#rdronline fanfic

[norafike]

Despite all this, I still love you 5

At their feet lay the remnants of the wagon they had been sent out to collect, wood ripped apart and thrown carelessly with no evidence of supplies ever being there save for the 'seven' scratched into a crate left on the side.

Holding for some hope of being able to salvage something, they searched the area but found nothing to take back to Maggie.

She clicked her tongue to break away from that silence, brushing her hands against the materials of her skirt as she pulled away from lifting one of the old wheels. "She ain't gonna be happy when we get back."

"No an' I ain't happy about all this neither, how can someone get away with stealin' a whole damn w-wagon." He cried, carelessly throwing a splintering plank away, expressing his frustration at the ordeal with a huff as he marched over towards his horse.

"I mean, I know them Lemoyne Raiders aren't exactly shoved to the side over here, but surely somebody had to have tried intervenin'."

"I doubt it, or they killed anybody who had done so."

Lem turned back to face her but gave no response, the anger written bluntly across his face. She knew it wasn't directed at her but as she walked the distance to join him at where their horses had been left she could not help but feel guilty under the intense glare.

While she traipsed across the grass she was able to pick up on the unpleasant comments Lem made, some insulting him and others insulting the raiders for having thrown a wrench into their plans.

This was meant to have been an easy job and yet even they failed in retrieving one wagon from the next state over, something any child could have potentially done. He blamed his bad luck, something like this usually always happening whenever he tried to help out with the business and honestly, he wondered why it was that Maggie still allowed him out on errands anymore.

"Why don't you go buy some replacements for the ingredients, Lemuel, I'll go tell your aunt about this."

"No, Maggie's gonna be a lot less harsh on me than she is you." He objected quickly despite knowing this was never any arguing with Nora Morgan. She ignored his plea, slowing down on her ride as to walk at the same speed as he. "You covered for me last time."

"Last time we both didn't do what was asked."

"No, but.." He started but found it difficult to say what he had been meaning too, not without sounding too harsh. "Maggie don't trust you right now, not since.. you know."

She was already aware, still observant as an individual and picking up on the lack of faith Maggie held with her no later than a week after they began to grow worse. It hadn't been surprising and Lem just retelling her it all gained no response, at least, not one he had been hoping for.

"If she gets rid of me, then that's her choice just as it is mine to tell her that we didn't get them ingredients."

"Morgan." He tried, but Nora refused to listen any further. She simply shrugged before kicking into a gallop to get a head start on the journey back home.

Lem cursed under his breath as he saw her ride off. In any other case he probably would have gone after her, but today he was in just no mood to argue any longer and so he stayed behind, deciding to listen to her instructions and divert his journey through Rhodes to buy anything they could replace the ingredients with.

She took a few minutes to prep herself before actually entering the shack, the reality of what Maggie could do unknown and scary.

Nora wasn't sure if her approach should be blunt, if she should walk on inside and tell the woman straight out about their failure in taking a wagon back or if she should sweeten her way into the subject, start a conversation which would then lead to the lost ingredients.

Maggie would appreciate the blunt approach and it was one Nora had gone for previously but she did end up receiving a harsh telling off after doing so.

It took a while before Nora could even push open the door, sheepishly walking inside the building and sneaking down the stairs to the basement where Marcel was humming to himself as he worked, oblivious to the other's presence in his space.

"Marcel." Nora whisper-shouted, knocking the wood of the door frame to better grasp his attention.

"What is it now." He grumbled, holding his sweeping brush still as he turned to look at her. "Ah, Miss Morgan I did not know it was you, have you grabbed those ingredients?"

She gritted her teeth as the first answer and this displeased Marcel. "What happened?"

"There was no wagon to begin with, gotta tell Maggie now and thought I would say my final farewell to you before I am possibly murdered."

"Oh you are so dramatic, jus' tell her you and Lem had been ambushed or something, she will most likely not be so harsh."

She gave out a quiet sigh. "I can't lie to Maggie."

"Lie to me about what exactly?" Her voice was sharp, distant and yet so close and Nora startled upon hearing the woman speak. She stumbled forward from leaning against the door frame before regaining herself enough to turn back and talk.

"May we talk upstairs, Maggie?" The woman gave a simple nod before leading her way back, taking her time as she ascended the stairs with her cane being used to support her.

A chill ran down Nora's spine once she left alone with Miss Fike, the woman's stone-cold glare enough to kill a man and yet there was always some comfort to be found within it. That was what probably led Nora to admire her, how she was always a cold woman and yet so very kind.

