#well i mean i'm sure tilly and the others would find a way to make them all live

[huntcrlif]

Gabriel Lorca would have let Tuvix live if it meant better starfleet officers. 

He would defitely let Neelix die though.

[howlett-n-morgan]

Take Me Home

2. Gunslinger

Arthur Morgan x Texas Red!Reader

A/n: thank you guys for the warm welcome back and for reading the first part! I hope to be getting the Joel series reposted soon, but for now, I'm just going to be uploading these.

Summary: With the newest outlaw settled into camp, Arthur takes on yet another role within the group: Teacher.

Warnings: canon typical violence, guns, talk of blood and brutality. Backstory mentions misogyny, and has detailed descriptions of arranged marriage. Mild language, some angst, mostly still just an introductory chapter.

WC: 3.3k

“I know what Dutch said,” he nodded, approaching closer and crossing his arms. “I still expect something in return for my services.”

You scoffed. “I ain’t got nothing you would want.”

“Sure, you do…” he trailed, standing right in front of you and reaching down towards your hip. Your breath hitched in the back of your throat, even just having him this close to you. When his hand met your gun, pulling it away from its holster, you relaxed just a bit more. “How is it you shoot so fast?”

You haven’t seen much of the nature of Agua Fria, but you’re glad you’re able to, now. You’d town hopped a few times within the city, letting new faces get a look at yours. But there was a sort of pressure in those crowded areas, and it doesn’t feel like that in the Van Der Linde campsite. 

The gang has taken well to you. It’s been a fortnight since you joined up, the ragtag gang of outlaws, thieves, and gunslingers had been welcoming, given your display on just the day after your arrival.

Dutch has yet to send you on any jobs, mainly because of something you revealed to everyone around the campfire a week ago. 

“How does one shoot a rifle?” you pondered curiously, the silence of the group making you anxious.

“Boy, you better be pulling my leg,” Dutch himself butted in, shaking his head in disbelief. A cigarette hung from his lips, but he pulled it away to stare you down. 

“Well, I just…” haven’t ever shot one before. You’d trailed off before any further mockery could be made, but it was too late.

“You mean to tell me, that in eighteen years of life, you never managed to fire a rifle?” Arthur chimed in, though he was in on your secret, this revelation still surprised him. What else were you hiding?

“If y’all are just gonna mock me, I’m turnin’ in.”

Dutch laughed, and everyone else in the circle made an attempt to undo the harm done. 

“Javier ain’t even played a damn note, and you’re gonna sleep?” John cut in, his gravelly voice full of resentment to your attitude. Maybe you were a bit touchy, but it’s not like you’d ever had close friends to joke around with before. Much less people who got away with poking so much fun to your name.

“Who cares if he can’t shoot a rifle? He’s got a faster shot than all of you with a pistol,” Tilly piped up, her sweet voice just about putting all the other men in their place. She looked at you with contrition. “I’m not very good with those big guns, either.” 

“Thank you, Miss Tilly,” you tipped your hat, sitting back down on the log next to her. 

That was another thing… You couldn’t bear to break the young girl’s heart, although she would have to find out eventually that you were not in fact the man she thought you were. 

Arthur chuckled under his breath watching the interaction, going back to the drink in his hand with a shake of his head. He wouldn’t say anything, he promised he wouldn’t… but some of these occurrences were just too amusing, he couldn’t help his genuine reactions. The slanted jokes about male anatomy towards you, usually coming from John, Sean, or even the calendar boys. The way that you nearly had a heart attack when Miss Grimshaw offered to help you out of your clothes to wash them. Even now, the sweet words from Tilly and the funny way you looked at your feet to avoid meeting her eyes. 

He’d been surprised, if he’s honest. He thought that with all her romantic notions and storybook thoughts that Mary-Beth would be the one to fancy a new gunslinger… but maybe you just weren’t her type. Perhaps it was the red hair that deterred her, he knows for sure that was the case when Sean tried his luck. Good thing Karen was there to catch his fall. But sweet Tilly had no idea what she was in for.

He’d teased you about it over the next week, and finally today, when it was time to show you the ropes of a rifle. Dutch insisted that running with them required knowledge of more than pistols and revolvers, and who better to teach than the enforcer himself.

“Like this?” you asked, trying to place the gun correctly. 

“Yeah sure, if you wanna blow your arm out of socket.” His low chuckle, followed by a drag of smoke was not helpful, and neither were his words, but your position was just too funny.

“I believe this is where you’re s’posed to be helpin’ me,” you replied, a fiery bite in your words. You’d been learning to warm up to people’s teasing, although it was still a long road to go. 

He stood to his feet from where he lounged by a tree, coming up beside you to kick your foot out a little. “Can’t stand like a tree, kid… you’ll tip over in the wind.”

He pulled the butt of the gun into your shoulder, making sure you wouldn’t give out when the gun fires. 

“Alright, the shootin’ part should be easy for you. Just hold strong, that thing’s gonna kick back a hell of a lot more than any handgun.” 

You pulled back the bolt, raising the barrel until you could aim properly. The glass bottle on the tree branch down the way looked like an easy enough target, but when you fired, you weren’t ready for how much pressure the gun would push on you, and you stumbled back into Arthur. 

“Mind your step, will ya?” he teased yet again, and it took everything in you to just ready your stance and try again without saying a word. 

You took a deep breath, pulling back on the bolt once more. You had a good idea as to how much you needed to push back this time. Finding the bottle again, you pulled the trigger, closing your eyes at the explosion and faintly hearing the sound of broken glass in the distance. 

“I did alright,” you turned to Arthur, a narrow gaze in his eyes as he looked from you then back to the tree. It was quite a distance away, and he was surprised you’d hit so accurately already. Then again, you were kind of known for your accuracy… but you’d never fired a rifle.

“Yeah, more than alright,” he reasoned, taking the gun from you and turning to take a shot for himself. “Now ya just gotta work on speed. This ain’t nothing you can keep on your hip.”

He fired one round after another, each bullet hitting the same branch on a tree until it fell from the trunk completely. Wow. 

He smirked over his shoulder, and your face probably gave him an even better reason to be smug. You were clearly in awe of almost everything this man did. Taking care of his horse? In awe. Carrying supplies from the wagon into camp without having to make several trips? In awe. Even now, his accuracy and reaction time. He was so skilled, and you wondered if you’d ever match him. 

“Now,” he said, setting the rifle by the tree. “I don’t just go about teachin’ folk how to shoot for free.”

“But Dutch said that-”

“I know what Dutch said,” he nodded, approaching closer and crossing his arms. “I still expect something in return for my services.”

You scoffed. “I ain’t got nothing you would want.”

“Sure, you do…” he trailed, standing right in front of you and reaching down towards your hip. Your breath hitched in the back of your throat, even just having him this close to you. When his hand met your gun, pulling it away from its holster, you relaxed just a bit more. “How is it you shoot so fast?” 

Honestly, you didn’t have a clue. Everything you did to get faster, you’re sure he’s already done, and a million times over. 

“Nerves, mostly. My hands start shakin’ whenever I get a challenger, they start itching to shoot real bad… guess that’s why.”

He nodded, but was unsatisfied. Your answer was vague and unconvincing.

“What’d you do to learn? You obviously ain’t shot another gun but this one here, tell me how it came along,” he raised the pistol in the air, his skilful hands spinning it over a finger with ease. 

“I guess s’a long story.”

“And since you learned your way around a rifle so well, we got nothin’ but time.”

You sighed, stepping into the shade of the tree closest to you. You leaned into it, crossing your arms and watching as he continued to handle your closest ally in his steady hands. 

How do you even start this story? How does it even get told? You’d never uttered a word about your past to a single person since it all unraveled. You weren’t sure he’d stick around to hear it all, or maybe if he did, he would think you to be foolish. 

But this Arthur Morgan, with his tough exterior and gruff voice had a soft spot. He was gentle when need be, kinder than most. You suppose he derives it from Hosea, given that the man practically raised him into manhood. 

“You know, I used to be a little rich girl,” you chuckled, watching for his reaction. It was surprising to him, but he waited, almost as if thinking you’d retract it as a joke. “Yeah… lived on a big orange grove in South Carolina.”

“You’re kiddin’ me,” he let out when he realized you weren’t messing around. 

“Had a rich daddy and a rich mama. My entire lineage has gotta be worth a couple million at least.”

“Then why on earth are you here? You’d have to be crazy to leave that behind,” he gripped your pistol tightly now, his entire stance leaning on his left leg as he narrowly watched you lounging against the tree. 

“Oh, I had a good reason,” you scoffed with wide eyes. 

“Good enough to leave behind a family fortune?” 

He’s a man. Every man you’ve ever met is the same. They pay no mind to you anymore because you look like one of them now. But before? It was practically a brawl at every public event you attended. You hope that Arthur does not prove to be like the rest. You’ve already been so sure that he stands out, it'll break your heart if you were wrong.

“I know it may not seem like it, but I used to be quite the stunner. I attracted quite a few suitors.”

He nodded, looking you up and down in one glance before coughing a bit and averting his eyes. You hid yourself well, but if he tried hard enough, he could imagine how you would look in more feminine apparel. He liked what he was imagining. 

“I don’t doubt it…”

“Well, my dad was in control of who would have my hand, and as you can imagine I wasn’t fond of that fact… He picked one of his old pals from Virginia, another big farmer like himself, wealthy beyond belief and probably thirty five years my senior.”

Arthur was still, blinking a few times. He doesn’t understand. Yes, you would have had to marry someone you were not interested in… but the situation seemed ideal otherwise. 

“You would have been well taken care of, wouldn’t you?”

“Oh sure,” you nodded, but there was a smirk on your lips. “I would have been just dandy until he found a reason to kill me like he did his first two wives. My father never believed the accusations, of course, and the evidence had been conveniently destroyed… but I knew better.”

He let out a low whistle, finally looking back to your gun and wondering if its origins were about to come to light. Yeah, he thought. That’s a pretty damn good reason.

“So you ran off?” 

You gave a small nod, remembering the last time you ever saw your home and family.

“When I was eighteen I was shipped off to Virginia with a caravan, but before I could be delivered to old Thomas Arlington’s doorstep, I hid overnight in a stable. I stole a horse and headed west a bit.”

“How far west?” 

“West Virginia,” you chuckled. “I got to lurk around there a while, I started dressing all boyish and helped a travelin’ musician with his shows. After he settled down I found that very gun on the ground of a saloon. No one ever claimed her, so I polished her up and started practicing draws. I got pretty good, made bets on shootin’ games to get by.”

“You just… picked her up and started shootin’?”

“It sounds quite dull when you put it that way,” you laughed, holding your hand out to take the gun back. You’re not expert with this thing, can’t even spin it half as well or efficiently as he does… but you might be the best in the world at drawing it from your holster. “I’d never shot anyone before, until one man got real upset that he lost a shooting game to me. It was my first duel… and I won. All because of a game. It was that can game we played after I got here.”

“I figured as much. I ain’t never believed anyone could shoot faster than me until I saw you that day. Paid close attention to those bullet holes.”

He was being far too kind. It’s not like you were anything like him. He had it all. Strength, skill, wits, and as you learned with every glance, the looks to kill.

“I ain’t any good beside the one shot I know how to take.” Your confession meant more to him than you realized.

Yeah, he thought. You can draw, but before today you’d never shot a rifle. You’d never used a knife. Likely never robbed a bank or a stage coach or anything of that sort. Aside from duels, you’re clean cut and inexperienced… your nickname holds far more weight than he’s sure you can actually hold. Ruthless killer? More like a hustler with a bit of blood dusting your fingers. You haven’t made any ground compared to him, yet you’re the one they know far and wide. 

“Let’s make a deal,” he started, his steps carrying him quite close to your form, nearly hovering over you. “I’m gonna make you one of us. Teach you everything you need to know. Fightin’, stealin’, sneakin’ round… all of it. And in return, you’re gonna teach me how to shoot faster than you.”

He knows it’s built on a prideful notion, but he reckons you don’t care, because he’s offering you far more than you can give him. Obviously you agree, because even if you try to teach him, you are almost positive that you don’t even know the secret to your speed.

“Alright, cowboy… I’ll shake on it.”

And you do, squeezing his hand tightly.

-

You find yourself settling into the camp a lot easier than the weeks before. The names of the people here just roll off your tongue, whenever you see them, a greeting is spoken. You’ve also been able to sleep soundly in your tent despite the fears of the animal sounds out in the distance. You’ve come to realize that you aren’t alone in the wilderness, and you have a sort of family to keep you safe, now. 

Arthur continues to show you the ropes, giving you tricks and quick witted thoughts for situations you would never have thought to put yourself in. They all are illegal situations, of course, but you listen intently, and learn each step with an absorbent state of mind. 

Even if he doesn’t outwardly show it, you think Dutch is happy about your progress, given that you are not only an asset to future jobs, but also because you seem to blend well with everyone. He definitely views his gang as a family of fugitives, and now that you’re one of them, he’s become warm with you, even calls you ‘son.’ 

There is one member of camp that to date, you haven’t gotten into conversation with. Hosea Matthews. The man seemed to be the fatherly type, and nearly everyone in the gang had a sort of paternal view of him in some way. You reckon Arthur has taken the man to be closer to him than actual blood. The great Mr. Morgan doesn’t often share details of his past, but you’ve heard here and there about the rascal that was his father, dead and gone when Arthur was a kid, but not soon enough. 

It was a Tuesday morning, after a round of stale coffee when he first sat down beside you for a friendly chat. You couldn't have possibly known the contents of the topics he had in mind, but you were about to be bombarded with them in the most gentle way you reckon a man can speak. 

“Mister Gunslinger,” he began, a gentle clap on your shoulder to garner your attention. “I’ve heard you’re getting to be the best man at camp.”

His friendly chuckle eased your nerves, but you brushed off his words anyway. 

“Not sure ‘bout that. Just learnin’ the ropes,” you nodded along to your own words, hoping they caught well with him. 

“Arthur told me you picked up a rifle for the first time a few days ago and blew him out of the water,” he mentioned, the tone in his voice suggesting he wanted his compliment to land. 

“He’s bein’ far kinder than I deserve,'' you scoffed, shaking your head this time. “Nearly took my shoulder out of socket on the first shot.”

“But you broke a bottle on the second,” he returned, likely quoting your dear mentor’s own words. “How did you learn to shoot that pistol of yours, anyhow?”  

Hosea knew everyone’s stories. He was the father of the camp, albeit not the leader. He knew everything about everyone, and he took care of them. You took one look at him and decided you could trust him from day one… but that didn’t mean he should know everything.

“Well, I found this gun a while ago, just started shootin’ it till I hit somethin’.”

He leaned forward in his seat, another chuckle rolling off his tongue, but the question went unanswered in the way he’d hoped for. He took a breath, turning to face you a bit more… He decided to be straight with you. 

“I’m sure you’ve probably got things in your past you’re not too proud of. I’ve heard the name ‘Texas Red’ in quite a few towns now. I guess I’m just curious about what you did before the gunslinging days.”

