kiss to your knuckles, and you knew it was all out of sarcasm. Still, it did make your heart pick up a bit, and you made sure to mess with the outlaw on your way into Valentine, resting your head on his back and wrapping your arms around his waist. Oh, you felt him stiffen and inhale sharply, and you couldn’t stop the grin that spread across your face.

“Makin’ yourself comfy?” he asks, head turning to look over his shoulder. You let out a hum as a reply, and you can hear that soft chuckle escape his lips. He’s talking, something to fill the silence on your way down the old road, joking that if this show is horrible, then you’ll be owing him money. It’s enough to bring a laugh from you, sitting upright so you can playfully hit his shoulder.

“Can’t you just have fun for once?” you ask, and that offended scoff cements the smile on your face.

“Doll, I’ll have you know that I’m very fun,” he purrs over his shoulder, “You just don’t wanna find out. No, instead you wanna go to a show.”

“Which will be fun,” you correct him. You can’t see it, but you know he’s rolling his eyes as you two finally make it into town. He brings Baylock to the stables and you link your arm with his when he hands the reins over to the stable boy. You have to shush him when he growls at the poor young man, instructing his horse gets the utmost care. You knew how much he loved that animal. It was probably the only time you ever saw him care about something so much, aside from his beloved guns.

 The theater is right beside the stables, little tents and wagons put up all around with the gallows just across the road. Micah mutters something about wishing there was a hanging that you two could watch instead, something more enjoyable. Another playful smack to his arm, and you have to remind him of the events that transpired in Strawberry. He huffs, pouting as you comment how fun that would’ve been as well.

“Now, you know you don’t mean that,” he says, pulling his arm in to drag you closer to him. You let out a thoughtful hum, but he can see the smile on your face. Walking over to the ticket booth, the man inside greets you both with a warm smile. He tells you what the show is about when you ask, the tale of why bears hibernate and it’s enough to pull a scoff from Micah. He seems almost reluctant to give the man a dollar for the tickets, having looked at you with those eyes that clearly asked ���are you really sure you wanna see this?” When you held your smile, he finally handed over the money, grumbling about how it better be worth it as he led you inside.

 There wasn’t much, but you didn’t expect anything fancy. Some wooden chairs lined up, three in a row with a big screen in the front. The man operating the film was right by the entrance, seated in his own chair with his legs crossed, as he stared down at the table. Micah leads you over to the chairs in the back, right in front of the film operator. You finally remove your arm from his as you sit down, hands folded in your lap as you lean back against the chair. Micah’s leaning forward instead, arms resting on his thighs with his legs are spread and his knee brushes against yours. You don’t move away this time. Instead, you allow the contact.

 The show starts, getting right into it. The main character, Bear, is visited by Old Man Wind, who warns the grizzly of an upcoming winter. You can tell your companion isn’t into it and isn’t even paying attention. He’ll look at the screen, sure, but he’s also glancing around at the others in the small tent. You didn’t expect much from him in all honesty. You were surprised he even made it this far without throwing a fit and wanting to leave.

 Halfway through the movie, and Micah’s still being good. He’s finally leaned back, back pressed against the top of the seat. He’s not subtle about his actions, bringing his arm up to wrap it around your shoulder. There’s a look in his blue eyes when you turn your attention to him. His eyebrows are slightly raised, gaze trained on you and you can feel how he’s slowly easing his grip from your shoulder. Well, he had been a good sport for this long. Shuffling over as far as you can on the chair, you allow yourself to rest your head against his shoulder. You can tell you’ve caught him off guard, but he’s quick to recover and relax against you. His thumb is rubbing your arm softly, back and forth against your shirt. This was quite the change from how you viewed everything going in your head.

 You can hear the man chuckling at the end, and you can’t help but roll your eyes. He’s making some sort of comment about how the characters should’ve listened, and this is the first time you find yourself agreeing with the man. When the show ends, the two of you stand up, and you slip your hand into his as you two exit the tent. His grip is firm but gentle, just enough to keep your hand from falling out of his grasp. You walk close to him, still smiling as the two of you make your way over to the saloon for some dinner.

“I’m surprised you behaved so well back there,” you comment, catching his attention. Brows raised again, he stares at you.

“What? Don’t think I know how to be good?” he chuckles, but he lowers his head just a bit, just enough to cover his eyes. “’Sides, it wasn’t that bad I guess…”

“I liked it,” An amused huff escapes him as he pushes open the doors to the saloon. You tell him what you’d like to eat and drink, and you choose a table as he makes his way up to the counter. You watch him talk, and you catch the way he sneers at the man, no doubt throwing in some sort of insult wrapped in charming words to the poor man. Well, it wasn’t much a surprise, and you couldn’t expect him to stay good all night.

 He comes over with everything when he’s given his items, setting your plate in front of you and handing you your drink. It’s nice, and you thank him softly as he sits across from you. Dinner starts out quiet, both of you enjoying your meal, but he finally speaks up about halfway through.

“Why the sudden interest in me?” he asks, and you wait for him to clarify his question. He lets out a low groan when you don’t respond. “Ya don’t take interest in me before, but after last night, you’re suddenly curious about ol’ Micah Bell. Now, why is that?”

“Guess you finally caught my attention,” you respond, taking a bite of your food. You watch him and you can practically see the cogs turning in his head, trying to piece everything together. And when it takes him too long, you continue. “I see you around camp, Micah. Hell, everyone does. Talkin’ nonsense, startin’ fights for no reason. Then you start talking to me, actually talking, and you ain’t that bad.”

“I’m not a monster,” he grumbles out, and you just nod, reaching over to gently rest your hand on his.

“And I’m realizing that after you’ve simmered down,” you tell him. A smile forms on your face when you see him nod, and you stroke your thumb over his knuckles. “Maybe you could work on it?”

“Now, I think you might be askin’ for too much,” He’s chuckling softly, but you know it’s the truth, and you didn’t expect the man to change overnight. But, you’d settle for his calmer attitude now, giving him a nod and telling him you understood.

Micah’s out of the saloon first when you two finish eating, focus trained on you as you thank the bartender for everything. He doesn’t hear the trampling hooves coming his way, and he seems almost shocked when you’re rushing forward, grabbing onto his coat and dragging him forward. A young man rushes by on a horse, an obnoxious leaving his lips.

“You need to be more careful,” you chuckle as you look up at Micah. You were sure he’d be ranting and raving by now, promising to teach the kid a lesson. You’re surprised when he reaches out, however, grabbing you by the waist and pulling you into his chest, lips crashing onto yours. The shock lasts only for a bit before you melt into his embrace, moving in sync with him. One hand rests on his bicep while the other goes to his cheek, your fingers threading through his beard. You finally break away after a while, abruptly when you feel him try to reach lower. The hand that was on his cheek is pulled back, just for a moment, before it’s making contact again in a sharp slap. He’s stunned, but there’s a smile on his face and he’s laughing.

“What was that for?” you ask, face red as you cross your arms.

“I thought ya might like it,” he responds. You’re almost at a loss for words. Truth be told, you had liked it. He had taken you by surprise, and he had even been gentle with you.

“I might’ve if you asked!” you shoot back. You turn your heels, and decide it’s time to end the night. You didn’t get to hear much about Micah. Didn’t get to know him any better, and that kiss only fueled your desire for more. “You comin’?”

“And just where are we goin’, doll?” he asks, jogging to catch up with you. “To get a room,” you tell him. Eyebrows raised, he sends you a smug grin. “Figure we can get to know each other more without the rest of the gang listenin’.”