"Come on, spit it out then."

"Well, that wagon you sent us after ended up bein' destroyed and them ingredients taken."

"Good."

"You see-." She caught herself before the excuses came out, surprised and the pleasant expression Maggie wore upon the news. "Excuse me?" Nora asked as if believing that her own ears had betrayed her.

"I said good."

"Forgive me, but how is this good?"

The woman let out a low chuckle as she walked around to sit back at the same desk she was usually glued to at all hours of the day. "Them ingredients weren't exactly for us. I knew the Raiders were gonna try an' go for you if you began transporting a wagon full of moonshine ingredients. I had just hoped that with any luck they were the ones to succeed."

Maggie looked over at Nora, expecting her to make some passing comment at this plan but instead the other female stood bewildered in the room, her mouth slightly agape. The older woman took this as a sign to continue with her explanation and judging by Nora's face she could tell that the woman was still listening.

"You were sent to transport poison basically, nothin' we need. At least not now." She brought her hand down on the desk, slapping it firmly which caught Nora who had been unsuspecting it.

"There was the problem of sendin' you however."

"There was?"

"You're a fighter, Nora and a damn good one. I knew if somethin' were to happen you'd fight until they were all dead and you, unscathed. So I had to send Lem because you care for him just as I do."

"Why couldn't you have told us the plan anyway?"

"I have my reasons.. for now why don't you an' Marcel enjoy a drink while we wait for Lem's return. He would appreciate an explanation too."

"He would."

After that meeting with Maggie and taking some time to take a walk and clear her head, Nora found herself standing near the river with her hand full of small pebbles she tried to skip.

It was quiet in the location she had picked, no animals near and no riders passing by on the trail. It gave her plenty of time to reflect on her thoughts and more time to throw the pebbles into the water to let out some of her frustrations.

"Throw any harder and there'll be no water left in the river." A gruff voice said behind her, she had been caught so off guard that the minute this stranger stopped talking she had her revolver aimed.

"Arthur." She gasped, eyes wide upon recognising the all too familiar face. He gave her a cheeky grin, using the tip of his finger to point the gun away from him. When she realised what he had been doing she quickly holstered the weapon and raised her arms while apologising on the spot.

It was after she had realised that she almost shot Arthur did she notice the young boy who hid behind his legs, bright eyes looking at her with a mix of curiosity and fear.

Nora hadn't said anything, only looking bewildered at the child as if she hadn't seen one before and this prompted a quiet chuckle from Mr. Morgan. "This is Jack, a son of a friend, she asked me to take him out fishing."

"Oh well, this is a good spot."

"I do think it is."

She crouched down so she was level with the boy's height, gently holding her palm out flat. "Hey there, Jack." She started and he seemed to ease at her gentle voice, slowly coming out from hiding behind Arthur's legs. "I'm Nora."

"Hello." The boy spoke softly, placing a small hand on her own which she gently shook before pulling her hand away.

She couldn't help the smile that tugged on her lips. "How did you know about this spot anyway? I don't believe I've seen you out here yet and from simple interactions I don't think you're from around here, Morgan."

"A friend. He's a great fisherman and he's been in the area in the past."

"I see." She stood. "Mind some more company?"

"A lovely lady such as yourself? Not at all, ma'am."

"You remind me of Lem, always a charmer even though it's obvious that the charm's an act."

At her comment he had feigned insult but smiled upon hearing the chuckle from Jack as he stood by and watched. "Why don't we get started on fishing, Jack?" He asked, walking the boy over to the waters and passing over a fishing rod.

She didn't pay much mind to what Arthur told the boy instead she decided on taking an old book out of her satchel and leaning against the rock to read. Being caught with the lovely words on the paper she hadn't notice young Jack approach and stand before her, not until the child had gently tugged on the material of her skirt.

She looked forward and offered a kind smile and in turn the boy held up a bundle of flowers freshly picked. She closed her book and leant forward, inspecting the flowers. "Those are pretty Jack, who are they for?"

"Momma."

She nodded. "She'll love them."

He held them up again. "Can you hold them for me? I wanna make her a necklace."

"Out of flowers?"

"Miss Tilly showed me how to make them."

Nora gently took the flowers from his hands, careful not to crush any in doing so before neatly laying them out on her skirt. The boy went straight back to picking at more flowers before he was satisfied with the number gathered in his hand he returned to Nora to begin his craft.