“Oh…” you trailed, completely unsure if elaborating on your past, even without context, could force you to accidentally spill something you didn’t intend to. So you took the safe route. “Not much to tell. Ran away from home, stole a horse and headed west. Found this gun in an old saloon and the rest is history.”

He saw through the act, but didn’t let on. He didn’t want you to feel like you needed to hide things, but similarly, he didn’t want you to feel pressured to talk. This camp was a safe place. As long as you kept to the rules and helped out, you didn’t need to do anything else. You could just live freely and have your being. 

“Listen, son… I know it’s probably hard to open up about things you’ve gone and left in the past. Every person here has a story, somewhere they came from or something they did. If you ever want to talk about yours, I’m always up for good conversation.”

You looked into his eyes, and they were full of contrition, full of compassion. You guessed there wasn’t a bad bone in this man’s body. 

“Thank you. I’ll keep that in mind.”

He nodded once before standing up and heading down to the river bank, likely to fish. 

You wonder if he has suspicion of you, or if he knows more already than he’s leading onto. But then you think, no. He’s just a kind older man that actually gives a damn about the younger folks here. He didn’t seem to have any biological sons or daughters, but this camp was full of family he could call his own.

You think you're starting to call them family, too.

Tags: @photo1030 @sheepdogchick @snoopysshark

[moonlightkitties]

You are your fathers daughter - Red Dead Redemption Reader Insert - (Part Six)

Plot: Arthur, Charles, and Javier bring Sean back where you and him spend some time together.

Word Count: 1k+

Warnings: Smut, unprotected p n v sex, drunk/tipsy sex, fingering, oral (f receiving), first time.

A/N: This is my first smut so idk really know if it's good or not but I enjoyed writing it.

If you want to read the previous parts of "You're your father's daughter", you can find them here

Today was the day. The day that Arthur, Javier, and Charles would go back to Blackwater to save Sean. Trelawny had a good lead on where he was so Arthur was going to meet up with him and the others.

"You sure I can't come?" You ask, handing Arthur one of his guns. He huffed "You can" he paused smirking at your excited grin "But you're not goin to, I ain't risking your life for some crush." You glare at him, your cheeks a light pink "That doesn't even make sense" you huff, Arthur chuckled and ruffled your head "Can you at least watch over camp while I'm gone?" he asked. You nodded and watched him ride out of camp.

The day went on as normal; you did chores, chores and more chores. It was exhausting and the day still wasn't over. Sitting next to Tilly and Mary-Beth as they both read, the three of you started talking about the type of guy you would like to marry.

"I want someone who's sweet and shy but strong when they need to be" Mary-Beth said, playing with her hair. "What about you?" Tilly asked you. You shrug "I don't know...I'm not really the marriage material." John chuckled from a few feet away "That's for sure" he said, Mary-Beth chucked a stone at his head, making him yelp and move away.

"Aw, come on, there's gotta be some type of guy you like" Mary-Beth said, trying to cox you to tell them. You sighed "I want a guy that's funny and sociable. A guy that can make conversations with anyone." Mary-Beth giggled "It sounds like you're describing Sean." Your face goes pink "Sean? No, he's like an annoying brother." Tilly smiles "Really? You're blushing an awful lot." You groaned "Maybe I like him a little...but doesn't Karen like him too?" Tilly shrugged "I think she's over him."

Karen joined the three of you, a bottle in her hand, which wasn't really surprising "Who's over who?" she asks, tilting the bottle upward to drink.

"You being over Sean" Mary-Beth told her, Karen snorted "Please, I've been over him. Why you askin? Someone else like him?"

"(y/n), does." You rolled your eyes, thanks for that Mary-Beth. Karen chuckled "Well, good luck with him (y/n), he's a handful." Your face flushed an even darker red and you looked away. How embarrassing.

"You really like him, don't you?" Mary-Beth asked and you nodded "But you like that Kieran boy too?" You look at her "I mean, he's cute yeah, and we've been fishing together but that's about it, why? Do you like him?" Now it was Mary-Beth's turn to get all flustered "A little, but he's an O'Driscoll." You let out a laugh "He's not an O'Driscoll, he save mine and Arthur's life." Mary-Beth looked behind your shoulder "Speaking of Arthur, is that him?" you turned around and she was right, it was Arthur. You looked around "Then where's Sean and the others?" You asked, anxiety bubbling in your chest.

The first thing you heard was Sean's voice, he was riding with Javier on the back of Boaz, you could tell Javier was getting annoyed at the Irishman's ramblings. Sean dismounted and almost immediately he was bombarded by questions and welcomes. He took in all the welcomes and praises and before the night fell a party already started.

You took it all in, everyone was drinking, Dutch's music was playing as he and Molly danced and now you just wanted to see if there was anyway you could get to Sean without being interrupted. Sean was already downing his third drink by the time you caught up with him "There's my girl" he slurred, pulling you into his lap, you let out a gasp "Sean?" you ask, his hands finding your waist. He chuckled and started kissing your neck, his facial hair feeling scratchy on your skin.

"We can't" you whimper, feeling like putty in his grasp "You're drunk, you probably don't even know who I am." Sean chuckled, practically purring into your neck "Of course I know who you are love." You narrowed your eyes at him "Oh really? Then what's my name?" Sean scoffed "Geez, enough with the questions (y/n), you want me to fuck ya or not?" Heat started to form at his words and you rubbed your thighs together. Yes, you really did, but he was drunk and probably speaking out of his mind.

"I do" you whimper "But you're drunk, it's not right, you're not thinking clearly." Sean scoffed "I'm thinking as clear as ever love, come on" he started nipping and sucking at your neck, most likely leaving marks. Almost everyone was drunk, so no one was bound to see the two of you but still.

"In a little bit" you told him "I haven't had a drink yet." Sean barked out a laugh "You, little Miss Van der Linde, drink?"

"Not usually" you tell him, getting up off his lap, choosing to ignore his raging boner that was poking through his jeans. He grumbled from the loss of contact but got up to follow you to the crate that held the liquor. You picked a bottle up, even though you looked confident, you didn't feel it. You've never drank in your entire life, you didn't see the appeal. Sean smirked at your hesitance "Go on then lass, drink up." You rolled your eyes but opened the bottle up and took your first sip. Wow. It did not taste good at all, but when you swallowed it, the burning in your throat felt strangely good.

You had no idea how many drinks you had, but as Sean dragged you into some random tent you knew you had too many. He pulled you into a sloppy kiss, unbuttoning your pants and pulling them down, your underwear soon followed. "We have ta be quick, love" he said, pulling his own pants and underwear down. You whined and started grinding on his cock, but stopped forgetting something, your face turned red, either from the whiskey or the embarrassment.

"I'm a virgin" you told him, holding onto him, burrowing your head into his neck. He stopped his movements "A virgin?" he asked and you nodded "Y-yeah, but I still want to, please take me Sean." He growled and set you down on the bedspread "I'll be gentle" he promised. Who knew your first time was going to be a quickie and you tipsy?

He opened your legs and kissed down your thighs, once he got to your already aching and wet pussy, he kissed your clit and shoved two fingers inside. You let out a loud moan, which you immediately covered with your mouth. Sean tore yours hands away from your mouth "Nuh uh, lass, I wanna hear ya." He went faster, his tongue sucking on your clit, making you squirm and hold onto his orange locks, pushing his head in more. You felt something happen, you arched your back and let out a cry of pleasure as you came. Your legs shook and your chest heaved as you tried to catch your breath "That was" you gasped "Amazing?" Sean asked, giving a kiss to your clit.

You nodded "Yeah, it was." Sean smiled "Ah, but we're not done yet, love." Oh, yeah, you forgot. "Ya ready?" he asked, positioning his cock at your entrance, he pushed in, you arched your back, letting out a small whimper of pain. Sean shushed you and when you gave him the "Ok" to keep going, he pulled out and slammed deep into you. You gasped in pleasure, he thrusted into you, hard and fast. The familiar feeling of your orgasm came back "I-I'm coming!" you moan out, holding onto Sean as thrusted "So am I love" he moaned, his moans were gorgeous, and you hoped this wasn't just a one time thing.

You came, hard, your pussy clenched onto his cock he gave one last thrust as he came deep inside of you. You didn't care, there would be time to scold him later. You breathed, deep and heavy as he pulled out.

"I need a drink" you groaned as Sean helped you back into your clothes. He laughed and kissed your forehead "Come on then" he said, pulling his own pants up and helping you up.

You followed him out of the tent, not knowing that the tent you used to loose your virginity was Johns.

Whoops.

[whovianwatchingstartrek]

A Whovian Watches Star Trek for the First Time: Part 103 - Spirits of the Blue Forests

Star Trek: Discovery - Season 1 Episode 8 - Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum

Oooh, Latin title! Running it through translate, it appears to mean "IF you want peace, prepare for war" which is a bit ominous!

We open with the Discovery launching a surprise rescue mission of another Starfleet ship under Klingon Attack. The Mission is however a failure. The other ship is lost, and Discovery has to Spore Jump out of there. Despite the Spore Drive's great speed abilities, the Klingon invisibility ships are just impossible to target until they make themselves visible, which is an difficult problem that I can't wait to see how they think around.

Meanwhile, Paul seems to be having some after effects from being plugged into the Spore drive. We know from last episode that Ripper's DNA had some weird time effect on him, and now he appears to have a bit of confusion, and accidentally refers to Sylvia Tilly as Captain. A hint at the future perhaps? Well, later in the episode we get some more details about what he's experiencing, but I can't figure out if it's time related, or multiverse related or just entirely in his head. I need more to go on.

After the aforementioned battle, we find out that Starfleet Command has asked discovery to go to a planet called Pahvo. Saru, Michael, Ash make up this the ground team, and the plan is to study the planet's unique vibrations to make a SONAR system for detecting the cloaked Klingon ships. I'm not 100% sure how a Sonar System is supposed to work in the vacuum of Space, surely the vibrations would need matter to be carried across. Either way, the planet is absolutely gorgeous. I love the blues.

I actually really enjoy this trio working together. Now that Michael and Saru have made up, they bounce off each other pretty well, they have some fun banter with eachother across the scenes of them exploring the planet, and have a really nice balance of personalities. They encounter some Ethereal creatures, and now the team are required to make official first Contact. Michael mentions that there is an official protocol for that now, which is certainly going to make things a lot easier than in the days of Archer making it up as he went along. While Saru is off trying to communicate with the creatures, Ash and Michael have a moment of bonding by the fire. They want to be together, but as long as there is a war, they'll be kept busy and as soon as the war is over, Michael is going back to prison. It's a very important problem for Michael's future, and we get an interesting look into both her Ash's moralities in this scene. And also a kiss, which is also nice.

The Pahvans initiate a telepathic communication with Saru, who then crushes Michael and Ash's communicators and goes mad at trying to keep the team on the planet. Ash takes command and decides to distract Saru while Michael tries to contact Discovery.

Also, throughout the episode we keeping cutting back to the Klingons. The Klingon leaders are trying to torture Admiral Cornwell, but apparently the Torturer has other plans. The Torturer wants to defect to the Federation, and launches a plan to escape with the Admiral. They move to assassinate the leadership as they escape, but are caught in the process and end up in a faux fight with eachother to avoid recapture. The torturer knocks Cornwell unconscious, and uses it to feign her death, and dumps her unconscious body in with a bunch of real Klingon bodies. I'm not sure where their arc is going, but I will say it's first time in Discovery that the Klingon side of things has properly held my attention enough to fully work through my difficulties with subtitles.

We're left on a cliffhanger of the Pahvans summoning the Klingon Flagship, because they don't understand the reality of war and want to bring harmony, and Discovery is left to protect them.

I really liked this episode. The Pahvo stuff was really nice, I love delving into these characters. It was a lovely episode for Saru, and how he's entirely motivated by keeping the Pahvans out of the war is beautiful. Apparently, this was the first time he had lived without fear, and his reaction to having that taken away is heartbreaking. The character development on Michael and Ash was amazing too. I love this kind of character focus episode.

[fangirl-ramblings]

Pairing: Arthur x gn!reader

Characters: Reader, Simon Pearson, Mary Linton, Arthur Morgan

Word count: 3306

Summary: You and Arthur have recently made your relationship official by moving into his tent...but is he really into you...or is he still holding onto his past?

Notes: SFW, Angst leading to fluff

After requesting several wonderful stories from one of my favourite writers and people, I was super honoured to have the chance to be able to write something for the super talented and lovely @littlestarofthewest -  Merry Christmas from your secret santa 😘😘

Also a huge thank you to @horsegirl1h (who helped me plot this out) @verai-marcel (for wrangling in all my stupid grammatical mistakes) & @mileycyprus-hill who took a quick look over this and gave me a much better character note on how to improve Arthur's feelings in this story and give me a far better title I could ever think of myself. Thank you all 😘

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The First Shall Be Forgotten

You slowly opened your eyes, only to find the cot next to you still empty. It was fairly late when you'd finally taken yourself off to bed last night, but you had found yourself unable to keep your eyes open as you'd sat around the scout fire. Your hope of Arthur riding back into camp and joining you in lying down for the night had turned into a wishful dream of waking up with his strong arms wrapped around you, but it turns out it was just that - merely a pleasant dream. 

It was only a few months since you'd started dating, with most of that time spent being inseparable, but lately you noticed that Arthur was staying away from camp longer and longer. Yes - the events of Blackwater had changed the gang's luck and the likes of Dutch and Strauss kept giving Arthur more and more tasks to do, but you'd felt like that most of these jobs could be done well before nightfall. Surely Arthur wasn't avoiding you because he was bored of you already….could he?

You sat upright, shaking your head free of any more of those nasty thoughts, quickly making the decision that you should get dressed and help out around camp before Miss Grimshaw marched over to berate you for wasting so much time idling about.

There was a chill floating in the air this morning in camp and so you found yourself shivering as you looked around for your light jacket. Opening your shared trunk, you proceeded to pile a mixture of both yours and Arthur's clothes on to the cot in your quest to find your missing coat. Though you soon found yourself distracted as you lifted one of Arthur's shirts up, tutting to yourself as you saw just how worn and dirt stained they all were. You swore that that man would wear these offending items until they fell apart on him...and some were close to doing so, judging by how often they'd been patched up.

   "Ah, there you are," Pearson's cheerful voice booming from behind you, making you jump out of your skin, "I need a helping hand gathering supplies in town and was wondering if you could come along with me for the ride"

   "Me? Surely there's someone more capable about?" Although Valentine was only a short ride away, the idea of being Mr. Pearson's captive audience for that short length of time was not high on your list of priorities for the day. 

   "Well, I don't know if you noticed but we are stretched a little thin on the ground right now," his hands gesturing to the almost empty camp area in front of you, "Mr. Smith & Mr. Escuella are yet to return from Blackwater with young Sean and, as you well know, Mr. Morgan is still yet to return from wherever he has took himself off to. As for the girls..." you tried to stifle a chuckle as he trailed off to glance nervously over at where Tilly, Mary-Beth and Karen were currently sitting at their wagon, making sure they couldn't hear this conversation, "...I'd rather not ask them. Uncle told me of the trouble they got up to on their last visit into Valentine."