“Oh, I have a feelin’ we’ll be getting to know each other real well,” he purrs. He snakes his arms around your waist and pull you close, and you have to pry yourself away with another smack.

“You don’t get anything if you don’t behave!” you scold him, and he gives you a playful pout. This would be a long night, but maybe, just maybe you’d reward the man if he didn’t act out again.

[neon-junkie]

Obedience Training

Summary: Dutch isn't happy with the way Micah left Strawberry, so he asks Arthur to help punish him.

Pairing: Arthur Morgan x Micah Bell x Dutch Van Der Linde

Word Count: 2162

Rating: NSFW

Tags: A lot of sin, Threesome, Light dom/sub, Anal, Face-fucking, Anal creampies, Facials, Obedience training, First time, Orgasm denial, Humiliation, Degrading.

Notes: ahahahah my first time writing these three >:3 I'm a slut for these ships, so why not just combine them all together?! I'm also pretty happy with how I've written Dutch, considering he's not one of my strong points, so go me!!

"Dutch?" A concerned voice from outside asks. "Arthur! Come in, son," Dutch calls out to him. Arthur does as he's told, just like the loyal lapdog he is. Only he seems to regret it the instant he walks into the tent. He takes a step back, eyes trying to focus on anything but what was going in front of him. 

Dutch is in the middle of his tent, knees on the floor with the vilest human being beneath him. Arthur knows straight away what's going on, it's hard not to notice that Dutch has his cock buried inside Micah, who looks more than embarrassed in having Arthur walk in on them, his head down in shame. Dutch had beckoned Micah into his tent one quiet afternoon, promising him talk of his time in Strawberry. Micah was expecting to gloat about the score he got for Dutch, but he found himself being urged onto his knees as Dutch spoke down to him, telling him that he'll need to do a lot more than bring back some money to make up the mess he left Strawberry in. Micah will do anything for Dutch's approval. Anything. Dutch knows this and used it to his advantage, both punishing Micah and getting himself off. His grip on Micahs hair was tight as he urged Micah to suck him off whilst his own fingers prepped his virgin ass. And here he is, hands and knees on the wooden floor of Dutch's tent, with the man himself coming to a halt in his ass so he can have a conversation with Arthur, ignoring the man below him. Micah's trying his best not to make any noises, but his green neckerchief was untied from his neck and wrapped around his cock, tight enough to make any man whimper as they attempt to hold back on touching themselves. "Ain't this... uh... a bad time?" Arthur questions, as he turns his head around and stares at the tent flaps. "A bad time? Quite the opposite, son," Dutch laughs. "You're just the person I was hoping for. Won't you be so kind as to come and kneel down in front of Mister Bell here?" Dutch asks, though Arthur knows it's an order. And for once, Arthurs willing to question it. "You want me to what?" Arthur questions, his eyes briefly flicking over to Dutch, trying to ignore the mess of a blonde man underneath him. "You heard me right. It seems we need to give our newest member here a lesson in obedience. Maybe then he won't run around shooting up towns over such meaningless things like his guns," Dutch tells him, a slight grit to his teeth. "Well... alright then," Arthur pauses for a moment before walking over, kneeling down in front of Micah who's trying his best not to make eye contact with Arthur. Dutch watches eagerly, but his smile quickly fades when he realizes that Micah is more useless than he thought. "Well, Micah?" Dutch asks as he slams his hips down into him, knocking the wind from Micah's lungs. "You know what to do. Don't make poor Arthur here wait."   Micah's still hesitant before slowly looking up at Arthur. His eyes trail south, settling on his pants. He slowly reaches out and attempts to undo the button with one hand, the other hand still holding his weight up. Arthur enjoys watching him struggle but undoes his gunbelt in the meantime, letting it fall to the tents wooden floor with a thud. For obvious reasons, Arthur isn't hard, and Micah waits a good few moments before taking his flaccid cock in his hands and slowly begins to pump it. "Dutch, this is... erm..." Arthur fumbles about with his words. "I know. Don't view it for how it is on the surface. View it as two men teaching their newest member what loyalty and obedience are all about," Dutch hisses, slamming his cock into Micah again with a firm grip on his hips. He pushes his member all the way in, leaving it there whilst he continues to watch Micah slowly jerk Arthur off. Arthur pauses again, looking down at Micah who has his eyes on his cock. Arthurs is thankful that Micah isn't looking up at him again, wanting to burn that image from his memory. He eventually asks Micah "is that it?" To which Micah frowns at Arthur and feels like biting his dick off in the moment. "Just look at that scowl he's giving you, Arthur. He's quite clearly untrained, and the sooner we fuck that attitude out of him, the better," Dutch huffs, deciding to start slowly thrusting himself back into Micah, who reacts by clenching his eyes shut and lets out a whimper, still not use to the sensation. For some sick and chaotic reason, Arthur decides to side with Dutch on this one. If he ignores the fact that this is Micah Bell with his cock in his hand, then it really isn't too bad. He'll just pretend it's someone else and treat them like he would with any other common whore. "Well, you heard him. Get to work," Arthur tuts, and Micah scowls at him again. Finally, Micah begins properly pumping Arthurs shaft, his palm and fingers pressing tightly against it as works his hand up and down his length. Arthurs cock begins to slowly grow, more so if Arthur doesn't look down at the blonde beneath him. "Just put it in your mouth, Micah," Dutch spits. He's getting tired of being impatient and rewards Micah with a harsh slap to the rear as he picks up the pace. Micah shudders underneath him, hating that stinging feeling left behind on his cheek, but he knows that's just a minor punishment he'll receive if he doesn't start putting some effort in. So he begrudgingly opens his mouth and slides Arthurs's length in, scrunching his nose and eyes up the second his tongue presses against the base of Arthurs cock. There's a harsh tug to Micah's hair as he feels Arthur grip hold of it, his eyes looking down at him to make sure Micah doesn't try any funny business. Micah takes his time with bobbing his head along Arthurs's length, still reluctant to do so. There's another sharp slap to his rear, and Micah realizes he's being watched, so he picks up the pace. "Well, it's not the worst I've ever had, but it's still pretty bad," Arthur chuckles as continues to look down on Micah, whose eyes remain shut. They snap open the second Dutch replies "why don't you show him how it's done then, son?" Micah gags the second Arthur starts moving his hips, trying to push his head off his cock but Arthur keeps him firmly in place, tugging his hair harshly. Dutch continues to thrust into him, and Micah's ass has only recently stopped hurting. There's a thin beaded trail of precum dripping from Micahs cock, pooling on the wooden floor below, and more gets pushed out every time Dutch hits that spot deep inside of him, followed by a shiver down his spine. Having his mouth around Arthurs's length may not be the most enjoyable thing in the world, but Micah feels pure bliss whenever Dutch goes deep, though he'll never allow himself to show these men just how much he's enjoying it. However, a few whimpers and moans are pushed from his lips, mostly muffled by Arthurs's length. The more Arthur fucks his mouth, the more spit gets pushed from the corners of his lips, dribbling down his chin and onto the floor below. He already looks like a mess, with his scruffed shirt hanging off one of his shoulders, a few buttons missing, and the pool of precum beneath his cock that grows larger from the second. Micah is embarrassed at the state he's allowed himself to get into, especially at the hands of one of his least favourite men, but he tries to just enjoy parts of the experience. Micah is thankful that Arthur bathes often, as his pubes continue to brush against his nose every time Arthur bucks his hips against his mouth, forcing him to gag again. Dutch seems content, fucking Micah's virgin ass with one arm hanging by his side, the other lightly placed on the small of Micahs back as if he's lazily riding a horse. Dutch moves his hands to grip onto Micah's hips, pushing his shirt out the way so he can grab hold of the slight muffin top that Micah has. His sudden picking up of pace catches Micah off guard, who is pushed deeper onto Arthurs cock. He has to pull off so he can cough, and only gets a brief second to calm down before Arthurs grabs him by the scruff of his hair and puts him back on, holding his head in place as he fucks his mouth. "Mister Bell?" Dutch questions, leaning over the blonde man a little so he can speak more directly into his ear. Micah lets out a muffled response, his eyes snapping open as he tries to look over his shoulder at Dutch. "You won't go misbehaving again, will you?" Dutch questions. Micah lets out a muffled "no,'" shaking his head at the same time. "Good, good. Because if you do, there'll be much worse consequences. And I'll have you know, that it won't just be me buried in your ass. That's for starters," Dutch informs him, that usual sternness to his voice. Micah tries his best to let out a muffled "yes, boss," and has to snap his eyes shut again as Arthur forces his head to face forward, returning to his quickened pace. "You close, Arthur?" Dutch asks. "Yep," Arthur replies, his eyes meeting Dutch's. "Good. Make sure Micah remembers this, won't you?" Dutch asks him. "Course," Arthur replies, looking back down at the blonde who seems more than concerned. Arthur pulls his length from Micah's mouth, forcing his head to tilt back uncomfortably. He keeps Micahs head in place with the harsh grip to his hair, and Micah knows exactly where this is going when Arthur begins to tug on his own cock. Micah manages to shut his eyes and close his mouth just in time, his brows furrowing as Arthur spills his load on Micah's face. It splatters across his cheek and forehead, narrowly missing his eyes. Micah feels more than disgusted and shamed when he begins to feel Arthurs cum slowly dripping down his face, running along his beard and moustache. Is Dutch chuckling? His laughter quickly turns into a mix of a grunt and a moan when Dutch pushes his cock as far as he can into Micah's ass, holding it deeply as he cums against Micah's prostate, making the blonde shudder and whimper, his own cock begging for release. He can feel his balls turning blue, but he dare not remove his own neckerchief from his cock, not wanting to get a minimum punishment of a slap on the ass.   Dutch pulls out of him, letting out a sigh as he stands upright, tucking his cock away. Arthur does the same, wiping his hands off on his jeans as if that'll remove the sin he just endured. "I think we'll leave Mister Bell here to clean himself up," Dutch tells Arthur as he fishes a cigar from his pocket. "Sure," Arthur nods, getting ready to leave. "You heard me, Micah," Dutch says as he looks down at the man after lighting his cigar, the smoke beginning to fill his tent. "Clean up then get out there and do something useful for once," Dutch tells him. "Sure, boss," Micah manages to say as he sits back on his knees, his chest rising and falling heavily. Arthur leaves the tent, and Dutch is about to until he turns back to Micah. "Oh, and you can remove that neckerchief," Dutch tells him as he points down at his reddened cock. "Sorry, son. I forgot it was there," Dutch grins, exiting the tent to leave Micah to clean up. As much as Micah wants to finish himself off, he can't, especially when Arthurs load is still on his face, and Dutch's load is dripping from his abused hole. Micah undoes his neckerchief from his cock, using the cloth to clean himself as well as he can. Once he feels somewhat clean, Micah tucks the neckerchief in his pocket and attempts to clean up his appearance, tucking away his still throbbing cock and wiping down his shirt. He places his hat back on, making him feel a little more like himself, and exits through the back of Dutch's tent. Micah manages to get over to Baylock without anyone noticing him, not that the camp would anyway. He hisses as he gets in the saddle, his ass beginning to feel sore, but he pushes on and rides away, heading out to get a bath in town and hopefully finish himself off.