She watched as he delicately wove the flowers together, his eyes furrowing in his concentration all while Arthur kept to himself as he fished. She enjoyed their company she found and enjoyed listening to the small stories Jack whispered to himself as he done so.

"You ready to go Jack?" Arthur walked over to them, putting the rod away in his satchel just as the child finished his creation.

He proudly held it up with a fond look in his eye and Arthur complimented it just before whistling for his horse to come. The boy handed over his necklace so he could stand before taking it back, however, just as Arthur turned he had been stopped in his tracks by a couple of individuals who had dressed perhaps a little too fancy for this area.

"Arthur Morgan." One greeted, while the other stood behind with a repeater in hand. Jack had taken to hide behind him once again and since these newcomers hadn't noticed Nora yet she decided to pull the revolver from her holster and hold it ready just in case.

They talked amongst themselves, with Arthur keeping sure that the boy was more protected then he was and eventually they grew tired of the conversation and left.

It was then did she finally talk. "Who were they?"

"Pinkertons."

"What did they want with you?"

He chuckled. "I am a bad man, Nora. They jus' needed to speak with me about that." She shook her head, watching as he mounted up before pulling Jack to sit on the saddle with him.

"You're far from a bad man, Morgan. I'll see you around." She said, thinking that this was a farewell but Arthur didn't think it was.

"Don't mean to sound rude or anythin', but would you mind waitin' here? I think Dutch should speak to us about this."

"Dutch?"

"My mentor shall we say." Arthur tipped his hat towards the lady. "If that's alright with you of course."

"I don't mind."

When Arthur did return she had expected him to be with this 'Dutch' he had mentioned but he came back alone, this apologetic look on his face as he stopped just short of her.

She lowered the horse brush as he dismounted and stepped closer and she had expected him to apologise for asking her to stay and that Dutch did not wish to talk with her.

"He's asked for you to talk with him at camp."

She raised one of her eyebrows, admittedly confused about the request. "Camp?"

"It is a long story miss, but if you will, would you mind riding with me back to Horseshoe Overlook?"

Hesitantly she accepted the request, wondering why he seemed to be very nervous all of a sudden with this request. He thanked her, mounting up once more with Nora copying with her own Casper. "May I ask, why do you appear so careful about talkin' about your camp and the people you run with?"

"It's tricky business. Keepin' us all safe is the primary reason, I guess."

"You guess?"

"Tricky business, as I said."

"Alright then, lead the way."

When they got to the camp the welcome was.. less than warm. John, who she recognised from the encounter at Six-Point Cabin looked less than impressed with her being there and the hold he had on the repeater only seemed to tighten when she stepped closer towards him.

If that hadn't been bad enough when she did eventually walk into what she presumed to be the camp itself all eyes had turned to look at her, wary glances on her as she followed Arthur towards a white tent situated right in the middle where a fairly-well dressed man sat with a book in his hand.

She recognised him too, also from Valentine where he spoke with Trelawny shortly after Arthur's fight with Tommy.

Arthur cleared his throat as they neared the tent and he eagerly looked up from the pages, this charming smile upon his face once his eyes settled upon Nora.

"This is the girl I mentioned Dutch, Nora Morgan."

"Nice meetin' you mister." She spoke politely but felt too nervous to extend her hand forward for a handshake, choosing to keep her hands firmly to her sides and her fists in tight balls.

"It's great to finally meet you, miss." He spoke, this commanding tone in his voice that was spoken so gently. He called them both over to stand inside his tent. "Arthur tells me you two encountered some Pinkertons while out fishing."

"Yes, forgive me, but I fail to see why you needed to talk with me regardin' this, sir."

"You were there, weren't you?"

"I was present but vaguely listening to anything they said. Weren't my place to eavesdrop."

He nodded, looking a little impressed. "You didn't catch their names did you?"

Arthur opened his mouth to talk but Dutch raised his hands to stop him before any words came out and if he were some trained dog, Arthur quickly shut it. He looked fondly at Nora as he waited an answer and under his gaze she felt very uncomfortable.

"Milton and Ross, or those were their last names. But I'm sure Arthur must have mentioned all this already."

"Oh, he has." Dutch announced. "But, I just needed to make sure you knew too."

"What for?"

He shook his head just as he rose from the bed in which he had been seated. "Don't worry about it just yet, miss."

"Please, call me Nora."

"Very well." He smiled and very quickly he changed their subject from what they had previously discussed. "I believe you already know young Sean and Josiah Trelawny. Arthur's told us this too."

"Yes, did a couple of jobs for them last year, I also know Mrs. Adler too and, well, her husband."