You couldn't help but burst out laughing at Pearson's fear of trying to keep three excited young women from creating chaos. "Sorry, sorry," you apologised, wiping your eyes as he looked at you with confusion, "Well...since you have no other options, I'll join you. I've been wanting to pick Arthur up a new shirt anyways." Spotting your jacket at the bottom of the truck, you quickly threw it on, leaving all the other clothes heaped on the bed, "Shall we go now then?"

"Goddamit, why does there have to be a train in the station?" you grumbled as Pearson pulled the horses to a stop at the crossing, which was blocked by one of the carriages belonging to the offending train. After being waylaid by the shop boy slowly loading the wagon with all the goods Pearson had chosen for camp - not that any of these ingredients would do much to improve his cooking, you cruelly thought to yourself - your head was starting to ache from listening to Pearson's constant tall tales. All you had wanted to do was get back to camp and sleep off your headache, but that didn't seem to be happening anytime soon, thanks to this stupid train.

   "I know what you mean, I was hoping to get back and make a start on preparing supper," Pearson sighed before suddenly cheering up, "But, hey, at least it gives me more time to tell you about my time at sea. There was this other time..."

Internally, you found yourself groaning, trying to zone out the older man as he recounted yet another story, that this time seemed to involve him somehow, inexplicably fighting a walrus -  single-handedly -  to save his crew.

You glanced around, finding yourself admiring all the different horses hitched up around the station...until a familiar sight caught your eye.

   "Hey isn't that Brutus?" you interrupted Pearson mid-sentence, gesturing towards the big, black Shire horse that Hosea had gifted Arthur a few weeks ago. Arthur had rarely named his horses after losing his beloved Boudicca in Blackwater and was more than content to just refer to this one as "Boy", but after overhearing Hosea called this giant a brute, you'd jokingly suggested the name Brutus, a name that had tickled Arthur and agreed it was the perfect name for this beast.

Put out a little by the fact you had rudely interrupted him just as the story was getting good, Pearson grudgingly glanced over to the direction in which you were pointing.

   "Er, it does look like it. So anyway after I killed the Walrus with nothing but my bare hands…" 

   'So this is where you've gotten to Morgan,' you thought to yourself, once again not listening to Pearson's story. 'Here's hoping you're on your way home too.'

Smiling to yourself that your lover would hopefully be by your side once more, you absent-mindedly found yourself scanning the crowd of people that was starting to thin out as they slowly stepped onto the carriages...until you saw him standing with his back to you.

A smile started to creep over your face as you recognised Arthur's dirty blond hair, broad frame and filthy blue shirt. Just the fact you could see how dirty it was from this distance made you glad that you'd made the decision to buy him a new one now, as that one needed throwing out, never mind a good wash. Anybody would think that man spent most of his time rolling around in the mud than riding a horse around.

With his hands on his gun belt, he shifted his weight to one side and the smile on your face was replaced with a look of confusion as a young lady was revealed to be standing next to him, deep in an intimate conversation.

Unconsciously scowling at her, you were unable to shake the feeling that you've seen her somewhere before, but for the life of you, you couldn't quite place where.

You squinted your eyes to try and focus your vision on her delicate features before a feeling of rage bubbled up from your stomach as she kissed Arthur's cheek, in a way that suggested more than just friendship.

"And I'll tell you - I used that walrus meat to feed a crew of 50...and not one of them complained the way you and the rest of camp do about my cooking" Pearson waffled on down your ear, distracting you from your thoughts about this mysterious woman and how you wanted to jump down and throttle her. Instead you suddenly had the urge to wrap your hands around the cook's neck. 

Turning to face him, you barked, "Maybe being at sea for weeks at end with no food makes people more appreciative of the slop you always manage to serve up - no matter the ingredients." 

You instantly felt regret as the words left your mouth and you saw the hurt in the older man's eyes.

   "Christ, I'm sorry Mr. Pearson. I didn’t mean to take it out on you..." You paused, thinking about telling him about what you just saw, but you doubted this old sea dog would give a damn about your love life and so explained "I just have a real bad headache and it's put me in a bad mood."

He nodded softly and turned away so you wouldn't see him wipe the sting of the tears from his eyes.

Feeling guilty from the hurt you just caused, you looked away to the source of your own pain, only to find Arthur had disappeared from the platform and the train was now pulling out the station. Had he gotten on board with his mystery woman? Gone off to start a new life with her and left you and the outlaw life behind him? These thoughts rattled around your head as Pearson told the horses to giddy up and the pair of you headed back to camp in an awkward silence.

Jumping down from the wagon, you helped Pearson unload the wagon - still with an uneasy tension in the air, before you tried to broker the peace between you both by offering to help prepare the next meal as a peace offering.

   "No, it's quite okay," Pearson patted you shoulder to show there was no hard feelings, "You go sleep off that sore head of yours"

You nodded appreciatively, finding yourself thanking him and apologising once more as you picked up the wrapped parcel containing Arthur's new shirt, and headed back to your tent. 

As you walked over, you rolled your eyes in annoyance at yourself as you caught sight of the mess you'd left behind this morning. Picking the mountain of clothes up, you threw them in straight at the trunk at the end of the cot, surprising yourself as you heard a loud clatter of something hitting the side of the chest and then dropping onto the floor.

Peering over, you saw that a few shirts and a pair of trousers had missed their target and were now scattered over the floor... alongside a wooden photoframe, laying face down on the ground, that definitely wasn't there before.

Picking it up, you recognised the image of a younger, but still very handsome version of Arthur standing on the left.

'You've always been a good-looking bastard haven't you?' half smiling as you took in his handsome features, 'No wonder you have a long list of admirers to spend all your time instead of me.'

Well before you and Arthur had started dating, you had seen this photograph before. You recalled picking it up from his bedside table back then too, in order to get a closer look of how attractive Arthur's always been.

But sometime between then and making your relationship official, Arthur must have removed it and hidden it out of sight from you. Just as you were about to ask yourself why, you spotted who else was in the picture.

   'No…no it can't be,' you thought to yourself as you stared at the beautiful, dark haired woman standing next to him in the image. But, as much as you didn’t want it to be, it certainly was. Looking straight back at you was a younger version of the same woman from the train station…the same woman who had ripped Arthur's heart out and tore it into a million pieces all those years ago when she called off their engagement - Mary.

Time seemed to slow down as your mind went into overdrive. Did he simply remove the picture as a thoughtful gesture so you wouldn't wake up to a younger Arthur and his ex-fiancee looking at you…or did he hide it because he still loved her and her alone? Were you just a stopgap - something to fill the emptiness in his heart until she came back to him? Is that the real reason Arthur had hidden the picture and not gotten rid of it completely? So once he had managed to win her back, he could toss you aside and place it once more on his bedside to stare lovingly at while he held her in his arms?

You hadn’t realise you were crying or just how hard you were gripping the frame until you heard the sudden sound of glass cracking and a mix of your blood and tears began to streak all over her stupid, perfect face. Standing frozen to the spot, you stared and stared at her image, slowly disappearing under the physical manifestations of your hurt and betrayal, until you heard Arthur bellow out your name as he rode back into camp.

   "Hey you. Boy, did I sure miss you while I was gone," he cheerfully greeted you as he strode towards you, "I tell you, there's some strange sights out there that I've been dyin' to tell you all 'bout."

   "Tell me?" you snarled, acting the wounded animal you currently felt like, "Don't you have other people you'd rather spend your time with?"

   "What? What's got into you?" 

Your heart panged as you saw the hurt cross his face as he saw how upset you were. 

"Listen, if this 'bout me spendin' so much time from camp recently, then I am sorry - but I did miss you somethin' fierce y'know" he assured you, placing his arms around your waist.

   "Just like you've missed Mary for all these years?" Just saying her name out loud felt like you had tasted venom on your lips and needed to quickly spit it out.

"Mary? Where's all this comin' from?" He flustered, averting his eyes downwards as not to meet your steely gaze. Upon seeing you holding the photograph, he exclaimed, "Christ alive, you're bleedin'. Here lemme fix you up."

"I'm fine," you snapped at him, pulling your hand away from his gentle touch. Any other time, this small act of affection - the big mean outlaw gently cradling your hand in his - would have made you melt on the spot, but today your inner rage wasn't having any of it. Instead you blurted out, "I saw you. At the train station…with her."

Realising he had been caught out and couldn't bluff his way out of this sorry mess, he sat down on the cot and tried to explain.

   "Okay, yeah, I was at the train station with her, but it really ain't what you think…"

   "I saw her kiss you."

  "You mean when she kissed my cheek? That was her sayin' goodbye. Her and her brother are headin' back East to find their father."

You sat next to him, the photograph still in your hands.

   "Still doesn't explain why you were with her in the first place."

   "No it doesn't, does it." He sighed, running his hand down his face. "I was on my way back to camp, ridin' through Valentine when I thought I'd check and see if there was any post. Lo' and behold there was just the one - a letter from Mary askin' if I could help with a small problem of hers."

   "So you must have been in contact with her if she knew you were in town."

He shook his head. "No. No, she'd recognised the girls after their last trip into town and wrote to me on the off-chance I was also in the area."

   "Why?"

"Her kid brother, Jamie, he'd gone and got himself mixed up in this weird cult up in Cumberland Forest. Christ, you shoulda seen them all listenin' on as this lunatic spouted some nonsense about turtles or somethin'," laughing, he patted his leg until he saw your stony expression still waiting for the answer to your question.

   "Get to the point please, Arthur."

   "You're right, sorry," he said as he nodded, "Jamie was the only one in her family who stood up for me and I owed it to *him*, not Mary, him -  to help get him away from those crazy fools."

You fidgeted slightly next to him. You wanted to believe him, but he seemed to be avoiding the main topic of conversation.

   "So say I believe you about your reasonings for helping her…why did you keep a picture of her?"

Silence filled the air for a second before he simply answered. "I shoved it in there so you wouldn't have to keep lookin' at it when we lay together...and I guess I forgot all 'bout it."

You looked away as more tears fell down your cheeks. Gently placing his hand under your chin, Arthur turned your face to face his, looking deep into your eyes he told you, 

   "You’re overthinking – I’m yours. That’s all I want to be.”

   "Prove it." You pleaded.

   "Okay then...this should show you she's nothin' to me now." He took the broken frame from your grasp and carefully removed the picture from the frame, lingering for a moment before crumpling it up in his hand and walking towards the campfire.

Though his stride was purposeful, you couldn't help but feel he faltered once more as he looked at the flames, but those fears disappeared as he turned to look back at you with a warmth in his eyes and a smile stretching wide across his face. Looking straight at you, his hand opened and the picture fell into the flames, where it lay for a few moments as it slowly rendered into nothing but a pile of ashes.

Making his way back over to you, he picked you up and spun you around his arms.

   "I'm all yours...are you mine?"

Bonus scene: Arthur's POV

He slowly removed the picture from the frame, partly being careful not to cut himself on broken shards of glass and partly because he wanted to make sure he was making the right decision. He was convinced that after Mary called it all off between them, he'd never smile, let alone love again. But then you'd walked into his life and brought light back into the darkness he'd found himself in.

But maybe there was a reason he'd held on to this photograph for all this time - a reminder of the good times that existed between them. Heartbreak has a funny way of erasing those memories, but seeing the woman you once considered the love of your life in person has an equally funny way of making those feelings rush back.

But no, the heartache he'd felt for all these years outweighed the fleeting moments of happiness he'd felt with Mary. And that kiss on the cheek to say goodbye that she'd given him at the train station? It certainly didn't give him butterflies like it used too. Looking at her image one last time, he crumpled it up and walked over to the campfire.

Though he had confidently strode over to flames, he once more had doubts he was right to finally let Mary go. Turning to face you, everything suddenly became very clear in Arthur's mind. Everything he ever wanted: someone who loved the group of people he considered family, as well as loving him for the man he was - despite his faults, someone who was willing to stick with him through thick and thin, make him laugh when he was down, and never fail to make him smile, that special someone he wanted to grow old with with...he already had that with you.

Without thinking, he opened his hand and let the battered photograph waft downwards, enveloped by the flames and turning to nothingness as he made his way back over to you, picking you up and spinning you around his arms.

   "I'm all yours...are you mine?"

[stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale]

I love that we as a fandom have declared the clem comic an noncanon lmao. i'm curious tho, do you believe clem will get a new love interest? do you think it will be amos or someone else?

Yeah, gotta love seeing a fandom come together to agree on something.... even though that something isn't exactly invoking happy feelings, y'know? Like yeah, the comic sucks and at this point I doubt the trilogy will be much better unless Tillie suddenly starts to understand Clementine and makes some impossibly massive improvements..... but it's nice to see all of us mostly getting along?

As for the whole love interest thing, I'm like 98% sure that Clementine's going to get a new girlfriend in the comics. That's my prediction.

During the dumb xpo thing, Tillie talked about how she's excited to explore Clementine as a queer character in the apocalypse and considering Tillie's other works, I will bet literal cash that Clementine gets a new girlfriend. I don't think Amos will be the love interest, and if he does end up being that for Clem or if Clem gets a boyfriend, then I will genuinely be shocked.

.....Y'know what, I need to get this off my chest and this seems relevant enough-

I was talking with my roommate about this the other night actually. I told her all about my predictions for Clem getting a new girlfriend and how annoying this whole comic is, but also how annoying people are being to Tillie over this and like.... everything is a mess.

My roommate, who knows that literally everything is wrong in the 12 page comic and who I told about the xpo where Tillie talked about Clem being queer is important, asked me how I would feel if she ended up getting Clementine's canon bisexuality wrong, and what if she decides to make Clementine a lesbian?

And like...... I actually stopped what I was working on because this wave of dread crashed through me at the thought of that, and I could actually imagine it happening because she already got everything else wrong and if she hasn't actually played the games and is pulling this shit out of her ass.... I can't even describe to you the feeling I felt...

I want to believe that Tillie would at least know and respect the fact that Clementine is a canon bisexual. From what I've gathered, Tillie herself is wlw and I don't believe she would erase a bisexual character. She knows that Clementine is a queer character. Clementine's bisexual.

Like obviously, if I'm right and Clementine gets a girlfriend, she'll still be bisexual. Nothing will ever change that.

But I'm going to tell all of you this right now because just thinking about it upsets me.... if for whatever reason, if Tillie Walden actually erases Clementine's bisexuality and makes her a lesbian in the graphic novel trilogy while "exploring what it means to be queer in the apocalypse," I'm done.

I will have nothing left for Tillie. I will no longer support anything she does. I won't condone harassment towards her because that makes you just as shitty, but I will absolutely call that bullshit out and then never support her again. I will never talk about the comic again because how dare you think you can get away with that and still expect me to waste brain cells on your comic? Hell, I will probably be so fucking livid that I'll drive my ass all the way to barnes and noble just to return the books I bought of hers.