[fandomficsnstuff]

Can’t help it

Arthur Morgan x Reader

“Arthur, are you sure about this information?” You looked towards the man you loved, Arthur nodding quietly as he watched the road “damn, that nervous nelly, old cowpoke over there really rubbed off on ya sweetheart” Micah grumbled, you only threw a glare at him before looking at Arthur “why is he with us again?” you mumbled to Arthur, he sighed and glared at Micah who only smirked amused in return “I got no idea, Javier was supposed to, but he got something else to do for Dutch so this fool came along” Arthur looked back at the road, waiting for the trail of coaches to come by.

“Oh joy, at least Javier has some charm” you mumbled, noticing Arthur smirking in amusement at your comment.

“What?! I got plenty of charm sweetheart!” Micah barked at you, you simply did as Arthur and smirked, not even looking Micah’s way. “Well so far, Mr. Bell, I ain’t seen none of it” you scoffed, making sure your gun was fully loaded, that is until you felt a creepy warm breath right by your cheek from behind “oh darlin’, can’t help it, all the charm I’ve got, why don’t we leave old cowpoke here and I’ll show ya?” he whispered creepily, probably thinking that he was being charming and alluring. Boy was in for a surprise. You glanced at Arthur, who thankfully didn’t hear him, before turning to Micah. You studied him for a second before getting up, from your hiding spot, kneeing him in the face and knocking him back, you quickly stepped on him to make him stay down, all of the commotion catching Arthur’s attention as Micah wiped his nose, surprised to see blood covering his fingers and running down his face from his nose.

“The hell’s going on here?! (Y/N)?” he whispered but still managed to sound rather loud “Mr. Bell thought he needed a little lesson, so I taught him one” you smiled sweetly at Arthur “he wasn't very good at paying’ attention” you shrugged and removed your foot from him, allowing him to get up and brush off his clothes.

“The hell’s wrong with ya girlie?!” Micah almost screamed “how dare yo-”

“Sit your ass down Micah, or do you want me to help you with that again?” you glared at him and a tiny blush formed on his cheeks, crouching down into hiding just as you had done before. You threw a small smirk Arthur’s way and he looked at you with adoration, much to Micah’s annoyance.

“What happened?” he asked with a small chuckle in his voice, trying not to laugh at Micah’s humiliation

“Oh, can’t help it, can I? Not my fault his momma never told him how to speak to a lady” you shrugged, glancing back at a very annoyed, and embarrassed, Micah. Arthur laughed quietly at your comment, and at Micah’s sulking, but quieting down once the stage coaches arrived, but damn if he didn’t have a smile on his face the rest of the day. Even after you got back when Micah told Dutch that you ‘assaulted’ him and Arthur let it happen, Arthur just laughed “can’t help it, Dutch. Can’t help it” he chuckled as he walked away to his tent.

[norafike]

Despite all this, I still love you 10

*Contains spoilers for Chapter 3 mission; A short walk in a pretty town.

Depictions of violence, please read at your own risk as the material can be unsettling for viewers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It took a day or more's journey to travel as far as Rhodes from the business she underwent back at Valentine. Even longer due to Maggie's distraction.

The female hitched her horse near the Gunsmith, noticing the unsettling silence that haunted the town. Nobody could be seen for miles and the store's looked empty whenever she peered through the windows inside. She wondered why Arthur sent the letter, requesting for her help, given that there was not a soul around.

“Hello?” She called out for nothing, expecting something to call back to her. Silence was met and so she decided to walk deeper, seeing where the men she was meant to meet lurked. “Arthur?.. Sean?”

She saw them eventually, hiding near a building all talking amongst themselves. She smiled at Sean and took a stand near him before whistling for her horse to trot on over to where they waited. She tethered him to the correct post, standing near. “How are you feelin' gentlemen?”