"Nasty business, damn O'Driscoll's it was."

"Heard you got an O'Driscoll here too, forgive me for sayin'."

"Kieran? Trust me, if he meant any harm I would have shot him long ago. That or Arthur here would have. But I doubt he'll ever do anythin' to us, I mean.."

"I get what you mean sir."

He nodded, looking beyond where the female stood and at the wagons where a group of young women sat with pieces of old clothing in their laps and needles and thread in their hands. "Miss Grimshaw." He shouted, and an older woman with a harsh glare looked over to stare at them. He beckoned her over with his hand and she abruptly stopped cleaning the table to march on over.

"Miss Grimshaw, would you kindly take our friend here to talk with Mrs. Adler, I'm sure she would like to see her." He asked and quickly she had to object to the idea, no matter how much she thought it would be nice to see Sadie she also did not want to invade their space any longer.

"I'd like too, really, but I feel like I'm trespassing."

"Don't worry about it miss, you'd be trespassing if I did not allow you here now wouldn't you?"

"S'pose I would be, yes." She looked towards this miss Grimshaw who appeared far from pleased with Nora's presence but beckoned her to follow regardless when Dutch finished talking.

Nora was just thankful that she wasn't taken through the part of the camp where everyone appeared to have gathered upon her arrival. Mrs Adler was sat by a smaller campfire reading a book, completely unaware that Nora was stood near her.

"Mrs. Adler, you got company." Grimshaw announced before she walked off. The woman looked up, perhaps expecting one of the camp members to be standing there but had been surprised when she came face to face with that old friend from the year before.

"Miss Morgan." She cheered but her voice broke from the all crying and when the hat hadn't shaded her face the tear stains became apparent.

"How are you doin'? I-I heard about Jake."

"Terrible puttin' it lightly. It's like one giant nightmare." She sniffled after, using the heel of her hand to wipe away a few stray tears. "But I'm survivin', just barely."

"I imagine it's pretty hard. Sorry that it happened to you."

"Oh none of it was your fault, don't dare apologise." Sadie chuckled, the smallest of smiles present on her face in doing so. "How are these guy's anyway?"

"They're okay people. Abigail and Mary-Beth had been kind and it's nice havin' folk around and besides, I like the company."

"Must be lovely."

"Thought you had a gang of your own?"

Nora gave a slow nodded, this 'gang' really just a bunch of people who came together for the sake of things. She turned towards Sadie. "Well, Harry an' James are busy with their bounty huntin' careers. Cripps been keepin' busy at camp an' Lem an' me we still run the 'shine." She had whispered the mention of moonshine so no curious ears could hear what she discussed, but she still gave cautious glances around incase anybody was near.

"You an' Lem still run together?"

"Well yeah."

"Thought after that night you wouldn't, it all got.. messy."

"Which night?"

"The one with the explosions and then the party and drinks."

Nora gasped, it's details hazy but she could remember enough about it to understand what it was Sadie talked about. "That argument? We apologised the day after, agreed we both had said things we didn't mean."

"What was the argument about?"

"Nothin', there was no need for it. Guess we both had too much whiskey."

"Guess you did."

Nora looked away ashamed; keeping her eyes peeled to the ground beneath her and gently Sadie would pat her shoulder before retracing her hand. "I really like catchin' up with you Sadie, but I gotta leave soon, Cripps is at camp and we're expecting James and Harry to return."

The other woman nodded, taking Nora by the arm and walking her back down towards the horses to see her off. She spoke quietly about nothing in particular before stopping just before Casper.

As Nora mounted up Sadie tugged on the woman's skirt to better grab her attention again. "You tell your brothers I said 'hi' will you?"

"I will, it was nice seein' you again, Mrs. Adler."

Sadie gave a light-hearted chuckle before taking a step back to allow Nora to leave. She raised her hand in a wave before the woman could not be seen anymore and even after Nora's departure she remained standing at the path for a moment longer, holding on to that final piece of her past.

While Sadie lingered there Abigail had taken to approach the woman, as a means to check up on her. "She seems nice."

"She is, was always willing to travel up into the mountains for a simple job for me an' my Jakey." She replied, dropping her head to look at the ground. "She's always had a heart of gold."

Abigail nodded, wrapping her arm around Sadie's shoulders to lead her back into the camp and towards the stew pot. "Why don't you an' I get something to eat an' maybe you can tell me about this Nora."

"If you want me too."