Dramatic? Yeah, but y'know what? I've never really touched on this outside of a few "Clem being bisexual is important representation and we love it" but her being bisexual means so much to me. It truly does, I mean.... after the dumb "btw Javi is bi, we just wrote him straight and threw in a line of flirty dialogue with jesus so we can have our cake and eat it, too-- the straight homophobes will still buy our game and the lgbt+ community will love us, win win," I cannot explain the joy I felt when Clementine was written as a bisexual woman and that she was given two love interests that meant so much to the players.

Like.... I dunno, I never got any real bi rep in games or books or movies, especially bi girls, when I was a teen trying to figure shit out. In jr high and high school, I could never find stories that has bi women as a lead because I was too afraid to look anything up. I didn't wanna be caught reading/watching things that were lgbt+ because I had a shitty boyfriend at the time and our friend group were heavily religious and judgmental. My best friend [who I haven't spoken to for years now] was one of those people who claimed to support lgbt+ people.... but also once told me that she thought lesbians were okay but gay men were lowkey gross and probably only into other dudes because girls wouldn't date them. Oh, and I'll never forget the time she told me that bi people don't actually exist because you either like one or the other.

That's a great thing to here from the best friend you've know since you were an infant after you've realized that you aren't only attracted to boys.

But now I'm out of that environment and I haven't talked to anyone from high school since I graduated, and I've felt more free to intake all the things I wish I could've before...

I just.... Clementine is important to me for a lot of reasons. I've played these games forever, I've gotten to watch her grow for years, and she's just so well-written and amazing in tfs, and the fact that the writers wanted to write her as a bisexual woman means so much, I just.... even though it's not canon, I can't help but take this disaster of a comic personally. Just from those 12 pages, everything about Clementine is destroyed and it sucks. It hurts..... but I'm still not holding anything against Tillie herself. Her comic is bad, but that doesn't mean she's bad..... however, erasing Clem's bisexuality would be the last straw for me.

.....This turned into a rant. Sorry about that. You asked a simple question and I dumped my life story on you but I dunno, I needed to get that off my chest because it's been bothering the back of my mind.

I do wanna add once more that I don't think Tillie's actually going to do that... she should know that both Louis and Violet are canon love interests, plus Clementine canonically had a crush on Gabe in ANF. I think if she's going to get anything right, it'll be the fact that Clem is bi.... I'm just expressing a major fear I have and what it would do to me, and others, if it happened..... y'know?

[violetfaust]

I'm interested in hearing more about why you think Margot should've been Rumbelle's daughter. Sounds interesting, but what would that mean for her enchanted forest life? I think her being Robin Hood's daughter would've been fine if not for Zelena

Okay, Nonny, since you sent this a few days before Mother's Day, I'm gonna finally take the opportunity to try to sum up and speed-run the Belle's Daughter Margot feelings that have haunted me for THREE YEARS. Buckle in; this will be more than you or anyone asked for.

Disclaimer 1: It's been, well, three years, so my memory of Curious Archer and their story is not perfect; could be off on some details here. And Disclaimer 2: I really loved Tiera Skovbye as Robin/Margot; she did a lot with not much screen time, and she and Rose had fabulous chemistry. So although she was well cast as Robin Sr.'s kid, Tiera would be perfectly believable as a Rumbelle daughter, too--maybe give her some low-lights and call it a day. We keep Tiera as Margot in this rewrite. Okay: onward.

(Since one of the few things that would have to change about Robin if she were Rumbelle’s daughter is her name, I’ll just mostly use her Hyperion Heights name “Margot” throughout this post for simplicity.)

First and foremost, the foundation of everything: Margot is so like Belle! She is so like her. They have the same love of adventure, a similar sense of humor. She took Alice on a date to a bookstore. Most of all, she has Belle’s ability to see past “the mask of the monster” to a person’s heart. There was a great scene where Tilly explained that she didn’t want Margot to see her “bad days” because she thought it would be “too much,” and Margot said words to the effect that she was there for the bad as well as the good.

Obviously, people don't have to grow up to be exactly like their parents (Belle and Rumple sure didn't)...BUT. In fiction, one of the fun parts of next-gen stories is for the audience to see how their favorites' personalities are passed down. It's just more fun to see a Henry who has parts of Regina/Emma/Neal than one who doesn't; it's fun to see Lucy resemble little Henry. And it would be fun to see Margot be like her parents (she is very like Robin Sr; not so much Zee). Seeing a character who has so many of Belle's traits becomes just more...fun...when she learned them FROM Belle.

The family feud Rumple/Hook angle turns Alice and Margot’s relationship up another roman tic notch. A classic trope! It’s about reconciliation and love remaking and erasing those old grudges. Which is even more important when we’re supposed to believe that the evidence of Rumple’s final redemption is his saving Rook.

On a more macro level: the entire claim that OUAT is "a show about hope" COLLAPSES because it ends with the annihilation of the Stiltskin family. Rumple, Belle, and Neal are all dead; Henry doesn’t acknowledge them as his family; and Gideon is a friendless and forgotten orphan in another world. I did my rants about this three years ago, but long story short: the show’s not about hope unless it’s hopeful for EVERYONE. And having at least one of Rumbelle’s children alive and happy at the end (with her True Love and friends and acknowledged as part of the family) would fix that. My objection has never been that Rumple (and even Belle) die, but the way it happened.

And of course, Rumbelle needed to have at least one other child because Kitsowitz managed to deny them even one single shared happy moment surrounding Belle’s pregnancy with Gideon and his birth. Even if the audience didn’t get to see it (and we could have gotten a glimpse in Beauty), we deserved to know it happened.

Finally: Zelena did not belong in S7, period. I know it was fun for her fans! (Although apparently there weren't enough of them to positively affect the ratings, meow.) I do know! But it was bad storytelling. She served no point in the larger season arc, and the serial witch killer plot that was invented to serve her was one of the worst and most stupid things Kitsowitz came up with in seven years, and ate up time that could/should have gone to develop other characters. (Driz and Ana come immediately to mind, instead of having them shunted off to another universe, but also Henry/Cinda/Lucy and of course Rumple since his plot was coming to a close.) Zelena didn’t even get any significant growth herself, or develop her relationships with Regina or Robin. She still didn’t express regret for the horrible things she did to characters we love (Rumple, Neal, and Robin Sr.); the only result of all that screentime was to give an unrepentant rapist a love story with a person--we barely see and have zero investment in. And even that was ultimately negated at the end of the season, because in the finale Zee’s back in Storybrooke sans Boo Bear.

So, all that said: what would have to change about Margot’s, and Curious Archer’s, FTL storyline to give us Margot Gold?

Her name—but actually very little else. (And frankly it would have been more respectful to have Belle name her daughter after Robin Sr., who was actually her friend, than for Zee to name her kid after the man she raped, manipulated, and ultimately got killed—but that ship had sailed.)

Belle and Rumple could have given their daughter any number of fairytale names after people they know, aka fresh take on a Disney character. My favorite possibilities are Aurora (and then Curious Archer could have been Curious Beauty, and done a riff on the Sleeping Beauty story as part of their FTL backstory, with a built-in TLK) and Merlin (very pretty for a girl, I’ve always thought).

But the character herself would have been very much the same: she could be Rumbelle’s jock daughter, trained in archery and swordsmanship by family friends (Merida/Mulan/Charming), but always feeling out of place in her family of scholars/sorcerers/nerds.

I am SO sorry for the length of this--there's even more under this cut!

Robin/Margot felt insecure about trying to live up to her father’s name; Rory/Merlin/Margot could have similar anxieties trying to live down her father’s Dark One rep. There could even be a similar story where she was born with magic (like Robin was) but loses it or chooses to give it up—something that would estrange her further from her family. Or, if she was Merlin, she could keep her magic but be reluctant to use it, and part of Curious Archer’s Hyperion Heights arc would be both Margot and Tilly discovering and accepting their magic. (Sapphic sorceresses for the win.)

Now, one of the cutest things about Alice/Robin’s FTL dynamic was Robin being a girl from the Land Without Magic finding her feet in an enchanted forest, with Alice’s help. But it would only take a little finessing of S7 Rumbelle’s story to get that for Rory as well. (Of course, any decent story would have a LOT of finessing of Rumbelle’s plot so that Belle didn’t die and put Rumple on a suicide mission, but again—assuming the ship has sailed…)

Say that Rory is five to six years younger than Gideon. The Rumbelle family spend a dozen years or so traveling the realms, but then Rumbelle decide that they want Gideon and Rory to be comfortable in the LWoM with their extended Charming family, so they settle back into the Pink Palace so the kids can get a LWoM education. They still take occasional journeys, often Rumbelle going to save some hapless souls, but Rory grows up primarily in SB with very few, vague memories of all the fascinating places they visited when she was a small child. This feeds her hunger for adventure along with some envy of Gideon for having so many more fairytale experiences—another thing that makes her feel like a misfit in her family. So, presto, when she moves to FTL she and Alice have pretty much the same meeting/adventures.

One of the key notes of Rumple and Alice/Tilly's relationship, showing his growth and making it so special, was how he chose to set her free of being the Guardian or whatever, allowing her to be free and get what he never had, the chance to grow old with the woman she loves. And that would be weakened if Rumple knew that by choosing Alice's happiness over his own, he was also choosing his own daughter's happiness (because we know Rumple picks his kids over himself ever time). But--he doesn't have to know WHO Alice's True Love is when he makes that choice. He could just know that there is someone, or simply realize that Alice deserves her freedom for her own sake. (Rumple's daughter also getting happiness would be a side benefit that he didn't learn about till later, and have the added perk of Rumple actually getting a narrative reward for doing something good. Which almost NEVER happened! Bonus.)

Finally: I do understand that Robin's presence on the canvas was important to fans of Robin Sr.--getting to know he's remembered and having someone carry on his legacy. Of course I get it--Rumbelle and their family not having that is my biggest complaint (of so so many).

But we don't need a grown-up Robin Jr. to be Robin's legacy. Let her stay a cute background kid with perennially baby Prince Neal. There's already a character, one we're invested in, to carry on for the Hoods: Roland. And again, it would be satisfying for the audience to learn that a five-year-old orphan wasn't shunted off from what family he had left (Regina and Henry) into another universe and never heard from again. If Kitsowitz didn't waste time with Zelena, they wouldn't have needed the idiotic Jack-is-Hansel-the-serial-killer twist, and we could have have had Roland filling the role of Henry's best friend/little brother (and therefore Lucy's fake HH dad--God, that plot was bad all the way back in season 1; why Kitsowitz why?). We'd see Roland onscreen, part of the family, at the end of the show, perhaps with his own True Love (Drizella, maybe, or better yet Gideon) and happy future.

So, that's it: the combination of Margot Stiltskin-Gold and Roland Hood tightens and heightens the storytelling throughout S7, closes some plot holes, and actually fulfills some of the show's stated themes. Who knew!

Anyone else want three years of OUAT theory vomit? 😋 Shoot me an ask!

(I actually have another one, god help us all, but I might save it till Father's Day...)

[outlawsworld]

Trusting Strangers - Chapter 12

Arthur Morgan x Female reader

Summary: Reader and Arthur's relationship in now not so secret. She spends one on one time with Dutch and also some alone time with Arthur.

Warning: robbing, mentions of smut but nothing too bad!

Notes: sorry it's taken me so long with this chapter. I've taken a bit of time off over Christmas. Please let me know what you think....can't wait to write the next chapter after this ending 🤤

You can also read my work on my ao3 account Outlaws_world !!

Chapter 1

--

You had been tossing and turning all night. Each time you were drifting off back to sleep your memories reminded you of the events of last night. As it started to get lighter outside you decided to go check on Dallas. Sleep wasn't coming easy and you decided to make yourself useful instead of just laying in your tent. The cut around Dallas' limb had started to scab over and there was no sign of infection. You reapplied some of the herbs that Charles had given you and fed the horses. It must have been early as everyone was still fast asleep in camp and the morning birds had only just started chirping in the trees. You made yourself a coffee and stood at the end of the dock looking out over the lake. The sun was rising over the hills which filled the sky with a burnt orange. You took in a deep breath which filled your lungs with the freshness of the air before taking a sip from your coffee. There were a couple of birds floating on the water and you watched as they sat there, still and silent. You were so lost in focusing on the stillness of the morning that you didn't hear the footsteps behind you.

''Mornin' Miss (Y/L/N)'' you spun round quickly to see Dutch had walked up behind you. He was smoking on a cigar and smiling at you.

''Mornin' Dutch'' you spoke hesitantly after you caught your breath.

''Sorry dear, I didn't mean to frighten you'' he smirked. Even though it was first thing in the morning, Dutch didn't have a hair out of place and he dressed so smartly. You must have looked scruffy in comparison as you had the same clothes on from yesterday and hadn't combed your hair yet. He came to stand next to you as you both looked over the water. ''You alright after last night?'' he questioned, not taking his eyes away from the view.

''Yeah'' you paused. ''I didn't mean for it to escalate the way it did'' you tried to defend yourself. Dutch sighed as he looked at you.

''It ain't your fault Miss (Y/L/N)'' his voice was hushed as the camp was starting to stir behind you. ''Arthur has taken quite a shine to you. I realise you two seem to be gettin' on rather well'' he scanned your face waiting for your reaction. You continued to look out over the lake hoping that he would avert his gaze. ''I hope this ain't gonna be a problem''. You look at him slightly taken aback by what he had just said.

''I don't know what you mean?'' you question, looking directly into his gaze now.

''You have settled in well here (Y/N). You have also pulled your weight and done well on jobs'' he paused taking a drag from his cigar and blowing it out over the lake. ''I want to see this for myself. What are you doing today?’’ he questioned ignoring your confusion.

‘’I was going to see about those horses with John this mornin’.’’ You scanned the camp trying to find him.

‘’That can wait’’ he protested. ‘’ Ride with me to Rhodes. I’ll let you get on with your morning chores and then come find me’’ he eyed you up and down before adding ‘’ I’ll inform John of the change of plan, the horses can wait for tomorrow’’.

''Of course Dutch'' you said shyly. He patted you on the shoulder before walking back into camp and leaving you standing on the dock by yourself.

You thought about Dutch's words as you sipped on the rest of your coffee. Gaining Dutch's trust was a hard task when you first joined the gang and the last thing you wanted was to jeopardise that. You hoped that your time spent with him would allow you to finally prove your full worth to him. ‘I hope this ain’t gonna be a problem’, what did he mean by that? There was a slight nervous feeling in the pit of your stomach as you thought he might not approve of your relationship with Arthur. Was that what this trip to Rhodes was going to be about? 

You tried to ignore the feeling as you made your way back into camp. Most people had started to stir and were getting on with their chores. Although you knew Dutch would let John know about the change of plan, you wanted to tell John yourself and to clear the air from last night. When you couldn’t find him anywhere around camp you made your way over to the dirty dishes and began cleaning. You had only just gotten settled into your work when Tilly and Karen both decided to settle down next to you. As you glanced up, you saw the huge grins plastered across their faces and automatically rolled your eyes.

''Awwh come on now, don't be like that'' Karen giggled. You looked into the wash bucked and concentrated on the dish in your hand. Trying to block out the eager girls stares.