Micah snorted the minute she opened her mouth, gripping his gun belt and kicking his leg up onto a crate near to trap her between him and her animal. “Jus' fine, yourself?”

She tried not to visibly cringe once he spoke up, but could not help but scrunch up her nose in disgust. She used the tip of her finger to push him away. “I was doin' so much better before you started talkin', Mr. Bell.”

“I feel like we've gotten close enough, call me Micah.” He grinned and she had to bite her tongue to not snap back at him. “Of course, I'd like to know you.. a little better.”

“A shame I'm gettin' to know Kieran a little better first.” And Sean let out a roar of a laugh at her subtle way of dismissing his offer, this displeasing Micah enough that he left her alone.

"I am only kidding of course." She made it known so none of them would go ahead and tease the poor boy when they returned to camp, after all he was not considered highly amongst the group and the last thing he needed was someone taking her words the wrong way.

Micah snorted again before walking away from the female, ignoring her subtle giggles from behind and taking the lead with Sean on their walk into town. It had been far too quiet for Nora's liking before but now, while they were exposed like how they were.. well she felt more uneasy than ever.

“None of it feels right.” She mumbled under her breathe, going unnoticed by the others. They talked before Arthur raised his voice over them, finally addressing the situation and repeating what Nora had said earlier.  Sean turned around. “Now none of it feels right?” His accent was thicker here but before anyone had time to process what they were saying and shot rang out, setting them into ‘fighter’ mode. Nobody had noticed Sean, yet.

She covered her ears as she followed the men behind cover, finally taking a moment to compose herself and assess the situation. Here, she counted visible faces and let out a choked sob when she counted one short; Sean not being present. Nora faced Arthur, fear reflecting in his eyes and through a shaky voice managed to ask him the dreaded question. “Where's Sean?” He frowned; not asking and instead taking her deeper into the alley they hid in once the bullets to close to be comfortable.

“We'll worry about Sean later.. are you okay to fight? I feel we got half the family after us.” She slowly nodded to answer. “Good.”

He ran out of the alley, both revolvers in hand and began to fire blindly down the road. She watched until he disappeared around the corner, taking a shaky breath she soon followed, her revolver in hand.

“Sean.” Her voice was small once she noticed the boy lying in the dirt, an unmistakable pool of blood around him and only growing. With the little strength she had left she managed to force herself into hiding behind a few crates, her vision growing more blurry from the tears that kept falling. She wasn't even trying to hit anything, only shooting behind her to make it seem as though she was helping but in reality she was only trying to not blackout as she always does. Her voice was called by an invisible creature, sounding similar to Lem but not quite her friend but it was familiar enough to feel safe.. she focused on it, it repeating one phrase over and over. ‘Come back to me, Nora.’ The very thing Lemuel had said that night with the flammable-moonshine explosion. It kept her distracted and it kept her awake..

“Stay low, girl.” Arthur seemingly appeared from nowhere, crouching by her side and shooting in any direction he heard bullets. He knew of what happened to Nora in situations like this, seeing it many times before and when the reality of Sean's fate kicked in the thought of preventing Nora's emerged. “I'm stayin' low. Make way to the General Store and sneak around the back through there, bastards are hidin' away where we can't see 'em.”

“And risk endin' up like Sean?”

“You can stay here, but I'm going. Prevent you lot endin' up like the kid.” With that she made haste over to the shop, ignoring Arthur's cries for her to run back. It was silent inside but that didn't mean she wasn't careful creeping through, her gun entering or leaving a room before she did at all times. She presumed that Micah and Bill dealt with a lot of the Gray's as the numbers were thinner now, but that didn't mean she didn't take out any herself.. feeling no guilt in doing so either.

“Bastards.” She cursed under her breath as she searched for the remaining bunch.. slowly finding one cowering behind a few barrels. He begged for his life, raising his hands in the air. She staggered for a moment, moving to holster her weapon and the man began to thank her for her “generousity” yet Sean had so much stripped away from him and she remembered it quickly. She put the gun away, opting for a more *satisfying kill and using her knife, she placed the steel against the man's neck and cut as deep as allowed. His blood ran down her hands, onto her lap and he fell lifeless.

She didn't notice the blood, didn't care for it.

…

“Where's Williamson?” She asked; met with silence from the two men who provided no answer.

“Well..?”

“We don't know, lady. Why, you gonna kill him too?” Micah spat and without thinking she lunged towards, gripping the lapels of his jacket and pushing him back. He made contact with the side of the wall, gasping with the wind knocked out of him and not expecting such a small woman to have this much strength, she was almost as feisty as Mrs. Adler and he admired her for it. “No, but I'll kill you asshole.” She shouted and finally Arthur stepped in, wrapping his arm around Nora and pulling her off of the antagonistic individual.

“You're fucking crazy, woman.” Micah hadn't learned his lesson.

“Enough!” Arthur yelled; scowling at the pair of them. “Let's find Bill and get out of here.”

“Whatever.” Nora grunted, walking past the men and back down towards the gunsmith. Arthur watched after her, maintaining a distance as he soon followed behind. She wasn't in any place to be alone right now and he knew it.

“Stop right there!” Sherrif Gray in his bitter tone called out, revolver pointed straight for Nora. She froze in her tracks and raised her hands, looking at the group with a fake smile. In some man's arms she noticed Bill and subtly pointed at him so Arthur could see.

The two finally joined her, Micah on her right and Arthur on her left so she stood perfectly in front of Leigh Gray. How she could spit at his name, a disgusting roach of a man she never had any liking for.. the killing of her only friend which he allowed being the final straw and so god help her she was going to make sure he got what he owed. “You gonna let our friend go, Leigh?”

“I plan on takin' you all in.. or killin' ya if need be.” He replied; his threat meeting deaf ears. She didn't care, couldn't find it within her. “That a threat..? Or a promise?” And Micah looked over astonished as she continued teasing him.

“I ain't playin' games girl-.” Leigh began, but Nora raised her hands to dismiss him. “Never said this was no game, jus' let my friend go.”

“Ain't gonna happen.”

“Very Well.” She was quick, just as skilled as Arthur and unexpecting. A few shots were fired and the Gray's fell, some falling off of the porch of the gunsmith and onto the roads.

Bill clambered forward, completely astonished but holding thanks he needed to pass on. He placed a sweaty palm on her shoulder, reluctantly muttering a quiet ‘thanks’ and walking away.

“Sean.” She cried before running over to the body. The thrill died down and reality kicked her in the face with a steel toe cap boot. Her friend really had been killed, his face disfigured and unrecognisable and her chest tightened when she saw him lying there, on the ground. Her brave face shriveled and she let out sobs, earning an eye roll from Micah but a gentle pat regardless. “Bill, take the boy an' get him buried. I'm gonna ride with Nora back to camp, I don't think she should be alone.”

She chuckled at Arthur's instruction, despite there being no humour behind it. “I'm twenty-four. I can look after myself.”

“Trust me, I know that. I've seen it.” He replied with a light smile. “Jus' need an excuse for me not to be seen alone cryin'.” She laughed as he tried to lighten the situation, there was no time for mourning.

“Come on, let's get you out of here.”

She managed to wipe away a small tear, following him over to Casper and climbing into the saddle without fail despite an ache in her muscles slowly kicking in. Everything coming down and having an effect. “Thank you.” She managed to whisper, following Arthur out of the town.

“It ain't nothin'.”

[write-havoc]

Of Sons and Daughters Ch 11

Summary: Arthur is tasked by Dutch to watch over a young woman who had just lost the last member of her family she had left. That young woman just so happens to be the daughter that Dutch told no one else about.