[yourlocalmilf]

His Sugar Baby

Dutch x Fem! Reader

Summary: An au where Dutch has a sugar baby and his gang live their happy outlaw lives. However Dutch has been neglecting his sugar baby, and  she has decided to get back at him.

Warnings: None really, a lil fluff at the end.

---

Dutch had been focussing on his jobs more than he had on Y/N. Of course Y/N never wanted to get in the way of Dutch's work, she respected what he did after al. However after a while of negligence from Dutch, Y/N just needed some attention.

So to start she left the first button of her blouse open, showing off a bit more cleavage than usual. Y/N then would proceed to do her daily chores. And call her petty, but every time Dutch would greet her should would reply with a short and cold answer. She would then make sure that Dutch could see her chatting it up with multiple gang members.

Since Dutch was busy, he didn't pay much attention to it. He could notice that Y/N was acting a bit different to him, but didn't think twice about it. And this bothered her, so she went a bit further. 

Maybe giving Dutch the cold shoulder just wasn't going to do it. So she figured she should just tease the hell out of Dutch and act clueless about it. She would start small, talk back to Dutch and slowly giving him more attitude. It irked Dutch whenever she talked back about the smallest things, and he certainly didn't like no for an answer when he asked her to do something for him. For example, Dutch would ask her to grab something from their shared tent for him. And she would keep reading her book and reply with an innocent voice, "Is there something wrong with your legs, Dutch?" He would sigh, shake his head and grab the thing himself. He was obviously not in the mood to deal with that kind of attitude today, so of course that's why Y/N continued with it. 

Dutch sat down in his tent and stared at the paper in front of him, Y/N walked in and sweetly asked, "Still having issues with this plan? You've been working on it for weeks now, haven't you?" Dutch raised an eyebrow at her, "What are you trying to say, Darling?" Y/N shrugged and smiled, "Oh nothing, it's just a bit curious that you're still struggling with it." Dutch clenched his jaw, "I am not struggling with the plan." Y/N put a hand on her hip, "Then why is it taking you so long, Dutch?"

Dutch rubbed his face and sighed, "Is there something wrong, Y/N?" Y/N crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow, "Not at all, what makes you say that?" Dutch sat down on his cot, "Perhaps the way you've been acting all day." Y/N shrugged, "I have no idea what you're talking about." Dutch patted his lap, "Come here." "Why would I?" Y/N replied, "You never pay attention to me anyways, why now?" Dutch sighed, "I know, and I'm sorry." He opened his arms to Y/N, "Please let me make it up to you." "You think that it's just that easy?" Y/N asked him. Dutch shook his head, "I know it's not, but please come here and let me make it up to you."

Y/N sighed and dropped her arms to her side and sat down on his lap with both her legs on one side of Dutch. Dutch wrapped his arms around her and started stroking her hair. "I shouldn't take you for granted." Y/N rested her head against Dutch's chest and stayed silent. "You're such a wonderful woman, so selfless, so caring, and yet I treat you wrong." He hugged her tighter, "Sometimes I question why you're still with me." Y/N wrapped her arms around Dutch, "Dutch you're a great man, however you get too caught up in things sometimes." Dutch nodded, "I know, I should pay more attention to you and things that are dear to me." Y/N put her hand on Dutch's jaw, "You shouldn't just focus on me, but also on yourself. It's not healthy to work like that." Dutch smiled at his lover, "Even after how I treated you, you're still worrying about me and my health." Y/N placed a small kiss on his lips, "Well who is going to pamper me when you're gone." Dutch chuckled, "Oh so that's how it is." He placed a kiss on her lips and put his forehead against her's. "How about this, tomorrow night we will go to a show and afterwards stay in a nice hotel." Y/N smiled back, "Only if we take a bath together." Dutch chuckled, "How can I say no to that?"

[yourlocalmilf]

A reminder that I'm still taking requests for RDR! Go to my bio, there you will find my masterlist with other fics I wrote and the rules for requesting!

[norafike]

Despite all this, I still love you 4

I will be creating a masterlist soon-ish. Just to keep all of this organised.

"So he returns!" Nora cheered as she spotted the all too familiar face enter the Saloon. He turned towards her, excitement already plain to see.

Sean MacGuire pulled the chair out opposite, inviting himself to sit at the table with her. "Nice seein' you again, Miss Morgan." He greeted.

"Guess it's nice seein' you too, also nice seein' that you found your "funny lookin' friends" again."

He let out a guffaw at the passing comment, giving her a toothy grin thereafter. "What are you doin' this far from Blackwater anyway? Thought you lived over that way."