''You can't hide from us in a pile of dirty dishes, ya know'' Tilly smirked at you. You looked up and sighed. She was right, no matter what you did, you couldn't avoid them forever. ''You gonna tell us then?''.

''Tell you what?'' you smirked.

''Don't play dumb. Tell us about what happened last night'' Karen scoffed. She sat next to you with a ripped shirt in hand as she tried to sew the seam back together.

''With Micah?'' you questioned.

''No you idiot. With Arthur'' Karen tutted. ''He was clearly protective over ya, never seen him so riled up. Micah must have struck a nerve talkin' bout you like that'' she giggled as she spoke. You knew that being cooped up in the camp all day can be boring, so the girls lived for any gossip or drama. You shook your head and sighed looking over to see Arthur was sat on his cot writing something in his journal. He looked so fixated on what he was jotting down, you couldn’t help but wish he was by your side right now to answer the questions that were being thrown at you.

''Would you just leave the poor girl alone'' Sadie interrupted, she was standing over the three of you with her hands on her hips.

''We were only asking'' Tilly spoke shyly.

''Yeah, well I'm tellin'. Can't you see she has enough to do without you two at her'' she gestured for the two girls to move which they did with a grunt and a couple wise remarks. Sadie came to sit beside you and grabbed a dish to clean. ''Told you they would find out'' she giggled. You couldn't help but smirk at her comment but you stayed silent. The two of you continued to wash the dishes. Your eyes scanned the camp to try find John but instead landed on Arthur walking towards you.

''Mornin' Ladies'' he tipped his hat to the both of you.

''Arthur'' Sadie greeted him as she carried on scrubbing one of the dishes.

‘’(Y/N), can I have a word?’’ his voice was hushed as if to try and not draw too much attention to us. You glanced at Sadie who gave you an approving nod before you dried your hands on your trousers and stood up to follow Arthur. The giggling coming from the other girls behind you were more then obvious, but you ignored them. You followed Arthur back towards the dock where you had been standing not too long ago.

‘’You alright?’’ Arthur asked as you reached the dock. He placed a hand softly on your lower arm, almost taking your hand whilst looking straight into your eyes. His touch suddenly warmed your whole body and your cheeks flushed red. You were slightly embarrassed to how easily this man could change your whole mood with a simple touch. His bright blue eyes were unavoidable, you could see the corner of his mouth was upturned as he looked at you which only made your heart race faster.

‘’I am now’’ you smiled up at him. He smiled sweetly back at you as he intertwined his fingers in yours. Quickly, you glanced back towards the camp to see if anyone was watching. Before you could let go of his hand and pull away, Arthur’s free hand reached your cheek to move your face back to focus on him.

‘’Cat’s outta the bag (Y/N)’’ he smirked at your panicked reaction. ‘’I guess I’m to blame for that’’ his hand cupped your cheek still as he looked from your eyes to your lips. He was right, everyone in camp knew by now that something was going on. There was no point in hiding it. ‘’I just wanted to make sure that you were alright with it all?’’ he lowered his voice slightly as you dropped your eyes to look down at the floor.

You wanted to say how much you hated that people were already trying to know all your business, you hated that the attention was focused on the two of you because you were the biggest news in camp. Being on your own for so long you had gotten used to no one paying you any attention and you liked it that way, you never had to explain yourself to anyone. The words couldn’t form in your mouth and as you looked back up to meet Arthur’s eyes all of your worries seemed to fade away. If the whole camp knowing meant that the both of you could stop sneaking around and be together then you didn’t seem to care. All that mattered to you was Arthur.

‘’I’m alright. Though you owe me’’ you smirked at him. ‘’You don’t have to deal with the girls wanting to know every detail’’. Arthur laughed shyly as he pulled you closer to him. He leaned down and kissed you softly. It didn’t feel like your previous kisses, you were very aware that anyone could be watching but it felt more meaningful somehow. You didn’t have to hide your affection for one another. You felt a warm feeling at the fact that Arthur was happy for the camp to know about his feeling towards you.

‘’How about I take you outta camp for the night?’’ Arthur smiled leaning his forehead against yours.

‘’Deal’’ you smiled before placing a soft kiss on his cheek. The two of you slowly made your way back into camp before Mrs Grimshaw came over to tell you both to stop slacking. As you walked into the heart of camp you noticed everyone’s attention was on the both of you and you could feel a hot flush run through your body.

‘’I better finish my chores’’ you gestured back towards Sadie who was still busy washing dishes. Arthur smiled before leaning down and kissing your cheek in front of the whole camp. The gesture produced a gasp and whispers that could be heard from the girls who were watching the both of you. You bit your lip and your cheeks flushed once more before heading back towards Sadie. You sat down next to her and continued with your work, you couldn’t help the smile that graced your face.

‘’I hope you know that I can’t save you from the oncomin’ questions now’’ Sadie giggled. It was as if the other girls had heard Sadie’s comment because almost instantly they had all gathered round you.

‘’When did it happen?’’

‘’Is he a good kisser?’’

‘’Is he romantic?’’

Their questions came thick and fast and you did your best at answering as Sadie sat smirking at you. You must have looked like a rabbit when face to face with a cougar as the questions piled in. Once you washed the last dish you stood up and held your hands up in surrender.

‘’Alright, alright. Enough questions for one day’’ the girls all sighed with the loss of excitement. ‘’I’ll see y'all later’’ you took no time in waiting for their response as you strode across camp to find Dutch. As you crossed camp you scanned it to see if John had made an appearance. He was still nowhere to be seen so you shrugged it off. Dutch was sat in his tent reading one of his novels when you approached him.

‘’Ahh (Y/N)’’ he closed the book as he saw you stood in the opening of his tent. ‘’You ready to go?’’.

‘’Yeah’’ you nodded as he put his book down on his cot and gestured for you to lead the way to the horses. Dallas favouring his leg still so you took one of the spare horses for the day. You both mounted up and you followed closely behind Dutch as he led the way out of camp and onto the main road to town. The both of you rode in silence which only made you more nervous. Dutch had always been kind to you and impressed with your work but you had never had to prove yourself to him before or spent any time with him alone. Luckily Rhodes wasn’t too far from camp and you both hitched your horses outside of the saloon before making your way inside. Dutch ordered you both a beer and you took a seat at a free table in the corner of the room. The saloon was quiet as it was only midday but there was a piano player which filled the empty atmosphere.

‘’So, I want to see first hand what you can do Miss’’ Dutch broke the silence as you took a sip from your beer. ‘’I’ve heard a lot of great things but never seen it for myself’’ he smirked at you before joining you in a drink. You didn’t exactly know what Dutch was expecting. All the jobs that you have done for the gang had been planned by someone else and you just did as you were told.

‘’What’s the plan?’’ you asked, slightly confused.

‘’No plan’’ Dutch raised his eyebrows. ‘’Just do what you do best’’ he leant back in his chair with his arms folded over his chest, expecting to watch a show. You took a deep breath and glanced around the bar trying to find a target. Rhodes wasn’t too far away from the city of Saint Denis which meant many rich folk passed through regularly. You spotted a couple of men sat at the bar, both well dressed and merrily drinking. They looked like they were celebrating something as they toasted to one another’s success. You quickly gulped the rest of your drink before giving Dutch a nod in their direction. Dutch glanced over at the two men and the corner of his mouth tugged upwards in a mischievous smile before he nodded at you. You straightened out your clothing and fixed your hair before making your way over to the bar to stand next to the two men.

You gestured for the bartender before ordering another beer. Once, you had been served your drink you stood, leaning on the bar in a way that would attract a man’s eye to the curve of your bum. One of the men took the bait straight away and turned his attention to you as you began to drink your beer.

‘’What is a beautiful woman such as yourself doing in a town like this?’’ he leaned towards you. His breath stank of alcohol and his eyes were slightly glazed over indicating he was a lot more drunk then you had first thought.

‘’Just passin’ through’’ you smiled sweetly placing a hand on his forearm. ‘’How about yourself?’’. Before you knew it, you were standing in between the two men drinking your beer and creating convocation. They both had closed some sort of business deal that you paid no interest too and were celebrating. You hummed along whilst congratulating them. They were both quite young, handsome men so you acted as though you were falling for their charms. After your second beer that they had bought you, you decided to take your leave and go back to Dutch. Both the men were slightly disappointed that you were leaving however, they let you go without any complaints.

‘’I think it’s best we leave now’’ you smiled at Dutch who sat watching you with a confused expression. He didn’t question you and followed you out of the saloon and to your horses.

‘’(Y/N), I think you missed the point of this trip’’ he finally turned to you before you mounted your horse. You grinned at him, before he could say another word you produced 2 watches, $20, a golden ring, a packet of cigarettes and what seemed to be an engagement ring from your pockets. You placed all the items in Dutch’s hand.

‘’Pretty sure we can sell this stuff at the general store. Plus, I found out that they have a bunch of deeds back at their house which isn’t too far from here. Turns out they will both be out of town on business next week. Might be worth a look’’ you smirked feeling pretty pleased with yourself.

‘’Well I must say, I am impressed’’ Dutch nodded at you, you couldn't help but hear the slight shock in his voice. This only made you more smug about doing a good job. ‘’Let’s go see what we can get for these’’ Dutch chuckled as he stuffed the items into his pockets. The both of you mounted up and began to head to the main street. As you were riding down the street you passed by Hosea and Arthur. They were on their way to the saloon with a wagon full of moonshine. Hosea had dressed Arthur up in a hat and a pipe sticking out of his mouth and you couldn’t help but giggle at the sight. They both tipped their hats to you as you passed one another but no words were exchanged. Arthur rolled his eyes as he saw the amusement on both yours and Dutch's faces.

"He's never been one for playing dress up" Dutch remarked. "No doubt we will get an earful later" he bellowed whilst laughing.

Dutch and yourself entered the general store and sold the items for $40 altogether. He decided to buy you a broach of a horse’s head cast in bronze that you had taken a shine too. You thanked him on the way out before pinning the broach to your shirt. The two of you began your journey back to camp ignoring the noises coming from the saloon. Clearly whatever Hosea and Arthur was up to was working in their favour.

‘’Good work today Miss (Y/L/N)’’ he smiled at you as you rode side by side. ‘’I’m glad we found you’’. This made you light up. You knew Dutch was hard to please and to hear him say these things only made you feel more at home in the gang. Although, you couldn't help but think of your convocation that you had by the dock that morning. You hadn't spoken about your relationship with Arthur this whole trip, which you originally though that's what this was about.

‘’Thanks Dutch’’ you smiled at him. ‘’Can I ask you a question?’’ he nodded at you to continue. You cleared your throat and gathered up the courage before speaking up. ‘’Earlier, you said that you hope that me and Arthur don’t become a problem, what did you mean?’’ you asked so shyly that you thought he might not have even been able to hear you. You heard him take a deep breath in as you looked at the road in front of you, avoiding his gaze. The silence was deafening, the only sound was your heart racing as Dutch thought about your question.

‘’I meant no offence’’ he cleared his throat before carrying on. ‘’Things like relationships can be a hard thing with the way we live. They can get in the way and distract us from our responsibilities. As long as you know the gang comes above anything else, it shouldn’t be a problem. Keep up the hard work’’ Dutch scanned your face for your reaction. You looked up to catch his gaze before nodding. "And Miss (Y/L/N), I won't tolerate any more fighting in camp" he warned looking straight into you.

‘’I understand. It won’t get in the way’’ you promised Dutch. Although you knew he meant well you couldn’t help but feel he thought you might take Arthur away from his work or even the gang. You had no intension of doing so as you knew how much the gang meant to him, and how much it was starting to mean to you as well. It was like a family, one that you have been needing for so long.

Once you were back in camp Dutch left you to tend to the horses. You brushed the borrowed horse and the Count before feeding them some carrots as a treat. It wasn’t long before the sun began to set on another day and you helped yourself to some of Pearson’s stew. Lenny came to keep you company and sat on the log next to you by the fire. It was nice to talk to someone who wasn't interested enough to ask about your and Arthur's relationship. Lenny was the youngest in the gang but he talked as though he was the oldest. He was incredibly smart and always good company.

‘’You seen John today?’’ you asked as you scanned the camp still unable to locate John.

‘’Yeah, he has been on guard most of the day, didn’t want anyone to relieve him of his post’’ Lenny shrugged. You turned your nose up at the thought of John wanting to be on guard all day. He hated that job, he always complained that it was boring. Maybe something had happened between him and Abigail which made him want to be by himself for a while. You were about to go and check on him when you saw Arthur ride back into camp. He dismounted Siego and marched over to speak to Dutch and Micah. You and Lenny both tried to overhear their conversation without any luck. Whatever they were taking about, you could tell Arthur wasn't too pleased about it. You turned your attention back to the remainders of your stew and scraped the bowl clean.

‘’Ma’am’’ Arthur drew your attention from your bowl. He held his hand out for you to take which you did gladly. He pulled you onto your feet before taking your bowl from you and placing it in the wash tub. ‘’You ready to go?’’ he questioned, his tone was slightly irritated still by his convocation with Dutch. You had completely forgotten about going out of camp with Arthur tonight but you nodded to not irritate him further. You said your goodbyes to Lenny before grabbing a couple of spare clothes from your tent and meeting Arthur by the horses.

You rode together back into Rhodes. Arthur remained quiet for the ride, you could tell something had angered him but you didn’t want to pry just yet. Instead you decided to let him calm down. Arthur led you up to the Rhodes hotel, you glanced at him slightly shocked. You had expected to go back to the open field that you had slept the other night. You followed sheepishly behind him, trying to remember the last time you had slept in a real bed. Arthur paid for a room and for a bath each before grabbing the key and guiding you to the room.

The room was spacious, with a double bed in the middle of the back wall and a wardrobe to the side. There was a draw at each bedside with a lantern placed on each one. As it was already dark outside so the room was slightly dim lit but that didn't faze you. You gingerly walked around the room and placed your things to one side. As you passed each draw, you automatically searched through them to see if there were any leftover belongings.

‘’We ain’t robbin’ the place’’ Arthur smirked as he watched you open and close all the empty draws.

‘’I know’’ you giggled slightly embarrassed. ‘’I don’t remember the last time I stayed inside that’s all’’ you felt the softness of the bed and took a deep breath in.

‘’Well we needed to get away from camp. Thought this would be better then a cold night outside" he watched you with a smile.

"You alright?" you finally asked. "Ya seem irritated".

"Nahh it's just Micah. Thinks it's a good idea to rob both the Grey's and the Braithwight's" he shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I don't think it's the best idea but Dutch seems to take his side" he placed his things in the same pile as yours before walking over to you and placing both his hands on your waist. You place your arms around his neck and pull him close to you for a full enbrace.

"Doesn't seem smart but I'm sure Dutch knows what he's doin'." You tried to reassure him. The truth was you thought it was dumb too. It was a small town and people talk, even with a family feud they would still know it was us that robbed from them. You let go of him just enough so that you could see his face. His jaw was tense and his eyes were looking over your shoulder, deep in thought. You place your hand on his cheek to bring his eyes round to focus back on you, just like he had done earlier. His jaw relaxed as his eyes met yours. You kissed him gently, you could feel his whole body relax when your lips met. He wrapped his arms tighter around you, as if not wanting to ever let you go. You broke the kiss and smiled up at him.