This is a non canon AU with no major spoilers

Fandom: Red Dead Redemption 2

Pairing: Arthur Morgan/Original Female Character

Status: Ongoing

Contains: swearing, PG 13 smut

Intended for readers 18+ of age only

Masterlist in my bio

Several days pass as the gang comes to terms with Micah’s betrayal to them. With what Charles had told them about what he had seen, it’s evident that after Micah’s plan to get Dutch out in the open to meet with Colm had failed, he went out to that train station to telegraph Milton. Once the agents arrived, Micah must’ve told them Dutch didn’t take the bait. Milton’s impatience apparently had gotten the better of him because he then decided to just raid the camp instead of going about contriving another plan to get Dutch away from everyone to arrest him.

During these days, Emmeline settles in more. She tries her best to do jobs around the camp at Shady Belle. Laundry, mending clothes, washing up, none of it is really new to her, anyway. Once the sun goes down, she starts to help Lenny in his pursuit to teach Sean how to read. The Irishman seems more inclined to listen to Emmeline than Lenny, so he actually makes progress.

“The... dog... j-j-“ he reads along as he points to the words on the page with his finger.

“Sound it out,” Emmeline says in support.

“J-um-p-ed. Jumped!” he calls out excitedly. “That fucker jumped !”

Emmeline and Lenny both laugh at his reaction.

“You’re doing good,” she comments. “See, you’re getting it down. You’ll be reading novels in no time.”

Karen, who is close by, decides to see what all the hubbub is about. “Who jumped?” she asks as she comes to stand by Sean.

He points to the illustration of the little puppy in the book that Lenny had borrowed from Jack. “The dog!” He follows the words with his finger again as he reads. “The dog jumped!”

“You can join us, Karen,” Lenny mentions. “If Sean can learn, you surely can, too.”

She thinks it over a minute. “If I learn to read, Mary Beth will be shoving those stories she writes in my face all the time askin’ if they’re any good.” She moves to sit down next to Sean. “But I guess I ain’t got nothin’ better to do right now.”

Soon enough, Abigail and Jack join in on the lessons, though Hosea has to be recruited to help out with the teaching. It helps to keep spirits high in this time of uncertainty. Arthur often sits next to Emmeline as she continues to help, though most of the time he’s sketching in his journal instead of helping out.

“Who taught you to read, Emmeline?” Abigail asks one of the days they’re all sitting around the fire.

“Both my parents loved books,” she answers. “They didn’t send me off to school, but they both taught me all they knew. Taught me to read and write. How to add numbers. Even had me read some history books, too. They wasn’t really educated, but they did their best.”

“Well you’re loads smarter than Arthur, here,” Sean calls out at Arthur’s expense. “How’d you manage to convince a sweet girl like that to be with you.”

Before Arthur can respond, Emmeline steps in to defend him. “He didn’t have to convince me. Arthur is sweet and kind. And he ain’t dumb. He’s taught me a lot.” She looks over to Arthur and smiles.

“Ain’t that sweet!” Sean razzes him further.

Karen slaps the back of the Irishman’s head. “He’s a better man than you, Sean.”

“Aw, you love me. Give us a kiss.” He leans into Karen, his lips puckered.

“I don’t love you, you pig!” Karen calls out, but everyone knows she’s not serious.

About a week after they had moved into Shady Belle, Arthur finds Dutch standing at the back of the property looking over the swamp.

“Whatcha doin’, Dutch?” he calls out as he approaches.

The older man doesn’t even turn around, though he does answer. “Watching the alligators,” he says with very little emotion in his voice.

Once Arthur comes to stand next to Dutch, he can see blood in the water and an alligator moving around underneath it. “They fighting or something?”

“I watched a boar walk over to the edge of the water,” Dutch starts, eyes still fixed on the swamp. “I watched as one of those gators silently swam up to it, the boar none the wiser. Only took but a few seconds and that gator had that boar in its mouth, dragging it in the water as its meal.”

“Shit,” is all Arthur can think to say.

Dutch lets out a sigh. “All this time, I thought I was the alligator. Turns out I’m the boar.”

Arthur could tell that Dutch hadn’t been taking Micah’s betrayal very well. He had shut himself in his room, barely talking to anybody, which isn’t normal for him. This is actually the first time Arthur had spoken to him in days.

“Now come on, Dutch,” Arthur replies gently. “You ain’t no boar. You’re a man. And men make mistakes on occasion. I know that more ‘n anyone.”

“I’ve been thinking about... him ,” Dutch says, refusing to use Micah’s name. “About everything he’s done. Everything he’s said.” He lets out a heavy breath and casts his gaze to the ground in front of him. “He played me, Arthur. Like a fiddle. Told me everything I wanted to hear. Then he tried to get me to turn on you.” He finally looks over to the younger man. “And John. And Hosea. I nearly fell for it.”

“But ya didn’t.”

“But I nearly did. And everything I’ve been working for would’ve been lost .” He lets out a sigh. “I’ve just been trying so hard ,” he brings his hands up and clenches them into fists in front of him, “to hold onto everything. To keep everyone together. Not to fall into the trap of this...” he waves his hands around, “ civilization .”

“I know, Dutch. We’re still here. We’re still with you.”

Dutch turns his body to face Arthur and places his hand on Arthur’s shoulder. “But for how long?” He doesn’t stay to get a response, instead, walking past him toward the house.

Just a little while later as almost everyone is eating their supper, Sean calls out, “Hey, English!” in Arthur’s direction. Bill is walking next to him, which can mean nothing good, most likely.

Arthur lets out a sigh, causing Emmeline to chuckle beside him. “Yes, Sean?” he replies, already exasperated.

“Me and Bill was ‘avin a drink at some saloon in San Denis when we hear these two blokes talkin’ about some train that’s s’pose ta be carryin’ a lot of gold. Apparently they gonna be movin’ money outta the bank fer some reason.”

“And...?” Arthur says after a pause.

Bill jumps in. “We rob it!”

Arthur just shakes his head. “I don’t think we should be doin’ nothin’ like that right now. All the heat that’s been on us... we need to lie low.”

“Don’t we need the money, though? To get to Tahiti?” Sean asks, parroting Dutch’s words.

“Right now we gotta focus on not getting nabbed by them Pinkertons,” Arthur explains. “Micah don’t know where we went to, but I’m bettin’ he’s told them agents that we’d head further east once they ran us outta Clemens Point. If we do something big, they’ll know it’s us and it’ll only be a matter of time before they find this place.” Arthur scratches at his beard as he thinks it over. “We need to do shit much more quiet than we have been. No train robberies. No banks or stagecoaches. Nothin’ like that. We send the women into the city to pickpocket some rich folk. Javier and whoever else can rob homesteads as long as it’s quiet. Me and Charles can hunt and sell the pelts. It won’t get us a heap load of money, but it’ll make us enough to keep surviving. For now, anyways.”

Since Dutch is continuing to lock himself away most of the time, there’s no one else giving the gang orders but Arthur and Hosea. They are both in agreement that the gang needs to lower their profile for the time being. Especially until Dutch gets back to his old self. Arthur hopes he’ll come out of it, sooner rather than later.

During this time, Emmeline and Arthur try to figure out what it means to be in a relationship together. She, of course, has no experiences of her own to draw off of. Arthur isn’t much better, though, only having one serious relationship in his life. There are some awkward moments, usually coming in the form of Arthur being teased every time someone catches him even so much as looking at Emmeline. She shrugs it off, but Arthur usually has to try to hide his blushing cheeks.

