#i was just lookin for couple stock photos of one resting on the others shoulder

[myfairgunslinger]

Title: Red Dead Revenge: Kiss of Death  [Part 3]

Pairing: Arthur Morgan x OC x John Marston

Warnings: Graphic Violence, Cursing

Summary:  After Arthur saves a woman's life he takes her back to the Vanderlinde Gang where she can get the help she needs while he runs a couple errands.

A/N: Hey guys I’m back with another chapter, a little shorter than the others.  Don’t got too much to say other than hope you’re all doing okay! And enjoy!

Chapter 3: While You Were Sleeping

Two Days Ago

John had been sitting around the campfire with Javier, chatting as the other man strummed his guitar.  Ever since he came back everyone here has been either giving him dirty looks or not really speaking to him, especially Arthur.  It felt like he down right hated him with every bump with his shoulder that was made when walking by, calling him names or throwing insults in every direction to John.  It wasn't long until John heard Arthur riding back in and calling out for help from Mrs. Grimshaw.

He got up to see what was happening and saw the man holding a woman in his arms, his heart had stopped when he saw her paled face that had mud on the side.  Arthur set the woman down on the cot, lifting her bloodied shirt up to look at her gunshot.  There was bunched up rags that were soaked, showing Arthur tried to stop the bleeding.  Strauss was there next to him getting ready to clean up the sticky mess.

John's heart was beating fast as they worked on her.  This couldn't be the same girl he knew in Blackwater, not his Maeve.  She looked like she had been to hell and that Arthur pulled her out of the deepest of pits.  John had to know.  He stepped into the tent, eyes not leaving the girl, "Who is she?"

Arthur glared at him, "Why do you wanna know, Marston?" his tone was harsh.  Mrs. Grimshaw pushed herself past John holding a rag and bucket of water.  John backed away still staring at her then noticed there was a familiar bay colored horse next to Arthur's silverdapple fox trotter.  He stayed around the tent until Arthur had came out, "Arthur-"

"What do you want?" the larger man said irritated by his presence, John held up a hand showing he wanted peace between the two along with some answers, "Where did you find the girl?"

"Met her in Blackwater, alright?" John's eyes were frozen, his voice uttering, "Blackwater."

Arthur stared at the man, "Bath maid, sweet girl.  Don't know why she was gettin' shot at the way she was.  Anyway, couldn't leave her," he took out a cigarette to light it up, eyeing John to figure out what was going on in his head, "You look as if you know her," he called out John.

"I--I don't.  Never seen her.  Just wonderin' why you brought a shot stranger to us and if we should worry," John managed to say.  Arthur observed his brother inhaling the cigarette, he knew when he was lying.  "Don't worry yourself, you can always run away again," Arthur spat before going over to Dutch's tent to let him know about the woman he brought to camp.

"Do you know who it was that wanted to kill her?  Can't have anyone following her trail and starting trouble with us," Dutch said to Arthur.  He had shook his head, "Didn't really get a good look when I shot 'em.  Probably some small time gang lookin' to do a house robbery. Could ask her when she wakes up," Arthur mused as Dutch was busy loading his pipe with tobacco while coming up with an idea, "Wonder what it was they were lookin' for. Now you said there was no one else that came out of the house?"

Arthur shook his head and watched Dutch scratch his chin, "What are you thinkin'?"

"I'm thinking," he lit a match, "You go back there and collect, Miss..."

"Milley," Arthur helped with a name.

"Go collect some of Miss Milley's items.  She's gonna need clothes and we can use the provisions--."

"And whatever money is layin' about, right?  Just go raid the shot girl's house," Arthur said sarcastically.  It didn't feel right to him.  Dutch puffed on his pipe, "Arthur, what good is Miss Milley's stuff if it's not with Miss Milley?" He had a point, "All I'm asking is for you to go back there, get some of her stuff because I doubt she'll wanna go back, and maybe she'll be grateful enough to give us some of her things.  You said she was sweet."

Arthur scoffed a laugh, "I guess.  Alright, I'll stop over there when I get done with that stage coach robbery Bill and Mac are workin' on." He had walked back over to Susan who was cleaning the mud off Maeve.

"How she doin'?" He asked as Strauss washed his hands off in a bowl of water, "She will pull through.  Just needs rest," the man said.  Arthur looked over Maeve's rested face, admiring her pleasant features.  He cleared his throat to say to Susan, "Make sure, she don't leave."

"That was never gonna happen," she looked up at him.  Arthur gave a soft nod then headed towards Boadicea to mount her.