"I'm sorry, let's not talk about the gang tonight" he smirked. ‘’Why don’t ya go get a bath, I’ll get mine after’’. You nodded at him before grabbing some clothes and walking out of your room and down the hall to the bath.

You submerged yourself in the warm water hesitantly. The water felt lovely against your skin, better then washing yourself in the cold lake. You took your time in scrubbing your body head to toe, using the soap provided. It smelt of lavender and filled the room with it’s relaxing scent. Once you had finished you sat in the bath for a couple moments, embracing the last of the warm water before climbing out and drying yourself. You pulled on the clean clothes you had packed before tip toeing your way back to the room. When you walked back in you were surprised to find Arthur was not there. He must have gone to the second bathroom that you had noticed. You perched on the edge of the bed, feeling it dip from your weight. It was so soft and you couldn't wait to have a comfy night sleep. You sat there for a while before deciding to get ready for bed, it was getting late and you were begining to tire. As you rummaged through your things you realised you had forgotten your nightwear. You rolled your eyes and breathed out an irritated sigh at your forgetfulness. Instead you decided to slip on Arthur's shirt that he had given you weeks ago on your hunting trip and remove your trousers. Once, to were comfortable you climbed onto the bed laying down with your head placed on the plump pillow.

There was a knock at the door before Arthur crept back inside the room. He closed the door behind himself before finally letting his eyes find you. His mouth dropped slightly before he took a large gulp finding you in this slight state of undress. The shirt you had borrowed fell down to the middle of your thighs but both your legs were on show to him. You sat up slightly leaning on both elbows and you let yourself look over him. He was standing at the door with just his jeans on, his suspenders left to hang by his legs. You couldn’t help but gaze over him, his upper body was toned with hair gracing his chest leading a path down his stomach into his jeans. The both of you were silent as you allowed yourself to explore with your eyes. Your heart was racing in your chest and a new warm feeling began aching between your legs. You had both seen each other like this when you spent the night away from camp hunting but at that point you avoided looking over each other. This time you both welcomed each other to look. You could feel your heart begining to race as you felt his eyes wonder down your body.

‘’I wondered where my shirt had gotten too’’ Arthur said in a low tone as he slowly made his way over to you. His voice seemed to vibrate through you, making the ache between your legs worsen. This feeling was foreign to you and you began to think something was wrong with you.

‘’I may have forgotten to give it back’’ you admitted shyly, watching every step he made towards you. His shoulders were broad leading to his muscled arms that you longed to warp around you. You couldn't hide the slight shaking in your breath as he got closer. Arthur slowly sat down on the bed beside you and licked his lips. Your chest felt like it was going to burst open as he rested a hand on the bare skin of your leg, just below your knee. The sensation of just his touch sent shivers throught your body. The heat between your legs was intensifying with every passing moment and a knot in the bottom of your stomach started to grow. You slowly looked over his body and back up to meet his striking blue eyes. He didn't shy his gaze away once you met his. There was a look on his face you had never seen before. It was hungry but weary at the same time. You suddenly had a growing awareness of your need for him. You needed him to kiss you. You needed him to touch you and you needed him to relieve this unfamiliar burning feeling between your legs.

--

Chapter 13

@kashasenpai

[12timetraveler]

What Colter Almost Stole

Chapter 53 of Campfire Stories

Hosea/f!reader

Having successfully escaped Blackwater, the gang is forced to hide up in Colter. But the harsh weather is not good for Hosea Matthews and his chronic respiratory issues.

"Bring him in here," Hosea's voice cut through the howling wind. His lantern lit the way through the blinding snow as Bill and Arthur carried Davy into the old, worn down house. Abigail and some of the others followed. You saw Hosea poke his head out of the cabin, looking for you. You didn't miss the relief that passed over his face when he saw you trudging through the snow, Jack on your hip. You kicked the snow off your boots, as futile as the attempt may have been, before stepping into the cabin. Tilly reached out and you passed Jack off to her, knowing that you and Hosea would be getting to work and someone else would need to mind Jack.

"Davy's dead." Abigail called out sadly. You reached for Hosea, and found his hand already reaching for you. He gave your hand a quick squeeze, which you returned. Oh Davy. Davy, Mac and Sean were the only reasons you'd made it off that ferry and out of Blackwater. Sean and Mac were missing. And now Davy lay dead on a desk in the middle of this old school house.

"What are we going to do? We need supplies?" Hosea asked Dutch, all business. There would be time to grieve later, once everyone was safe. Dutch gave Hosea a knowing look.

"Well first of all," Dutch replied. "You are gonna stay here and get yourself warm." You all knew Hosea wasn't in the best health, and you could see this weather was starting to wear on him already. You were grateful Dutch wasn't trying to send him out in this. You squeezed Hosea's hand again, leaning your body against his, silently begging him to do as Dutch said. Perhaps the fact that he didn't protest was almost more concerning. He just didn't even seem to have the energy to argue.

Arthur came up alongside you, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with you in this cramped cabin. You were grateful for it, to be honest. Being packed like sardines in this cabin was helping defrost your frozen limbs.

"Now I sent John and Micah out scouting ahead. Arthur and I are gonna ride out and see if we can find one of them." Dutch continued.

"In this?" Arthur asked.

"Just for a short bit. I don't see what other choice we have." Dutch said. Hosea gave Arthur a look, the one he always gave when Arthur was being difficult. The kind of look that a father gave their unruly son.

"Listen. Listen to me, all of you, for a moment." Dutch began, addressing the rest of the gang. You tuned him out as he began another one of his speeches. You respected Dutch. But you had never known a man who could say so much, and mean so little. You'd stopped listening to his grand speeches long ago.

You glanced up at Hosea, who was watching Dutch. But he squeezed your hand once more, acknowledging you while still keeping up the pretense of listening.

"Stay. Strong. Stay with me. We ain't done yet!" Dutch ended his speech. "Come on, Arthur."

With a quick farewell pat on Hosea's back, Arthur followed Dutch out into the freezing cold once more.

"Alright," Susan said, down to business, "we got some work to do."

"We'll go check the other cabins." Hosea volunteered. You nodded in agreement. "See which ones are usable so we can get everyone settled."

"Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Matthews," Susan said, bobbing her head at you. You and Hosea weren't married. Likely never would make it official in front of god. But to the rest of camp, for all intents and purposes, you were his wife. Calling you Mrs. Matthews had started as a sort of joke, but now you weren't sure anyone even remembered your legal last name.

Hosea tightened his grip on your hand, and after you nodded that you were ready, the two of you stepped out into the snow.

Charles was just approaching the cabin as you closed the door behind you. You clutched Hosea tightly, bracing against the snow.

"You two need any help?" Charles asked.

"You go rest that hand, Charles," you replied before Hosea could say anything.

"Your hand? Let me see?" He asked, reaching out for Charles' hand. Charles reluctantly allowed Hosea to examine his hand. You knew the former lone wolf hated when people fussed over him. That's exactly why you weren't going to let him overdo it and permanently damage his hand. You'd forced him to let you wrap it for him on your way up the mountain.

"Nothing serious. Just a stupid mistake." Charles grumbled.

"Be that as it may, we need you strong as soon as possible. Go inside and warm up. You've done enough for us already." Hosea said. Charles didn't argue. He respected Hosea too much.

Once Charles went inside, you and Hosea began trudging across the snowy road to the first building across the way. The door swung open easily. It was small, but had a number of bunks.

"The boys can stay in here." Hosea mused. You nodded in agreement. They wouldn't like it. And someone would likely be leaving this mountain with a black eye. But the school house would likely be for the women, and the softer men like Uncle and Swanson and Strauss. The younger men, Javier, Lenny, Bill, Micah, Charles, they could all manage in here.

Just from glancing around the little town, you knew most of the buildings were unusable. There was only one left, and knowing the hierarchy of the gang, it would be for Dutch and Molly, Arthur, and possibly Hosea and yourself.

"So what happened on that ferry?" Hosea asked as the two of you stepped out into the storm and began trudging to the next building.

"I'm not completely sure." You said. "I wasn't with the main group. But one minute everything was fine. The next it was chaos. Lawmen and Pinkerton's all swarming the ferry." You paused. "I didn't see it but... Davy said Dutch killed someone. An innocent."

"He did?" Hosea asked, brow furrowing in concern. You both stopped your conversation as you hit a patch of ice, both of you scrambling to stay on your feet. You and Hosea had both grown up in mountain towns. But it had been years since either of you had experienced a storm like this. It seemed you'd lost your snow legs.

You braced yourself against the building and pulled Hosea along with you, pausing to regain your balance before the two of you stepped into the cabin. The door swung shut behind you, and Hosea lifted his lantern. Two bedrooms and a main living room. Yes this would definitely be where Dutch, Hosea, Arthur stayed. You and Molly would be here as well due to your relationships.

Hosea stepped towards the fireplace and began working on starting a fire while you opened drawers and cabinets, looking for any provisions that may be in the cabin. You tried to take your mind off it all, to push away the guilt you felt.

"Are you alright?" Hosea's voice cut through the silence, you turned to see him crossing the room toward you, backed by the glow of the fireplace. "I haven't been able to check on you. We're your hurt during all that?" He asked. You nodded slowly. Without Hosea having to ask, you unbuttoned your coat and slipped your left arm out of your sleeve, rolling up your shirt to reveal your hastily bandaged arm.

Hosea took it gently and began looking it over. It wasn't anything serious. Just a graze.

"It would have been worse if it weren't for Davy." You murmured. Hosea hummed, but didn't say anything, calmly examining your arm and letting you speak on your own terms.

[soraavalon]

DM: So whenever you're ready for this.

Tark: I'm never ready for this! Okay, yeah let's do this.

Nathaniel (OOC): [in chat] neither was i you'll be fine

DM: You head back to the manor and end up going to Carver's office, he's been there most of the day. You knock and he asks you to come in, he is behind the desk going over a couple of letters that came in the mail and he's got two abacuses on the desk and he's looking at one and moving another, is sort of working on paperwork when you come in.

Tark: 'kay. I think Tark is gonna let Carver lead on this one and he is going to quietly sit in a chair across the desk and wait.

DM: He will let you sit, he will let you wait and without looking as he's doing the books.

Carver: So when were you planning on telling us who you were?

Tark: I wasn't.

Carver: Uh-huh.

Tark: I have kept it a secret for 40 years since I left and I didn't even tell Tilly about it.

Carver: I see, so you were lying to everyone then?

Tark: Not so much lying as trying to get rid of a past I didn't want.

Carver: Hmm. How nice for you to walk away from such a life.

Tark: It wasn't much of one anyway, so...

Carver: I sure it wasn't. It must've been terrible, I mean I can't even imagine having that kind of wealth and servants probably and just anything you want at your fingertips, incredible Tark, I'm glad you escaped. Sorry, Mr. Dalca, forgive my impertinence.

Tark: Oh actually, it's not Dalca, I am declared dead. I have no claim to the name. On purpose actually, because as much as you think that wealth and having servants is everything, it's not. Especially when you have no say in your life and you get sold off at any whim and any person you may care for can be bought off and told to leave.

Carver: And you think I don't understand that?

Tark: Well, seeing as you don't seem to care that, for me, that life was not something I wanted and you think that, what, I should've stayed there?

Carver: I don't know Tark, I just feel that it is kind of fucked up that I've been paying you this entire time when you chose to be the one in need of money and that was the choice you made. When I was born like this, with horns, and Hunt and I have been cursed by our ancestors, I'm sure you can understand that 'cause they were so terrible, but yeah people don't really get a choice in life, do they? But you got to walk away and put on a mask and be somebody else, that must've been very nice.

Tark: Hmm, it was because I got to choose and I have luck on my side---

Carver: Good for you.

Tark: and that was the only reason why I got as far as I did and I know that.

Carver: Good for you.

Tark: It is good for me, but I made my own choices and that has nothing to do with you.

Carver: No. I suppose it doesn't

Tark: It doesn't and the fact is that I knew what I was getting into. I knew I was giving up money and wealth and things that I didn't care for to leave and come here and do whatever I wanted.

Carver: Wow

Tark: And I could've died along the way and I would've been fine with that 'cause at least I wasn't there. And the fact that you're angry at me that I had the opportunity and I took it, I don't understand because everyone is given an opportunity to do something and just because I took mine doesn't give you the right to judge me.

Carver: At least you had opportunities. At least you got to make choices.

Tark: Didn't you?

Carver: Not really.

Tark: Well that seems you weren't making the right choices.

Carver: I didn't have choices. I didn't get to choose to be a Tiefling, I didn't get to choose to be born into the family I was born into, to be raise the way that I was.

Tark: No, but you're an adult, aren't you?

Carver: Now.

Tark: You can make your own choices from now, so you think what, you can't decide to do your own things now? You're here, you're at the guild, you control the money and power here. So yes, there were some things you could not choose, like I couldn't choose to be born into the Dalca family, but I could choose to leave. You couldn't choose to be born a Tiefling or born into the family you were, but you can choose what you're going to do about it. And, you know, we can help you, that is the entire point of this guild; form a team and help each other and help others. So you may not have had a choice in the past and my choice may have come earlier than yours, just because I have a longer lifespan and I had to wait, but your choice is now and you have people here to help you. And I guess, if you don't want me to help, that's fine. But I'm here, if you need it. This can be your choice, I guess, if you want it to be.

Carver: What choice is that?

Tark: Whatever you want it to be. Look at where you are now and look at where you were, it's different and you may not have thought that you would end up here, but you are and you were given the choice to be a part of the guild and you took it. And now you have a choice to do anything, you can choose to stay, you can choose to leave. All of it, this guild is being run by you, you may have to listen to Their Elegance occasionally but you pick what we do, what missions we go on...

Carver: Get out of my office.

Tark: Okay.

Carver: And tell Hunt to come in.

Tark: And Tark will get up and out of his office and go find Hunt. And I think he's going to go sit in the garden with the dead and dying things around him.

[fangirl-ramblings]

Pairing: Charles Smith x Female Readee

Word Count: 3222

Summary: Love is in the air around camp, but has Cupid's arrow somehow missed you and Charles?

Notes: The fluffiest of fluff, Reader POV / Charles POV

This @rdr-secret-cupid gift is for one of my favourite people - @12timetraveler. My sincere apologies for this Valentine's / birthday present being so late, but hopefully it's well worth the wait 😘

~* Tumblr Masterlist | Stories on AO3 *~

Cupid's Arrow

Reader's POV

14th Feb 1899

You looked around to see Dutch sitting in his tent, whispering sweet nothings to Miss O'Shea while Sean was trying his hardest to win over Karen, whose icy demeanour was starting to thaw with each passing drink he was plying her with. Hell, even John had had a little too much to drink and summoned the courage to pick a small posy of flowers and present them to Abigail as a small Valentine's gift. 