While he’s never been very comfortable with public displays of affection, he makes up for it in the privacy of their own room. He’s tentative for the first few nights, but with Emmeline’s assurance that she is fine with his advances, he gets more comfortable with her physically. Before too long, he comes to crave the intimacy that she provides. He had long since accepted that he would never have another woman in his life, but then Emmeline showed up and awakened parts of him that had been dormant.

One morning, Arthur and Emmeline are cuddled up together in the small bed in their second floor room. Arthur has been working hard lately, so he decides to sleep in a little today. As for Emmeline, her pregnancy has continued to take the energy out of her, so some extra time in bed doesn’t bother her any.

“You awake, Emma?” he whispers when she stirs a little from her position lying on his chest.

“Yeah,” she answers sleepily without lifting her head. “But I’m still tired. I might just fall back asleep.”

He kisses her crown. “Go on ahead. I ain’t goin’ nowhere.”

Just a few minutes after she tries to fall back asleep, she’s overcome with a wave of nausea. Thankful that she decided to put her nightgown back on last night after she and Arthur were done with their “activities,” she runs out of their room to try to make it outside before the contents of her stomach could come up. Unfortunately, she just barely makes it out into the hallway before she starts to heave.

Abigail can hear the commotion from her room just a few feet away. She leaves Jack, still sleeping soundly, to see what’s going on. “Are you alright?” she asks Emmeline when she sees the mess at her feet.

Emmeline clears her throat and wipes her mouth. “I’m fine,” she says as she looks up to the other woman, unsure what else to say.

Arthur comes out of the room, having hastily put on his pants to cover himself. He shares a look with Abigail before he gently lays a hand on Emmeline’s back. “Why don’t you go back in and lay down,” he says to her. “I’ll clean this up.”

Abigail’s face suddenly lights up as she calls out, “You’re pregnant! I knew it!” She had her suspicions, but the fact that Emmeline had gotten sick and Arthur isn’t at all worried about it confirms what she had thought.

Both Arthur and Emmeline snap their heads to look at the other woman.

“Keep it down,” Arthur growls out.

Abigail lets out a scoff. “Ain’t nobody up here but Jack. And he could sleep through the end of the world. Even Dutch and Molly are out, for once.” She starts to vibrate with excitement despite Arthur glaring at her. “But it’s true, right?”

Emmeline smiles gently as she nods slightly. There’s no use in lying at this point.

Abigail can’t hold back the squeal of happiness as it leaves her mouth. The thought of having another child in the camp for Jack to play with swirls in her mind.

“Shh!” Arthur pats the air to try to calm her. “You can’t tell nobody, Abigail. Especially not the rest of the girls.”

“I wont.”

“Abigail?” John’s raspy voice rings out from the steps. “You alright up there? I heard you yell.” He starts to come up the stairs before she even answers.

Abigail runs over to meet her husband on the landing. “Emmeline’s with child!” she tells him immediately.

Arthur throws up his hands and rolls his eyes. “Abigail! I just told you not to tell no one!”

“John doesn’t count,” she replies as she leads John over to where the group stands.

“Is that sick?” he points to the pile a few feet away.

Abigail swats him on the chest. “Don’t worry about that! You’re gonna be an uncle!”

“Don’t tell nobody else,” Arthur asserts. “I mean it. Both of you.”

“Alright, alright.” Abigail turns to leave. “I’ll get a bucket to clean up that mess. Then we’re gonna talk all about this.”

John shakes his head and claps Arthur on the shoulder. “Looks like we’re more alike than I thought.”

Emmeline scrunches up her face in confusion at his comment. “What?”

“I knocked Abigail up with Jack on accident, too.”

Arthur shakes his head. “Shut up, Marston.”

She looks over to Arthur for a moment before turning back to John. “But you were happy, right?”

“Little Johnny Marston ran away. Like an idiot,” Arthur answers for him. “I won’t never do that.”

“I came back,” John defends himself.

“It only took four years for you to get your shit together to be somewhat of a father to the boy,” Arthur bites back sarcastically. He had always looked down at John for his decision to leave instead of accepting his role as a father. Now that he’s put himself in the same position with regards to an unexpected pregnancy, he’s focused on not repeating the younger man’s mistake.

Abigail reappears carrying a bucket and some rags. “Stop fighting, you two. You should be celebrating.”

“We ain’t ready to tell everyone just yet,” Emmeline comments. “So I think we’ll have to wait for any parties.”

“It’s your news to tell. But the second you do it, there’s certainly going to be a party.” Abigail bends down to start to clean the floor. “I suggest you nibble on some biscuits to settle your stomach, though. If you start getting sick all the time, people are gonna get curious and ask questions.”

Early one morning, Emmeline takes Abigail up on her advice. Once her stomach starts to roil, she sneaks out of bed quietly enough not to wake Arthur to head down to Pearson’s wagon in search for biscuits. The sun isn’t even up yet, so it takes her a few minutes in the dark to locate the small tin on the table.

After eating a few of the biscuits, she decides to head over to where Miss Susie is hitched at the edge of camp to visit with her for a moment.

“How ya doin’, girl?” she asks as she pats the horse on the neck.

Upon hearing a rustling behind her, she flips around just in time to see Kieran exiting his tent not far away from her.

“Miss Emmeline?” he croaks out, his voice still tinged with sleep.

“I’m sorry, Kieran. I didn’t mean to wake you. I honestly forgot your tent was over here.”

“That’s okay.” He moves to the other side of Miss Susie, petting her on the nose. “It ain’t too much before I’d get up anyway.”

“I need to thank you for taking such good care of her,” she says as she continues to stroke the horse’s coat. “I haven’t gotten the chance to take her out much lately.”

“She’s a real good horse. Very friendly. I must admit that she’s my favorite to ride out of all of them.”

She smiles. “Really?”

“Most of the other horses only accept one rider in the saddle. Miss Susie here don’t mind me taking her out at all.” He pats her neck. “I’ll get her a couple of carrots for a treat.”

He starts to move further away to where he keeps his supplies while Emmeline continues to pet her horse. Suddenly, there’s a scuffle and when she turns to look, she sees a man in a green vest grappling with Kieran, trying to pull him off into the woods.

“No!” she screams at the top of her lungs and instinctively runs toward the man that she realizes must be an O’Driscoll with what Arthur has told her about them. She doesn’t have any weapons on her and she’s only in her nightgown, but she doesn’t let that stop her from trying to help Kieran. Jumping on the O’Driscoll’s back, she forces one arm around his neck and tries to pull him away.

Unbeknownst to her, the O’Driscoll hadn’t arrived alone. His partner roughly grabs her by the shoulders and throws her off the first man and onto the ground hard. She’s stunned for a moment, but once a gunshot rings out, she comes to just in time to see the man on Kieran crumble to the ground.

With the O’Driscoll’s plan well and truly bungled by the surprise appearance of the raven haired woman, the remaining man can only think about making it out alive. He quickly pulls the woman in front of him up by the hair and holds her to his chest, using her as a shield.

“One move and she gets it,” he calls out to Bill, first and foremost, since he’s the only one close by with a gun. That’s not going to last for much longer, though. He can hear everyone else in the camp stirring at the noise. And with the sun starting to bathe the landscape with light, he no longer has the cover of darkness on his side.

“Let her go,” Kieran pleads.

The O’Driscoll knows he has to make a run for it now before he has more guns trained on him. He figures that the only chance he’ll get is if he kills the girl, catching them off guard enough to make his escape. He cocks his gun then a shot rings out.