"No... no. I used too, but after Sisika I tried avoiding that place."

"That's right, I remember now."

Nora gave a slight nod, taking a moment to gaze beyond the window at the street. While not much, it was the closest she could call home and it done its job well.

"So; what are you doing here anyway?" She asked, trying to sound polite and start a conversation even though her wording came across rather bluntly.

"A friend of mine, Arthur, he had business here and dragged me along for it." He explained.

"I know Arthur. Met him an' a few other fellas the other day, they was with an O'Driscoll."

"What business could they possibly have with an O'Driscoll?" He laughed as if she had told him a joke. Nora only shrugged, leaning forward and placing her arms flat against the table.

"I thought you would know about him by now, nervous little fella it seems; black hair an' unshaven. Smells of horse shit?"

"You on about that Kieran?"

"I don't know his name."

The explanation seemed too good to be a flat out lie and he saw no reason as to why Nora would claim for a member of his gang to be an O'Driscoll without legitimate cause too. He furrowed his brow in thought and noticed how everyone had taken to be impolite towards him and how he was usually alone on most occasions, but he figured him to be shy.

When Arthur entered the building he was quickly hollered over by the Irishman, his voice now a little serious instead of that cheerful tone.

"I been looking for you all over, Sean, shoulda known I'd find you in a Saloon of all places." Arthur spoke in a hushed town as he walked over, ignoring the female as she sat not so far away from them.

Awkwardly, she remained by and listened to their conversation it wasn't as though she was being rude by eavesdropping it was more so the case that they hadn't asked for her to leave or had taken the opportunity to move themselves. She wasn't even sure if they knew she was still sat there.

She cleared her throat which earned their attention after the petty squabble about Sean's wandering off and immediately guilt flashed across Arthur's face before replaced by that same cold glare he usually wore. "Sorry, Nora. Hadn't seen you there."

"It's fine."

Then Sean was reminded of their earlier conversation. "So apparently that Kieran's an O'Driscoll."

Arthur's face sank at the mention and everyone in the saloon all silenced at the loud accusation Sean sent out. Nora felt uncomfortable at the glares given her way and she felt more guilty now with the look Arthur sent her at the mention, after all, how else could Sean have known?

Knowing that they were being watched, Arthur snapped back by gently tapping the Irishman over the back of his head, following this by speaking, "He ain't."

This pleased the patrons in Smithfield's Saloon enough for the trio to leave the building without too many suspicious glances.

Once they were outside they were all taken to near Chadwick farm, not too close to the building in the case that somebody would be able to hear them from the inside. "Couldn't of been any louder, could you Sean." Arthur scolded, his face clearly showing his annoyance at the small scene caused.

"So when were you going to tell me we took on an O'Driscoll then?" He snapped back, his arm raised and hand pointing roughly in the direction of Horseshoe Overlook.

Nora stood by, visibly uncomfortable with the situation she found herself in.

"I didn't mean to tell him, I thought he knew." She was quiet and Arthur almost didn't catch what she had said. Luckily, he picked up on her words and turned towards the smaller girl with a sympathetic look.

"Mistakes happen, ain't your fault."

She let in a quiet sniffle, nodding her head slowly before finally allowing out a deep breath from relief. Sean chuckled, amused by this.

"So little Kieran Duffy's an O'Driscoll then aye? Now that I think about it, I see it."

"How so?" Nora asked.

"You've seen him, nervy. Ain't nobody going to be so nervy with a group unless they knew jus' how much they were hated. Ya know, the others don't seem to take too fondly to him neither."

Arthur cut in quickly. "They don't take too fondly to Micah neither."

The Irishman let out a hearty laugh, patting the brawny male on the shoulder. But Arthur kept his face as dull as stone, not letting even the most subtle of smiles crack, he raised a figure and sharply poked Sean in the chest with it. "But don't you go an' give the O'Driscoll any trouble, at least not too much." He warned.

He raised his hands defensively and talk a large step back from Arthur. "Oh 'course I ain't going to do that. I ain't gonna do nothin', got my word on that Arthur Morgan."

Satisfied, Arthur turned towards Nora with previous intentions of leaving her to get back to her own, having enjoyed his outing enough but had instead taken to change his mind. He looked down at her gun belt, the revolver in its holster.

He gave her a grin and finally broke that awkward silence amongst them to finally ask her a question.

"Say, how well can you use a gun?"

...

"So you needed me to help you break a friend out of jail? You don't exactly strike me as the sort to need help, Mister Morgan."