Over the next day while Maeve was unconscious, John took care of Liability.  He would brush her off, feed her when he fed Old Boy.  The mare would press her snout to the side of John's head, knocking off his hat which gave him a chuckle, "Always teasin' me... no doubt you're her horse."

Abigail walked by with a basket of laundry, "What are you doin' with that horse?" she stopped in her tracks watching John pet Liability.  He looked over at the woman, "Someone's gotta take care of it."

Shaking her head and rolling her eyes, "You're such a sucker to horses," she then started to walk off back to camp.  John didn't know how he was going to tell Abigail about Maeve.  Ever since he got back, he didn't discuss what he did while he was away for that year, especially not to Abigail.  While he thought about wanting to make things right with his 'wife', every time he tried Abigail would say something nasty or he'd do something stupid in her eyes.  Then there was confused little Jack who didn't understand why the man he believed to be his father was acting so distant. The whole reason John left his family was he couldn't cope with fatherhood with the doubtful thoughts that Jack wasn't even his son lingering in his mind.

He was as Maeve said. Lost.

Maeve. John thought of her plenty after leaving her in Blackwater.  A small smile came to his lips thinking of all the conversations they had, staring at the stars all night with whatever alcohol they had, staying awake until the sun came up to reflect off Flat Iron Lake.  While he never talked much about his life, John felt free when he was around Maeve. He could be whoever he wanted with her. Now that was all just a summer memory.  John peaked into the tent she was in still seeing her unconscious.  He didn't feel that freedom now when he looked at her.  He felt scared, scared that Maeve was gonna die in her sleep or worse, wake up and see him.

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Riding up to the yellow house farthest from the town of Blackwater, Arthur observed the area.  There was a wind mill off to the side and a small boat leaning against the front wall of the house.  He got off Boadicea, walked up the dirt path to see that no one has come by since that night.  Crows were picking at the dead bodies of Joe and Gus starting at their faces.  As Arthur walked up the porch steps, the black birds flapped their feathers to fly away going Caw!

"Pipe down!" Arthur spat at the crows while walking into the house.  First he saw a bollard hat with blood on it, he was shortly met with the rotting body of Darren staring up at him, at least what was left of his head, "Yeeesh."

He looted his body to find revolver ammo and a pair of gold earrings, "Hello there..." Arthur looked around to see pools of blood on the floor that had drag marks leading to the back door.  His eyes landed on a busted painting then followed to where it used to be, hung up on a wall to cover a now open and empty safe.  His first theory was that someone had came along and stole whatever expensive items these Bollards were trying to rob.  Second theory was there was more of them that had went a head with said expenses.  Which begged another question, how long until someone noticed these gangsters were dead?

Arthur started to look at some of the photos that were in the living room.  He picked one up, it was a formal family portrait with Everett on the right, Cecilia on the left and sitting between them was a younger Maeve.  He put it in his satchel while recalling Maeve, mentioning her folks the night she left the saloon.  Arthur followed the blood trail to the back door, opening it up and letting out a disgusted noise.  He saw the corpses of the people in the photo, Maeve's folks, laying side by side.

The man frowned seeing their death blows, all he kept thinking of was how that poor girl at the camp now had to watch her world fall apart.  Next to their corpses there was a hole that starting to be dug and a shovel that looked like it was thrown down.  Arthur picked up the shovel and started to dig.

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As the sun started to set Arthur had patted the shovel on top of the dirt pile, he was done burying Mr. and Mrs. Milley.  He managed to get some sticks and made crosses out of them to mark the graves. It wasn't much but he wouldn't feel right leaving them out for crows to eat.

He went back inside to, for lack of a better word, raid the kitchen.  It wasn't fully stocked, but there were canned goods, most of the canned fruits were strawberries.  Arthur took whatever her could carry then went upstairs to go find some clothes for Maeve.  When he reached the top of the stairs he walked into the first room which was the larger of the two. He figured it's where her parents slept but it was a complete mess.  The bed sheets were torn and tossed around on the floor.  There was blood that stained the hard wood he stood on.  

Arthur was feeling uncomfortable being in the room, feeling something horrible happened here, so he stepped back into the hall to go down to the last room.  When entering he saw her room had some drawers pulled out and her wardrobe doors opened up, but other than that the room wasn't too messed up.

He went to the wardrobe and picked up a bag that was next to it then took out the first few things he saw which were shirts, pants, a few skirts, stuffing them in.  Arthur found a hair brush that was on a night stand with a framed photo.  He picked up the brush to collect it then inspected the picture.  