Meanwhile, Arthur is pulled from sleep by the sound of Emmeline screaming “No!” It’s faint, but it’s like his mind is attuned to her voice. Without much thought, he grabs his gun belt and runs out of his room in only his union suit. As he’s running down the stairs, he’s bucking his belt around his hips and drawing his Schofield, ready for a fight. The sun is just barely up, but there’s enough light that he can see a man on the edge of camp holding Emmeline to his chest. Their right sides are facing Arthur so he gets a good look at the gun the O’Driscoll is holding to her head.

Arthur runs full bore at them. Without slowing even a little bit, he readies his gun to shoot the man behind Emmeline. Despite everything going on around Arthur, he somehow sees the small movement of the man’s thumb pulling back the hammer on his gun. Time seems to slow as Arthur lines up his shot to the side of the man’s head before he can fire his gun. Arthur wastes no time in pulling his own trigger, sending a bullet straight into the O’Driscoll’s temple, dropping him.

Emmeline thinks she’s been shot for a moment. She waits for the pain to radiate through her, but it doesn’t come. The only feeling she gets is the cool morning air rushing over her back, signaling that the man that had been holding her isn’t behind her anymore. Before she can turn to see what had happened to him, Arthur rushes over and turns her back to him.

“Don’t look, sweetheart,” he says hurriedly.

Bill’s voice calls out, “We got more bastards coming!”

Without a thought, Arthur picks Emmeline up, cradling her to his chest and runs back to the house. Gunshots start to ring out as he gets closer to the front doors. Before he can open them himself, Dutch bursts through them, both of his guns in his hands.

“Get her in here with the women!” he calls out to Arthur then starts shooting from the porch.

Arthur deposits her just inside. “Run upstairs to Abigail.” He places a kiss on her forehead then turns to go back outside.

Emmeline does as instructed and rushes up to the Marston’s room. She finds Abigail cradling a crying Jack to her chest on the bed.

“Get in here!” Abigail holds her free arm out to Emmeline and she huddled up next to the woman.

Though they’re about the same age, Emmeline allows Abigail to hold her as if she were her mother. She wraps one arm around Abigail’s back and places the other around Jack as an added layer of protection for him.

Outside, the firefight is intense. Round after round of O’Driscolls come at them. It has to be every single member of the gang, Arthur reckons. He sticks right beside Dutch as the man takes down his fair share of enemies. That is until he hears Sadie scream from behind the house.

“Go,” Dutch calls out unprompted. “I’ll cover you.”

Arthur runs around the house as Dutch takes down any men that might shoot at him. When he sees Sadie, she’s pinned down behind one of the buildings in the back. He fights his way toward her, then the two fight their way back out, clearing out all the O’Driscolls that had flanked the house. Soon, the gunshots fade as the few remaining enemies retreat.

Arthur doesn’t even give himself a minute to rest before he’s rushing back into the house and up the stairs. John is hot on his heels as he’s thinking similarly to Arthur in wanting to check on his family. Both men come through the door to the Marston’s room and see the women and Jack sitting on the bed, still cuddled together.

Upon seeing Arthur, Emmeline jumps up and runs over to him, enveloping him in a hug. “Are you hurt?” she asks into his shoulder.

“I’m okay.” He pulls back to look at her. “You okay?”

She nods, her eyes still watery with unshed tears. The battle had certainly shaken her up.

He pulls her back into him and cradles her head to his chest. “It’s alright. It’s over now,” he whispers to the top of her head. After a moment, he looks over to John, now sitting beside Abigail and Jack, his arm around them. “We need to get out of here,” he says suddenly.

John looks at him confused. “What do you mean?”

Emmeline backs up to look at Arthur as well. “Are they coming back?” She takes his statement as meaning that they need to clear out the camp again.

“No. I don’t know.” Arthur shakes his head. “I mean we ,” he gestures between himself and John, “should leave.”

“What are you saying?” John bites back.

“This life ain’t no place to raise a family, John. We all know that. Jack shouldn’t be raised like this.” He looks over to Emmeline. “No child should. Both of us need to seriously start thinkin’ about leaving.”

John stands with a huff. “All the shit you gave me for leaving and now you’re suggesting it?!”

Arthur takes a step towards the younger man. “You didn’t just leave us . You left them .” He gestures to Abigail and Jack. “Your responsibilities to the gang are one thing, but you left your responsibilities as a father. That’s what I gave you shit about. That boy needed a father. Still does. And this life more ‘n likely is gonna end in him losing you. Or bein’ an orphan.”

“Arthur’s right, John,” Abigail concurs as Jack still clutches his arms around her, though he’s cried himself out and is now falling asleep despite the voices around him. “We can’t keep doin’ this forever. Jack’s getting older and he’s gonna be aware of what we do pretty soon. What you do. He’s a good boy. Smart, you know. He could do so much more than either of us.”

Emmeline feels a bit like a third wheel in this conversation. Though, undoubtedly, she’s one part of the subject of the conversation, everyone else besides her is dealing with a history she’s not involved with. Arthur and John have lived together for over a decade as brothers, for lack of a better word. And Abigail has been with the gang for a few years as well. The decision whether or not to leave the group certainly must be a difficult one for them. The input of a person that’s only been there for a few weeks probably won’t be very welcome at this point, so Emmeline keeps her mouth shut.

John looks from Abigail to Arthur then flicks his gaze over to Emmeline. “You plannin’ on leavin’ with her?” he asks Arthur.

“Don’t have no plans, really.” Arthur runs his hand over his beard as he lets out a sigh. “That O’Driscoll had his gun to her head, fixin’ to shoot her,” he says as he gestures to Emmeline. “In one second she coulda been gone. I coulda lost that chance to...” he swallows roughly at the thought, “to be a father. All because of some old gang feud she ain’t had no part in.”

Not knowing what to say, Emmeline just takes Arthur’s hand in hers. Truth be told, she was specifically avoiding thinking about how close she came to death. And how close Arthur came to it as he battled outside. This whole situation is something she’s never had to deal with before.

Heavy footsteps echo in the hallway outside the room causing everyone to look in that direction.

“Arthur, John?” Dutch’s voice calls out as the footsteps grow nearer.

“In here,” Arthur answers.

A moment later, Dutch appears in the doorway, looking more lively than he has of recent. “Everyone alright in here?”

Everyone nods.

“Good,” Dutch continues. “No major injuries on our side. It seems the O’Driscolls plan was thwarted thanks to you, Emmeline.”

“Oh?” she replies. “I didn’t really do nothing.”

“You alerted us,” Dutch says, pride in his voice. “And Kieran told me you went after the man that attacked him. That was very brave.”

Arthur whips his head around to look at her. “You what ?”

“I just reacted,” she answers. “I saw someone hurting Kieran, so I tried to stop it.”

“You can’t do that,” Arthur asserts.

“Now, son,” Dutch interjects, “she most certainly saved that poor boy from a grisly fate. I think she deserves praise for that.”

Emmeline gives Dutch a genuine smile. Despite the fact that she hasn’t known the man that fathered her for that long, she’s not immune to his charms. Much like the way he’s fostered loyalty in Arthur over the years, she feels a sense of pride that the man is complementing her.

Arthur, on the other hand, is not happy. “I don’t think we should be encouraging her to put herself in danger.”

“It’s not encouragement, Arthur. Just acknowledgement.” Dutch pauses then lets out a heavy breath. “That’s not why I’m here, anyway. Javier caught one of the O’Driscolls before he could run away. I thought I could use you two,” he gestures to Arthur and John, “to interrogate him. See if he won’t tell us where that bastard Colm is so we can return his hospitality .” The word is laced with venom.