You liked seeing the camp happy like this, all relaxed in each other's company; the likes of Javier and Tilly sitting next to each other as the former strummed on his guitar and filled the air with a sweet melody, or young Mary-Beth, enjoying the latest romance novel she acquired, only to tear her eyes away from the page to gaze lovingly towards an oblivious Arthur before continuing her story.

And while Micah's grumbling about it "not bein' right, someone like him talkin' to a fiiinnnne woman like her," as he watched young Lenny saying something to make Jenny giggle from across the way, was enough to for everybody to tell him to shut up, it certainly wasn't enough to dampen the mood around the place.

It was even nice to see Miss Grimshaw laugh and smile as she joined the older camp members in their reminiscences about previous Valentine's days with their own past loves, soon followed by raucous singing of filthy songs but as you took your makeshift seat of a crate at the poker table, you couldn’t but help feel Cupid’s arrow had struck everyone and somehow bypassed you. 

You had secretly hoped that Charles would have joined in with the party, but the minute Dutch wound up his gramophone Charles had disappeared into the woods to take his position on guard duty.

While you'd taken many opportunities to try to make conversation and try to get to know him better over the last few months, you still found him to be a man of few words - but you liked that about him. The camp was full enough of loud-mouthed characters like Sean and Uncle that any moment you found yourself sitting in a comfortable silence with Mr. Smith was bliss.

As the night drew on and more and more alcohol was heartly consumed by all, you felt your eyes growing heavy and couldn’t summon the energy to sing along with the lyrics of “The Louisville Maid”.

   "Well as fun as this is, I'm gonna call it a night," you announced to your campmates, knowing full well that nobody was really listening. You sighed as they were caught up in their merriment and headed towards your tent… only to walk straight into Charles.

   "Whoa, careful there," he told you, giving you a small smile as he placed those big, strong hands of his upon your arms to help stop you from falling over on the spot.

Your face burned as you felt your face grow redder and with each passing second as you enjoyed his gentle but firm touch, causing you to look away to avoid staring into those beautiful, deep brown eyes of his. You hoped that he thought your flushed appearance was a result of all the alcohol running through your veins and not the thought currently running  through your mind; what it would be like if he suddenly dipped and kissed you with a fervent passion?

   "Sorry Charles, I… I… I hadn't realised you'd finished your shift already. Want a drink?"

    "I'm okay, thank you, I was gonna try and get some sleep… and I think you should too - big day tomorrow isn't it?" Your brow furrowed as you tried to rack your brain. Had you arranged to go on a job and completely forgot? Charles watched you, with a confused look. "Oh, I thought you'd mentioned the other day that it was your birthday? Maybe I got it wrong?" 

   "Oh my word, yes it is," you gasped in wonderment, "I can't believe you remembered."

   "Guess I just have a good memory for special occasions," he grinned, brushing a loose hair from your face without thinking, making you weak at the knees.

He cleared his throat and moved his hand away. "Well we best both go get some shut eye before the sun comes up. Good night and sweet dreams." 

You watched him walk to his tent, before heading to your own. Still smiling to yourself, you drew the flaps shut and fell on the cot, relieving that brief moment you just had with Charles over and over as you closed your eyes and let sleep wash over you.

15th Feb 1899

As the sun beamed through the gaps of your tent, you woke up to a very different camp atmosphere compared to the night before. It was eerily quiet; with everybody still in bed, sleeping off the hangovers they'd given themselves at the party.

Deciding to make the most of having a quiet camp all to yourself, you sat yourself up and stretched - your muscles and joints aching in a way that made you laugh. Another year older today and your body was certainly reminding you of that fact with all the aches and pains you suddenly started feeling. 

A part of you doubted anybody else would be able to remember that today was your birthday but you smiled as you saw Mary-Beth hadn't forgotten; she'd wrapped a romance novel with one of her ribbons and left it on your trunk. Next to it was a little handwritten note from her, wishing you a very happy birthday and how "the way the heroine in this story reminds me of how you act around Charles, maybe if you read it you'll end up with your true love too. x"

You playfully rolled your eyes; ever the romantic, Mary-Beth had seen you gazing at Charles one day and decided you were destined to be together.

Pulling on some fresh clothes, you stepped outside and made your way towards the coffee pot, presuming nobody would have thought to wash it out and prepare it ready for the morning. Yet, to your surprise, you lifted it up to find it freshly brewed and still piping hot.

   “I figured everybody would be wanting some when they woke up,” Charles chuckled, walking behind you carrying some logs for the campfire.

   “I’d say; seems they all had a lot to celebrate,” you laughed, pouring yourself a cup. “You want one?” you asked, offering Charles the filled mug currently in your hand.

   “I’m okay thanks, I had one before I made a start on tidying the place up.” 

   “Oh trust me, I wouldn’t worry too much about that today - Grimshaw will have such a headache, she'll be far more focused on getting all the quieter jobs done," you giggled knowing from previous experience how badly Susan seemed to suffer from next morning hangovers.

He carefully placed the chopped wood next to the campfire before turning his attention back to you. "Oh I bet," he grinned, his eyes twinkling. "Actually, I have an idea that might help keep camp running smoothly and stop people grumbling.'

   "Oh?" Curiosity had gotten the best of you and you were intrigued to know what he was thinking.

   "I saw supplies were running low and was thinking of doing some hunting later… a good hearty stew might be what the others need to recover," rushing his words out before casting his eyes to the ground. "I, erm… I was wondering if you wanted to join me?"

   "What? Because I'm the only other person sober enough to safely use a weapon right now?" you teased. 

   "That's one reason, but I'd also like some good company." 

You stood gobsmacked as he turned away from you, quickly making his way over to Taima, pulling something from her saddle.

   "I… I'd like to spend time with you too, but I'm afraid my pistol is no good for hunting." You hung your head in disappointment, mentally kicking yourself that this could be your one chance to be alone with the man you'd admired for all these months - and you've lost it because you never took the time to invest in decent hunting equipment.

   "I can help you with that," Charles told you, pulling out an ornate looking bow and handing it to you. "I made it… for your birthday."

   "For me?" Shocked by his act of kindness, you traced your fingers over each of the detail engravings that ran along each of the limbs, tears starting to cloud your vision. "This is beautiful, but are you sure you mean to give this to me?"

   "Of course… a beautiful bow for a beautiful lady.” A sudden flash of fear crossed Charles’ eyes as he realised what he had just said, his body tensing.

   "You… think I'm beautiful?" Your eyes looking deep into his, searching for the truth.

He nodded. "The most beautiful creature I have ever laid eyes on… I'm sorry, I didn't mean to put you on the spot like that. If it's too awkward, we can just forget the hunting…"

He stopped mid-sentence as you kissed his cheek, his body relaxing as he realised he hadn't made a mistake in telling you.

   "It's not awkward at all, I've liked you for a long time but I could never work out if the feeling is mutual." You gently thumbed his cheek, "Let's go on this hunting trip and talk about this in private shall we?" You suggested as you signaled for Charles to see what you could see. 

Stood behind him was a small audience of John and Mary-Beth, both of whom were grinning over to you both. 

Charles playfully rolled his eyes and walked  you away from their gaze. 

   "Sounds like a good idea, wanna head out now?"

   "Lead the way Mr. Smith." You held out your hand and he gladly took hold.

   "Oh wait, you'll need some of these too" he reached back into his saddle to hand you a bunch of arrows… only to be confused as he heard you laughing.

    "What's so funny?" Charles asked, trying to read your expression.

   "Nothing… just looks like Cupid's arrows found me after all."

Charles' POV

14th Feb 1899

   “I’ll take over here if you want,” John grumbled, clutching his face as he approached where Charles was currently taking up guard duty in the wooded area on the outskirts of camp. “I reckon my Valentine's night is as good as over.”

Charles turned to face his campmate, the moonlight showing a fresh red looking handprint across John's cheek. "You blew it with Abigail then?"

   "Yep, I pushed my luck just a little too much," John chuckled lightly, "But I'm sure I'll  survive. Go on, you go enjoy yourself… I saw [y/n] looking all lonesome up there, she could probably do with some company."

John waggled his eyebrows as Charles pretended to scowl; alcohol had given him loose lips one night and he had ended up confiding in Arthur and John about his feelings about the camp lady he'd taken a shine to. But he couldn’t hold the expression for long as a smile crept over his lips he thought about you.

   "I'll probably just get some shut-eye instead, but I have been busy making this for her." He lifted up a beautiful bow that was resting against a nearby trunk. "It's her birthday tomorrow and she mentioned once she'd be interested in learning to hunt properly."

   "You're a big old softie, ain't you Charles Smith?" John chuckled. "Well, I'm sure she'll appreciate the thought."

   “Don’t you go ruining my reputation, John,” he laughed, making his way to the clearing where all the gang's horses grazed peacefully.

Taima looked up, nickering as she saw her owner nearby.

   “Just a passing visit for now girl, but we can go out on a ride tomorrow,” he whispered to her, stroking her neck as she nuzzled against him. “In the meantime, I want you to keep this safe for me.” Charles lifted his saddle onto the hitching post that Taima was attached to, and carefully placed the bow into the holster on it. She watched her owner with curiosity, her ears pricking up as heard Charles rummaging in his saddlebag to retrieve an apple to reward his trusted Appaloosa for her loyalty. 

The music was still playing as he walked back into camp, only this time it was Pearson’s accordion and Uncle’s banjo that filled the air as Miss Grimshaw sang a bawdy song. It was clear that the party wasn't ending anytime soon, but that wasn't going to stop Charles from trying to get some sleep. Heading towards his tent, he found himself looking around for a quick glance of his heart's desire, only for you to crash straight into him.

   "Whoa, careful there," he told you, gently placing his hands upon your arms to help stop you from falling over on the spot. He could have swore he felt a jolt of electricity flowing through his veins as his skin touched yours.

   "Sorry Charles, I… I… I hadn't realised you'd finished your shift already. Want a drink?"

    "I'm okay thank you, I was gonna try and get some sleep… and I think you should too - big day tomorrow isn't it?" A flash of confusion crossed your face and Charles began to doubt himself. "Oh, I thought you'd mentioned the other day that it was your birthday? Maybe I got it wrong?" 

   "Oh my word, yes it is," you gasped in wonderment. "I can't believe you remembered."

   "Guess I just have a good memory for special occasions," he grinned, brushing a loose hair from your face without thinking, before catching himself and moving his hand away.

Not really wanting the moment to be over but knowing he must tear himself away lest he stay admiring you all night, he cleared his throat. 

   "Well we best both go get some shut eye before the sun comes up. Good night and sweet dreams." 

Making the short walk back to his own tent,  his heart soared as he thought back over your reaction to him remembering your birthday. Now he couldn’t wait to see how you would react to your present.

Settling on his bed roll, he watched you draw your tent closed before allowing himself finally sleep and dream of you.

Charles found himself waking at the crack of dawn, just as the last few stragglers were stumbling towards their bedrolls . Realising he could effectively have the tranquillity of camp to himself,  he gladly jumped up and set about getting ready for a new day.

Firstly he made his way over to Pearson’s wagon to grab a few coffee beans and started brewing a fresh pot. Noticing the meat supplies were running dangerously low, Charles made a mental note to go out hunting later and wondered if this could be the ideal opportunity to ask the birthday girl to join him.

While he waited for that certain someone to wake up, he had already  stoked the fires back to life and disposed of the empty bottles that were scattered all around camp before finally enjoying a short break with a fresh cup of coffee.

It wasn't until he had made a start on chopping wood he had heard footsteps behind him and smiled to himself as he looked over to see [y/n] making her way over to the coffee pot.

   “I figured everybody would be wanting some when they woke up,” Charles chuckled, walking up to her with an armful of logs for the campfire.

   “I’d say; seems they all had a lot to celebrate,” she laughed in that sweet way that made Charles’ feel all warm inside as she poured a cup. “You want one?” asking as she offered the mug in her hand towards him.

   “I’m okay thanks, I had one before I made a start on tidying the place up," he explained, walking over towards where the chopped wood was to be stored.

   “Oh trust me, I wouldn’t worry too much about that today - Grimshaw will have such a headache, she'll be far more focused on getting all the quieter jobs done,"

Charles chuckled as he carefully placed the firewood down before realising this was his chance and turned his attention back to you.

   "Oh I bet," grinning with a twinkle in his eyes. "Actually, I have an idea that might help keep camp running smoothly and stop people grumbling.'

   "Oh?" you asked, tilting your head with curiosity.

He had noticed in the past that each time you asked a question about something that had piqued your interest, you would often tilt your head in this way and found it utterly adorable.

   "I was thinking of doing some hunting later… a good hearty stew might be what the others need to recover," Charles rushed his words out before looking away bashfully. "I, erm… I was wondering if you wanted to join me?"

   "What? Because I'm the only other person sober enough to safely use a weapon right now?" she smirked, and he felt his insides flip-flop. She was so damn beautiful.

   "That's one reason, but I'd also like some good company," he told her, quickly turning to go fetch the bow from Taima’s saddle.

    "I… I'd like to enjoy your company too, but I'm afraid my pistol is no good for hunting." She lowered her head in what seemed to be disappointment.

   "I can help you with that," Charles told her, carefully placing the bow in her hands. "I made it….for your birthday."

   "For me?" He watched as she traced her fingers over the engravings he spent so much time on, hoping the tears brimming in her eyes were because she was overjoyed. "This is beautiful… but are you sure it's for me?"

   "Of course… a beautiful bow for a beautiful lady.” He kicked himself inwardly for saying it aloud, 

   "You… think I'm beautiful?" Your eyes looking deep into his, searching for the truth.

He nodded. "The most beautiful creature I have ever laid eyes on… I'm sorry, I didn't mean to put you on the spot like that. If it's too awkward, we can just forget the hunting…"

He stopped mid-sentence as you kissed his cheek. The feeling of embarrassment replaced by one feeling like he could soar into the sky right now.

   "It's not awkward at all, I've liked you for a long time but I could never work out if the feeling is mutual." Gently thumbing his cheek, you suggested, "Let's go on this hunting trip and talk about this in private shall we?"

He followed your gaze to see Mary-Beth and John grinning at you both as they stood by their tents. 

Playfully rolling his eyes, Charles guided you away from their gaze. 

   "Sounds like a good idea, wanna head out now?"

   "Lead the way Mr. Smith." You held out your hand and he gladly took hold.

   "Oh wait, you'll need some of these too" he reached back into his saddle to hand you a bunch of arrows… only to be confused as he heard you laughing.

    "What's so funny?" Charles asked, hoping thewhole entire moment wasn't a set up so camp could make fun of him

   "Nothing… just looks like Cupid's arrows found me after all"

[outlawsworld]

Trusting Strangers - Chapter 6

Arthur Morgan x Female reader

Summary: The reader tries to ignore her true feeling for Arthur. She dresses up for a job which may lead to feeling coming to the surface.

Warnings: slight violence. Nothing too major

Notes: I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Please reblog/like/message me to let me know if you like it.