It was of Maeve at the Tenth Annual Bird Shooting Contest. She had on that bright smile that he liked while holding a rifle.  As he kept looking at the photo he noticed something on the side that was cut off, someone that was there.  Part of a face of a man that was on his list of people he couldn't stand right now, "That's where you were," Arthur said to himself.  He took out the photo from its frame and put it in his bag.

Just as he was about done here, he glanced out the window to see there were three men with Bollard hats on dismounting their horses.  They were coming in from the back of the house where Arthur buried the Milleys. "Great," he got down next to the bed to stay hidden from their view, he then saw something shinny under the bed frame.  He reached under to take out a box of rifle ammo that had some money bills stuffed in the box.  When he reached under again, Arthur smirked at what he felt, he pulled out a bolt action rifle, "You have excellent taste Miss Milley."

Downstairs the men came in seeing the mess, "Boy, they sure had fun--Oh God!  That's Darren!"

"Found Joe!" another one said at the front porch then saw the other dead body in the yard, "And I'm pretty sure that's Gus...can't tell cause his face is gone."

"Shit!" the third man said, it was Bob.  He was glad he left when he did, "Twins are gonna be pissed."

"Maybe they shouldn't have left Darren in charge of killing off this family, cause from the looks of it someone got the upper hand," one of them said.  Bob assumed it was Everett, watching his wife die along with whatever Darren did to his daughter must have broke him which was surprising considering how much of a coward Bob thought he was.

"Let's get back to Saint Denis," Bob started to go to his horse. The man that he was talking to started to follow, "What? You don't think Everett Milley is lookin' for us do ya?"

"No, but I don't think we should be 'round these parts," truth was if Everett was a broken man who knows what he was capable of.  Getting revenge would be on Bob's list of things to do if he was in his shoes, "Joshua!" Bob called out for the last man, "Let's go!"

Joshua went into the house so he could go through the back door to meet up with the others.  As he went by the stairs, a rifle went off from the top of the stairs, shooting Joshua in the chest.  His body fell down as he coughed, looking up at Arthur as the barrel of the rifle was placed right between his eyes.

BLAM!

The other two men outside panicked, but Bob stayed on his horse while the other man ran back to the house, "To hell with this!" Bob whipped the reigns on his horse, getting out of there.  Arthur rushed outside to shoot the man in the backyard, he aimed for the neck then pulled the trigger right when the man drew out his gun.  As he fell, Arthur saw Bob on his horse hauling ass out of the area.

"Damn it!" he cursed himself going back to his horse.  As he trotted down the rode he saw a couple of gold diggers walking along the side, "Howdy Mister!" One of them called out.

"Oh hey there partner, how you been since that wolf attack?" Arthur asked him.

The gold digger patted his own arm cheerfully, "Doin' great!  Say, did you ever go through with that 'tip' I gave you about the stableman?"

Arthur shook his head, "Nah, some other bastards beat me to it.  Y'all stay safe now," he then pulled at the horse reigns to get going back to camp.

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Now

It was late in the night as Maeve looked up to watch the stars, searching for all the constellations she remembers learning about in school.  Mrs. Grimshaw attempted to feed her stew, but the girl didn't want any

"You have to eat something. I can see your bones."

"No, thank you!" Maeve rejected to go sit outside of camp.  Susan walked by John who was watching them.  She said to him, "Will you try talking some sense in her?  She hasn't had any food since being here."

"What makes you think she'd listen to me?"  John asked her.  She placed a hand on his shoulder, "Think I haven't noticed you two looking at each other?" his breath was still as Susan says, "Now's your chance to get friendly with the new girl."

"Uh...what about Abigail?" Susan rolled her eyes, "Oh John, I'm not asking you to sleep with her, just make sure she eats or there will be hell to pay!" She walked off to go check on the others.  John watched the back of Maeve's head before sighing out, She already hates me.  He took a gander at what Pearson had to offer on the food wagon and he smirked when seeing a particular canned fruit.  He plucked it off the wagon then went over go stand behind her.

John cleared his throat and she turned her head slightly, keeping her face forward while knowing who was there, "What?"

"Can I join you?"

"No!" Maeve said not even glancing at him.  John sat next to her anyway and she let out an irritated grunt, "What is your problem?" she asked him.

John shook his head, "I don't got one."

"Ya kinda do?  One minute you don't know me, the next you're beggin' me to help lie for you, then you're over here sitting with me.  Just--" her voice broke as it fell to silence, "What do you want from me?" She stared at him with those big brown eyes.

There were a lot of answers to that question for John, but the one thing on his mind?  Forgiveness, for putting her though his cold shoulder to even hiding some important information about himself when they met.  But that's not why he's here. He held out the can to her, "I want you eat something."