"He ain't no friend."

"And so you're breakin' him out?" Maybe Arthur does things differently than what she has done in the past, knowing how she willingly left people in jail simply because she had a distasteful relationship with them.

Her questions regarding this seemed to annoy Arthur more and he audibly grew frustrated with answering so many questions sent his way. He compared it the curiosity similar to that of young Jack Marston's who could not be blamed given it was usual for children to have a tendency to ask a lot of questions.

It was Nora, a fully grown adult at twenty-four having many questions that irked him.

"Micah's a crazy individual, it'd be no harm in having an extra gun just in case."

No longer did she want to play into his irritation and instead she became slightly fearful of what may happen if she were to help with this jailbreak. She pulled back on the reins to stop Casper from following any further and soon Arthur had copied to see what she was playing at now.

"What is it?"

She shook her head quickly, silently refusing to go along with the task.

"I-." She tried but her words began to fail her and soon tears began to lightly fall down her cheeks, causing runs in the makeup she wore.

"I don't think I can." She managed. "You saw what happened to me back at Six-point Cabin, I don't want that to happen here with somethin' important. I don't have-." Before she could say she caught herself, refusing to speak any further over the topic.

At this Arthur raised an eyebrow but knew all too well the refusal to talk further. "You'll be fine."

"I was told that last year. Seems to be gettin' worse."

"An' that friend of yours, what was his name? Lenny, Len, L-."

"Lem."

"Lem, he knows how to calm you when you get all hysterical?"

She wouldn't have worded it like that but it was the truth, harsh at that but honest spoken.

Slowly she nodded to answer, hanging her head in shame at the realisation that perhaps she depended on Lem more so than she knew previously and more tears began to fall.

"We all have our people we rely on, he's your friend an' I bet the only one who really knows about all this."

"Suppose so. Ain't really thought much on it."

"You need a bit to calm yourself? I'm sure you'll be okay in Strawberry if thing's do get out of hand and if not- I'll buy you a drink afterwards."

"Guess you have a deal, Mister Morgan." For a brief moment she managed to crack him a smile which he reciprocated before spurring for her horse to follow along on the road.

"I'll tell you a little about Micah just so you know what we're dealin' with."

She nodded. "Please do. Ain't as though he's well-liked."

They shared a chuckle, with Arthur nodding with his agreement. "No, he isn't."

...

She looked over the hook once more, making sure it was in fact secured properly to the bars of the window.

She backed away a few paces before raising her thumb towards Arthur, watching as he pulled the lever on the steam donkey to rip the wall clean off.

Eventually, Micah emerged from within and the group had to work quickly so this rescue wouldn't result in any of them dying. Nora provided cover fire while Arthur quickly handed over a spare revolver to Micah so he wasn't running unarmed.

"We gotta go this way, I have some unfinished business." Micah commented, leading the group across the bridge.

Arthur let out a cry of disapproval but it had been drowned out by the sound of shooting.

Nora was unsure of what was happening but the associate Arthur had to break out of jail decided he was to enter a house over a couple of guns that he needed to pick up.

She asked no questions at the obvious murder that happened before her eyes, having been briefly told that this man was 'crazy' in many's opinions.

The lawmen tripled in numbers and they were quickly overwhelmed and yet they kept on, succeeding in the fight with very little wounds.

They left the town soon after, while the fight did become harder it did not mean they gave in so easily and in no time they were free of the law and in the clear.

After this Arthur had turned towards Micah to discipline him over the act he pulled in Strawberry, the killing of innocents over a pair of guns that went unneeded.

Micah quickly turned towards the female as she idly stood by, watching the scene of their bickering unfold before her. "And who is this then?" His question sounded bitter as if displeased with her presence there.

"A friend." Arthur grumbled, taking out a cigarette from his satchel which he passed over to the female. She took it with thanks, turning back towards his friend. She placed the cigarette between her lips, before extending her hand towards Micah Bell, "Nora Morgan." He scrunched up his face in disgust, ignoring the handshake on offer and instead turning towards Arthur.

"You tell the boss I'll be returning to camp later, for now I gotta find a way to make up for this."

Nora rolled her eyes at the sly tone in his voice, she turned away just as she lit the cigarette and leaving them to talk amongst themselves while she focused on the

She was all too familiar with the sexism that radiated off of Micah Bell, having often dealt with such treatment during her time in Sisika with the guards that littered the place and just as she used to do during her time behind bars she chose to ignore such treatment, it wouldn't be any better for her if she acted out against it.