Arthur and John share a look before nodding.

“I gotta get dressed first,” Arthur says as he turns to leave with John and Dutch.

“Meet us in one of the buildings in the back,” Dutch calls out as he an John start to descend the stairs.

Emmeline follows Arthur over to their room. “Did you really mean all that?” she asks while he gathers some clothes from his trunk. “About leaving?”

He pauses his motion and turns back to her. “I’ve been scared since... the doctor told us we was gonna be parents, really. Scared what kinda father I’d be. Scared what Dutch is gonna say. Scared about it changing everything here, my whole life, everything I’ve ever known. But all of that weren’t nothing compared to how scared I was when I thought I was gonna lose the two ‘a you. And I don’t wanna leave you a widow, neither. We both need to get outta this. Together.”

She gives him a soft smile as she looks up at him. “That’s what I want, too.”

Over the last few weeks, Emmeline has come to care for the people around her in the camp. All she’s seen is people working together in a normal way, doing everyday things like tending the horses and cleaning up. But this burst of violence is unlike anything she’s ever experienced. She’s never been so close to gunfire, never seen anyone be fought with or shot. Now that she has, she wants nothing more than to never experience that again. If that means leaving everyone here... it’ll be hard, but she’s fine with it as long as she, Arthur, and the baby are safe.

[nikatyler]

I’m currently trying to play my bpr again. Keyword trying because that save hates me. I might just move the family to a new town, we’ll see. I’m actually installing a few custom towns as I’m writing this. I might pick one of those even though they’re not berrified. But oh well, I don’t need to have a bright and colourful town for them. I mean, I don’t even use the berrified names of towns, their names don’t sound very berry-like either (they’re just colourful), and you will probably never see my berry sim say “oh my berry”. Though I should probably consider doing that because I swear too much and censoring it by saying berry and fudge and stuff could help :D

I’m going back to school on Monday. I don’t want to. It’s going to be hell from now on until the end of May, I can tell. I’m already exhausted just thinking about it.

alfalfalegacy replied to your post “˜º Sammy Rose”

The Sammy/Cassandra one

My heart ❤️❤️

I knooow!

Also, their story will start super soon. FINALLY. I’m so excited.

alfalfalegacy replied to your photoset “While I was shooting the scene with Annabeth, Will and Micah, there...”

A mood honestly

myopiccc replied to your photoset “Lydia: I’m getting bored…when are they saying their I do’s? Sammy:...”

Please! Sammy. LUL

harmoniouspixels replied to your photoset “Let’s check up on Sammy, shall we? She’s still upset.”

Sammy’s a mood

myopiccc replied to your photoset “Let’s check up on Sammy, shall we? She’s still upset.”

LUL!!!

alfalfalegacy replied to your photoset “Let’s check up on Sammy, shall we? She’s still upset.”

Sammy is a big mood

So the moral of the story today is that Sammy is a mood and I 100% agree with you

Also she’s relatable because this is actually my mood 24/7. Getting upset over little things? Check. Hating everyone? Also check.

harmoniouspixels replied to your photoset “Liam: “I’m getting married! I really am getting married! Ohmygosh I’m...”

Dylan no

Imagine if this became on of the things I do religiously in my saves

Welcome to simmeronnie, we’re abducting guys named Calebs and leaving our loved ones at the altar, enjoy your stay.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

tiny-tany-thaanos replied to your photoset “Felix: “They both look so good.” Lydia: “That’s gay, Felix.” Felix:...”

Lmao looking at my notifications all of my sims who aren't gay are bi or panXD

To be honest, my blog is only getting gayer with time and I’m totally down for it

desira-sims replied to your post “I’ve already finished two requests! I’ll probably upload them...”

Have fun on your trip!

Thank you! It was an interesting one. We visited a library in the capital city of my region. It was great! I mean, I’m a nerd for libraries, I’m actually studying librarianship now (and maybe I’ll continue studying it at uni, I don’t know yet) and this made me go “wow I could imagine working here” so...you can tell it was a good trip. Modern libraries are great. And I’ll stop rambling here.

myopiccc replied to your photoset “Aurora: Great…what were my wedding vows again?”

They are STUNNING! T-T

I know, I couldn’t believe my eyes *-* Didn’t expect them to turn out so gorgeous!

desira-sims replied to your photo “Sim Request: Tallulah Winton for @cafeheart The first request is done!...”

She’s cute! That dress came with the free patch the celebrated the Lunar New Year.

Thank you! Oh, it makes sense that it’s been added with a recent pack. I haven’t actually played sims 4 too much lately, so I completely missed it.

desira-sims replied to your post “I would like to request a Sim, if you don't mind. Game is TS4. Either...”

Oh. I love him. ��

cloudberry-sims replied to your photoset “Sim Request: Azura Dewy for @cloudberry-sims First one of the sims 3...”

Oh my precious little blueberry! <3 I love her!

poisonfireleafs replied to your photoset “Sim Request: Elodie Bell for @poisonfireleafs Okay, I truly love this...”

OMG she's so cute��

kymmaisims replied to your photoset “Sim Request: Richie Carver for @kymmaisims You said you wanted him to...”

Oh thank you so much!

simtonomy replied to your post “Oh, oh, oh! I've been following you for a while and I really like your...”

Haha, don't worry, he's very handsome! Thank you so much

I’m glad you guys like them! I had a lot of fun creating them.

myopiccc replied to your photoset “This game really loves to cancel things for these two. First, Dylan’s...”

You're the winner Sammy! after all!!

Oh wait yes that makes sense! It’s karma for what he had done to her earlier! :D

myopiccc replied to your photoset “Y'all I’m crying. Look who came to see his children’s wedding.”

........ my heart............T-T

I live for these coincidences but then I always end up crying

Why do I care so much about them they’re just sims and it’s not real ahh

create-a-sim replied to your photo “Bold the Facts Yes, I’m doing this again! I was tagged a few more...”

I love Sharon! Also, I have the exact same shirt irl :D

I’m happy to hear that, she’s one of my faves as well! And man, I’m jealous! I don’t even know why, but I’ve been wishing for a Guns N’ Roses T-shirt for a while now. I just desperately want it...even though I usually only listen to like three of their songs so I don’t feel like I can justify buying it. Like...I’m a fan but not that big of a fan. But I want it ;-;

alfalfalegacy replied to your photoset “Uhh…those sounds, that’s not police, is it?”

That expression tho

We love absent minded sims here

myopiccc replied to your photoset “Everybody wants kung-fu pillow fighting”

I DO love the Roses. LUL

That means a lot to me ♥

tiny-tany-thaanos replied to your photoset “Regan: “Crap, Lydia, you scared me. What do you mean by ‘still’?”...”

I wonder how many people thought that ?? Was a mysterious stranger

I was the one ������

It could have been her future girlfriend but I didn’t even think about that :D Also I’m now imagining if she turned around and saw one of the ghosts, that would have been pretty funny. And sad at the same time.

keynekysims replied to your photoset “Kids, today we’re going to learn to drive with Miracle Rose.”

When in doubt, ram the car in front of you!

I’ll keep this in mind when I finally start attending driving lessons

Spoiler: I’m not planning on attending driving lessons anytime soon because driving fucking scares me

igglemouse replied to your photoset “Uhh…those sounds, that’s not police, is it?”

They are coming to appreciate your art!

Yesss that’s totally it! They want her to decorate the police station!