Maeve's eyes blinked to look at what was in his hand before blinking once more to look at him, "Come on, Mae.  They're your favorite--," She snatched the can from him to open it up.  As the lid peeled back the scent of strawberries invaded her nostrils.  That was her favorite part of eating canned strawberries, that and the sweet syrup it made at the bottom.  She plucked a berry out with her fingers, popping it in her mouth.

Out of the corner of her eyes she could John staring at her with a smirk. Damn him for knowing my greatest weakness. After popping a few more in her mouth John reached over to try and pluck one out.  She slapped his hand away, "Back off, Marston!"

He had a chuckle stuck in his throat, "You know you can share those."

"Cold day in hell before I share these with you," Maeve told him before turning her attention back up to the sky.  John joined her in observing them, it already was feeling like old times for him, "What you lookin' at?"

"Cepheus, he's that collection of stars," she extended out her arm to point at the bundle of stars that formed a constellation.  John found it, nodding softly, "Who's he?"

The girl shrugged, "Some king that had a pretty daughter and a mouthy wife.  They get their entire kingdom cursed with floods and a big monster will destroy everything unless, the king feeds this monster his daughter."

John stared at those stars wondering how anyone could come up with that, "That's sounds scary."

Maeve shrugged, "Yeah but then there's this hero that comes in. Perseus."

"Really? What's he do?" John wasn't looking at the stars anymore, he was getting lost in her.  The way the night sky reflected off her dark orbs, the pale moon light washing over her skin.

"Ya know, hero stuff," she smirked, "Kill the monster, rescue the girl, save the day.  All that happy shit."

John chuckled, "Where's his constellation at?" Maeve winced her eyes trying to find it, but her eyes were getting heavy, "Somewhere up there.  I was looking for him, but my eyes are getting sore from squintin' so much." She put her head down, her mind clearly on other things.  John could see that as guilt started to rise within him.  Word had gotten to him about what happened to her, if he didn't feel like a horse's ass then, he did now, "Maeve?"

"What?"

"I...I'm glad you're here," Maeve chuckled as if it was a joke, "I doubt that."

"No, I really mean it, Maeve.  I'm just sorry it was under these circumstances," her eyes were on him, biting her bottom as to not say something so rash at this time.  Her eyes welled up as tears over flowed her lids, "I really wanted you to be that person I can go to when I had a problem or needed to talk about all this," she sniffled , "Like we used to."

John shut his eyes, "Maeve...Abigail and I, we're going through things.  I want to try and get on her good side but if she sees me around you, she'll get the wrong idea.  She can be pretty jealous and make anyone feel small."

"Sounds like a real keeper," Maeve's voice was laced in sarcasm, even with glossy eyes, "Go on and make fun, but I do want to try with her...but that also means you and I can't go back to the way we were."

She went to stand up, "John, I get you wanna do all that with Abigail...but I didn't want anything more than being a friend with you,” her hand raised up expressing how disappointed she was when it dropped to her side, “ I just wanted someone to help me with this."  Maeve then started to walk off, "Mae," he turned back to see her, "Go to your wife, John."

The sad girl had passed by Abigail on the way back into camp, "Hey," the mother greeted and Maeve stared at her, "I didn't get a chance to introduce myself," her hand raised up to have a hand shake, "I'm Abigail."

"Um..." she struggled on how to react, "I'm Maeve," she reached out to shake the hand.  John was on his way back when he saw them both talking, his heart started to pound.  Abigail saw him while noticing Maeve's reddened eyes, "I see you met John, tell me what smart thing did he have to say?"

Maeve inhaled a breath, her head turning over to see the man she loved greatly at one time.  She could tell all of the truth and ruin so much.  But what would that do for her? "He was makin' sure I had something to eat.  He's nice that way," she felt hallow as Abigail smirked, "John, nice? You clearly don't know him like I do."

Her eyes looked at the woman, "You're absolutely right about that," she made a nervous chuckle that quickly died as she stared at the mother.  While she couldn't help feel pangs of jealousy towards the woman, it was in no way her fault.  Abigail wasn't the one that lied to her. Still it wasn't a good idea for them to be friends, much less talk in risk of Maeve saying something she might regret, "Excuse me...I'm tired." Abigail gave a soft nod indicating she understood.

As Maeve went back to her bedroll she saw a light in the distance, getting closer through the darkness.  Could it be who she really wanted to talk to?  The light was coming closer when the sky began to drizzle a bit of rain.  She recognized the frame of the man on the horse as a small smile formed upon her lips, "Arthur."