At least she wasn't treated the same why by Arthur or any of the men she travelled with, her own brothers always thought of her as more an equal rather than anything less and Cripps approached her with respect. That was one thing she never got used too and would often scold Cripps over, telling him she was just as he was and to not treat her as anything more.

While she had been lost in her thoughts, Micah had since departed unbeknownst to her. It was then did Arthur feel awkward in grabbing her attention as he wasn't so sure how to go about it. He settled for clearing his throat which she hadn't picked up at first, only was it the third time in his doing did she finally face him.

She quickly apologised.

"You did good, told you everythin' would be okay."

"You said I would be okay, not everything."

"Well.." Mister Morgan gave a light chuckle, throwing away the remnants of his cigarette with Nora soon following thereafter.

"You were right about Micah, his company is insufferable and what was the deal with that couple in Strawberry?"

"Even I don't know, jus' Micah being Micah I suppose."

"That sounds like a common thing."

Arthur shrugged, kicking his leg up to rest against one of the boulders nearby. "It might be."

She followed him with her eyes, noticing how where they stood had given them a clear view of flat-iron lake, a location Nora used to fish at often with her brothers.

"How is Mrs. Adler?"

"She's as good as losing your husband goes, but that ain't stopped her so much, does more work around camp than some of the men."

"She was always a tough one, Sadie."

"Still is, I s'pose."

"Did you give the brooch to her?"

He didn't answer verbally at first, instead passing over a small stack of money. "She asked that I give this to you."

Nora looked at the cash in hand before shaking her head in refusal, even if she wanted to she felt guilty taking it.

"Please keep it, or give it back to her."

"Alright."

She looked back over at Flat-iron lake with a fond smile, keeping her gaze away from Mr. Morgan as she studied the waters from the great distance. "You keep Sadie safe, I'll see you around, Arthur."

...

"Look who's back." Maggie cheered just as Nora entered the building. She looked on fondly, raising her cane in the air and foolishly waving it about.

Lem had eventually reached forward to lower the weapon down, making sure to keep it pointed at the ground save for anywhere else as it's waving would creep dangerously close to Nora.

"What have you been up to?" He asked, being polite and making conversation with Nora.

"Got roped into a jailbreak." He looked shocked by her answer but figured it to not be out of the usual for her. "How'd you get on?" This question wasn't about the success or failure of the mission, it was more directed at how Nora was able to handle the situation. He just needed to know if she had cried or if she became frantic during their heist.

He was surprised at the bright smile on her face as she answered him, "I was okay. It went well."

He reciprocated her look of joy, reaching forward to place his hand on top of her very own. "That's good to hear."

She was ready to reply before Maggie cleared her throat to grasp their attention, this unpleasant scowl on her face after witnessing such an interaction. Awkwardly, Lem retracted his hand to hide below the table while Nora placed hers on top of her own.

"Unfortunately for you however, we do need someone to retrieve some ingredients for our business and I trust that you both can do it." She instructed, her voice holding that same level of authority they had grown used to.

Upon the news of ingredients Lem's face as paled however as he recalled the event of their last attempt at bringing in a shipment of good for Maggie and slowly he turned to face Nora who too, looked worried.

She picked up on their worried expressions and let out an exaggerated sigh at this. "It ain't like the boat, you'll be pickin' up a wagon from near Rhodes."

Nora nodded as she replied to her business partner. "That's not too bad then."

"No, 'course not."

...

As the bullets flew by she let out a string of curses under her breath, looking up to see Lem more exposed than she was.

She hissed at the burning sensation in her shoulder, looking down to notice the unfortunate crimson colour beginning to stain the material of her shirt.

She pushed on, not letting the wound distract her from the priority she had; protecting Lem.

"Keep him safe" kept repeating in her mind, the warning given sternly by Maggie. It was what the women told her the day she was tasked with preventing Lem's transfer to Sisika. Then she was able to do so and Lem was returned home that night, not a scratch on him but here, right now, she worried she would fail by Maggie and fail to keep her nephew safe.

But the bullets became worse and now their boat became grounded, the worrying set in again and as the revenue men ran for them, while slowed by the swampy waters it was still terrifying for her and Lem's desperate cry for the boat to become unstuck didn't help matters.

She looked up at Lem, who fell backwards at the sudden push of the boat moving forwards.

"Let's get the hell outta here!" He cried out in celebration upon their vessel begging to move. The pain in her shoulder became noticeable now and it grew hard to ignore.