Chapter 1

--

It can't be, It just can't. How could this have happened? You never had feelings for someone before yet here you were. There was nothing you could have done because it's not like these feelings crept up on you, they hit you like a train. All at once with no warning. You were laid in your tent looking up to the canvas. Sleeping wasn't an easy task as your mind was too full to relax. The morning light had started to creep through your tent but you just laid there trying to conserve as much energy as you possibly could. You knew the longer you laid in bed made it more likely someone would come and get you. So you decided to finally pull yourself up and change into your clothes. You scraped your hair into a braid before pulling your boots on. As you left your tent the morning air hit you and you could see no one else was awake. It must have been a lot earlier then you had thought. For once you were looking forward to doing your chores, they may help in taking your mind off things. You poured yourself a coffee and sat on a log staring at the flames as they rose. It wasn't too long before you heard Pearson make his way over to his cart to begin his day cooking.

''You got some nice catches the other day girlie'' He shouted over to you. ''Nice bits of meat like this will feed us for a week'' he smirked as he began to cut up pieces of game. You just smiled in his direction and turned back to your coffee. You were soon joined by Tilly, Abigail and Jack as they had their morning breakfast.

''You alright (Y/N)?'' Jack asked you quietly as he took a bite from a bread roll.

''I'm alright Jack, how've you been?'' you smiled down at him. You couldn't help but feel joy whenever Jack was around. He was so innocent and sweet that you forgot that you were all outlaws on the run.

''I'm good. Mamma said to ask you if I can help with the horses today?'' he looked at Abigail who gave you a nervous smile.

''I don't see why not'' you turned your attention back to Jack.

''Thank you (Y/N), I'll go get my coat'' he ran back off to his tent and Abigail shuffled to sit next to you.

''I was gonna ask, I just didn't get chance before Jack'' she sighed. ''I just need a day, just one day''

''It's fine, honestly'' you cut her short. You could tell that raising a child in this environment was hard. ''He can help me feed and brush the horses down'' you smiled at Abigail in a reassuring way.

''Thank you (Y/N)'' she smiled back at you before Jack returned.

''Come on then. You can help me feed them first'' you stood from the log and gestured for Jack to follow you to the horses. He followed close behind you and you showed him exactly what to do. You made sure he had the easier jobs that didn't include any heavy lifting. A smile beamed from his face as he was setting out small piles of hay for the horses. You couldn't help but smile at the effort he put into it and you could tell he took a shine to Dallas. The jobs took a little longer than they normally would but you didn't mind, it was a welcomed distraction. You grabbed a grooming brush and passed it to Jack before standing him on a crate next to Dallas.

''There you go. You can reach his neck and back now'' you stood next to him as you both brushed the black stallion.

''Can I ride him?'' Jack asked as he was in awe.

''Would your mum be alright with it?'' you asked, giving him a cheeky smile. You quickly looked to see if Abigail was watching but you couldn't see her. With one motion you lifted Jack onto Dallas' bare back. ''Hold on tight'' you smiled up at him as you unhitched Dallas and led him at a walk around the outskirts of camp. You only walked slowly so that Jack didn't become unbalanced without a saddle.

''Whoa, look at me'' he shouted as you walked through the woods. Jack patted Dallas on the neck and his smile was bright as he was giggling at every movement.

''You will be able to ride him by yourself one day'' you smiled up at Jack which only made him more thrilled. John was standing at the hitching post as you finished your walk. You felt slight dread as you approached him, you were unsure if Jack was allowed to ride bareback.

''Look at you Kid'' John smiled at you both and the dread left your body.

''We went all the way around the camp'' Jack beamed as John helped him down from Dallas. You hitched him up before turning to John.

''Jacks been a great helper this mornin''' you patted him on the shoulder before he ran back into camp to tell everyone about his ride. ''Sorry I didn't ask first'' you looked at John innocently.

''What to ride? Don't worry about it'' he chuckled. ''Your good with him, been round kids much?'' John followed you as you went to check the other horses.

''No, not really'' you smirked. ''I had no siblings''.

''Ahh, me neither'' he leaned up against the hitching post as you brushed down Dutch's white Arabian. ''You are better with him then I am anyway'' John looked down at his feet. You stopped what you were doing and turned to look at him. He looked visibly upset as he spoke about Jack.

''That's not true. I've seen you with him and your great'' you paused as you waited for John's reaction.

''I'm not cut out at being a father. Not yet anyways'' John sighed. ''He's a good kid but I think I've left it too late''.

''It's never too late John, trust me'' you managed to catch his eye before smiling at him. ''Why don't you do something with him today? I think Abigail needs a day off'' you giggled and he smiled weakly at you.

''Your right. As always. Is there anything you can't do (Y/N)?'' John began to chuckle.

''I can't cook'' you giggled as you turned back to the horse. Charles approached you both as you began to brush The Count again. Charles helped with the last of your chores and John got roped into helping too so you managed to finish in the early afternoon.

''You hungry?'' Charles asked you as you finished brushing down the last horse.

''Starvin'.'' You were quick to reply. The three of you walked back into camp and grabbed some bread and stew from Pearson before sitting around the fire. The rest of the girls joined you as you ate.

''I heard about a job'' Karen blurted out. ''It's a good one'' she seemed so excited as she spoke.

''What is it?'' John questioned before he took a mouthful of stew.

''There's a rich fella staying in Valentine. Bit of a ladies man but damn he's rich'' she giggled. ''I seen him in the saloon drinking and I think if we get him drunk enough it will be an easy steal''.

''Alright?'' Charles questioned missing whatever point Karen was trying to get too.

''Well there is a problem you see....us girls have already tried but he ain't interested in us'' she sighed. ''Stupid fool. But....I know one girl who could handle herself who ain't tried yet'' she glanced at you and gave you a wink. Suddenly all the attention was on you.

''What?'' you exclaimed. ''Have you seen me....if he ain't interested in you there is no way...''

''We will make you look irresistible'' Tilly cut you off.

''You can borrow one of my best dress' and we will do your hair all pretty'' Mary-Beth added. You could see John and Charles giggling in the corner of your eye and you gave them an irritated stare.

''I'm not as good at flirtin' as you'' you were trying to think of any excuse to get out of it.

''Don't give me that'' Karen shrugged your comment off. She stood up and held out her hand to you, there was no getting out of this. You looked for help from John or Charles but they didn't come to your rescue. There were no more excuses so you grabbed Karen's hand and she dragged you to her tent.

You sat while Mary-Beth tugged at your knotted hair. Each stroke of the brush felt like she was ripping part of your scalp off. Tilly was busy trying to find a suitable dress that would suit you the best and Karen was applying powder to your cheeks. Sadie and Abigail were sitting in the corner giggling at your unamused face.

''You will look stunning when we are done with you (Y/N)'' Tilly smiled at you.

''That's right. No man will be able to resist you'' Karen winked at you. ''Not that you care about that''

''What does that mean?'' Mary-Beth asked.

''(Y/N) ain't sweet on anyone'' Karen looked up to Mary-Beth and giggled.

''Really?'' Mary-Beth pulled on another knot in your hair. You winced and tried to ignore the conversation because you knew that wasn't quite true anymore.

''Well it's probably a good job. I mean.....John has Abigail drooling over him'' Karen glanced at Abigail ignoring the angry look she received. ''Javier is a flirt, Lenny is too young for her, Bill is dumb, Charles is just a 'friend', Kieran is only interested in his horse'' Karen giggled ''and Arthur is Arthur''. You furrowed your brow at this comment.

''What do you mean?'' you asked curiously.

''Arthur has never been sweet on anyone in camp but I'm pretty sure each of us have been sweet on him at some point'' she sighed.

''You have all been sweet on him?'' you scanned the room for the girls reaction and they all nodded except Sadie.

''It's hard to not be. He is a mystery and so manly'' Tilly smiled. ''There is something exciting about that''.

''Yes, but he's never reciprocated the feelings'' Abigail interjected before Tilly got carried away. Your heart sunk slightly as you thought about how stupid you were, you had let your feelings take control. Arthur wasn't interested in anyone and you were just setting yourself up for disappointment. The girls worked on you for a couple of hours until you were pristeen. Tilly had picked out a dark blue dress which complemented your features well. They all helped you squeeze into the corset before finally climbing into the dress. Your hair was knott free and hanging down past your shoulders and your makeup made you look blemish free.

''You look beautiful'' Abigail smiled at you as you stood ready to go show the camp the girls' hard work. You struggled to take a deep breath before leaving the tent, the corset clung to your ribs not allowing for much movement. The sun was beginning to set as you stepped out of the tent and made your way over to the rest of camp. Everyone was gathered round the campfire as you gingerly strode over them.

''Introducing the woman who is going to steal the heart and possessions of the richest man passing through Valentine'' Karen gestured for you to stand in front of everyone. You approached slowly as the girls moved to one side. The redness in your cheeks was hidden by the makeup but you could feel your temperature rise with embarrassment as you stood with everyone gawking at you.

''Wow (Y/N)'' Hosea looked up at you. ''You look incredible my girl'' he smiled at you as you looked at him before looking around to see the others reaction. They all sat there in shock at how you looked. Javier stood up and took your hand in his before pressing his lips to the back of it.

''Stunning'' He said after laying a kiss on your hand. You chuckled as he did this, the last thing you expected was this reaction. Suddenly you felt confident in the way you looked and you stood up taller and even did a little twirl.

''What's everyone lookin' at?'' you heard his voice from behind you and suddenly the nerves creeped back up. Taking a breath you turned round to see Arthur and his eyes landed on you too. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped slightly as he looked at you all dressed up. You managed a shy smile but your heart was racing and you could feel that sickness in your stomach as he approached you slowly. He stopped right in front of you as he scanned you up and down, it was the first time you had seen him all day. For a minute you forgot everyone else was there. They had all turned there attention away from you now anyway. ''Hello beautiful'' he finally whispered to you as you looked up into his eyes. You felt breathless as he looked at you the way he was. Everything in your body was telling you to wrap your arms around him and not let him go but you pushed them to one side.

''Hello Arthur'' you managed to reply with a shy smile.

''What's the occasion?'' he asked not breaking eye contact with you. You could feel the heat from his body as he stood so close to you.

''(Y/N) is going to seduce a rich fella in Valentine so we can rob him blind'' Karen interrupted the moment. Arthur's face suddenly went stern and he backed away from you.

''Who's goin'?'' he turned to Karen with slight irritation in his voice.

''Well me, (Y/N) and I don't know.....Bill?'' she gestured to Bill who was already downing a bottle of whiskey.

''Bill? You seriously haven't thought this through 'av ya?'' Arthur sighed. ''I'll go. Let me just get ready'' he turned to his tent to grab some things whilst you and Karen made your way over to the wagon. John helped you both in and past you a pistol that you tucked into one of the folds of your dress.

''Damn (Y/N)'' he shook his head. ''You look amazing. Make sure he knows where to keep his hands or he'll lose em'' John smiled at you. Arthur was quick and mounted into the driver's seat and with that you were on your way to Valentine.

''So the plan is to get him drunk'' Karen started talking to you. ''He needs to think that you are going to sleep with him. When he is drunk enough you go to his room, wait for him to pass out and take everything worth taking'' she giggled.

''What if he don't pass out?'' Arthur asked and turned to give Karen a quick glance. ''Then what?''

''Well I guess (Y/N) will have to sleep with him'' Karent winked. You were about to protest but you were too slow. Arthur had already stopped the cart and turned to the both of you.

''That ain't happenin'.'' His tone was stern as he pointed at Karen.

''I was jokin' Arthur. Calm down, you almost sound jealous'' Karen teased.  ''She can hit him over the head with her pistol'' Arthur sighed, still not fully satisfied with Karen's answer but started the wagon moving again. You arrived at Valentine a couple of minutes later and you could hear the music and loud conversations coming from inside the saloon. Karen went ahead to check that the man was definitely in the saloon before you all went in. Arthur came to the back of the wagon to help you down. He put his hands around your waist and slowly lowered you until your feet hit the floor but he didn't remove his hands straight away. You looked up to see concern on his face and he took a deep breath before releasing his grip on you.

''I don't like this'' he muttered before Karen came running over.

''Show time'' she grinned before linking her arm through yours. ''We will go in first Arthur, we don't want him thinkin' you came with us'' she pulled you away. You glanced back at Arthur who clenched his jaw while holding back allowing you to go in first.

The music and smell of beer hit you as you walked into the warm saloon. There were a lot of people there singing, danicing and getting drunk. You seemed to attract the attention from a lot of men as you and Karen made your way over to the bar. The bartender passed you both a shot of whiskey each.

''That's him over there, with the red coat and mustache'' Karen glanced in the man's direction. ''Seems like he's already noticed you'' she giggled. You took your shot as quickly as you could before ordering another. If you were going to do this you needed something to get rid of the nerves. You were so used to pick pocketing or house robberies but this was something you had never done. Getting a man's attention wasn't the hard thing it was playing them so they don't suspect a thing. You grabbed your drink and walked over to an empty table and sat down slowly eyeing up your target. He had many women sitting around him at his table but his attention was on you, never breaking eye contact. You could tell he was an attractive young man and his attitude showed that he knew it too. Arthur walked into the saloon, you watched as he searched for you and caught your eye before making his own way to the bar. You turned your attention back to the target and you saw he was already making his way over to you.

''I don't believe we have met'' he held his hand out to you and you took it. ''Simon Clark'' he gently kissed the back of your hand.

''Bethany Hope'' you made up a name and introduced yourself.

''Mind if I join you?'' he asked and you nodded before he took a seat next to you. You glanced at the bar to see Karen and Arthur watching you and you felt a sense of relief that you had them watching out for you. ''How come I have never seen you before?''

''Maybe you weren't looking hard enough'' you teased him.

''You are not someone I would overlook'' he looked you up and down and you felt exposed. ''Drink?''

''How about we share a bottle?'' you smiled curiously at him. He nodded and headed to the bar to get a bottle of whiskey. You took a deep breath and looked at Arthur. He didn't take his eyes off you for a second as he clutched at his own drink.

''Here you go'' Simon poured you a shot and took his seat again. You tapped your glasses together before taking your drinks. Simon liked to speak about himself, which made things easier. You pretended to be interested in his stories while you kept on pouring drink after drink for him. He never once questioned that you were not drinking but it was probably because he didn't care. Simon was so engulfed in talking that he hadn't realised he had finished the bottle by himself. His words had started to slur and he clung to the table to stop from falling off his chair. ''Will you accompany me to my room?'' he slurred as his hand laid on your leg and started to make its way up your thigh. You had to resist the urge to brush his hand away. Having a strange man touch you intimately brought back bad memories but you tried to shut them out.

''After another drink'' you stood up removing his hand before collecting another drink from the bar. As the barman handed you another two shots of whiskey you quickly glanced at Arthur and gave him a reassuring nod. He gave you a weak smile but you could tell he wasn't enjoying this. Karen was currently flirting with another guy at the back of the room leaving Arthur by himself. You thanked the barman before heading back to Simon who now had his forehead pressed against the table. "Here" you passed him the whiskey as you drank the other. The liquor was strong and made your eyes water slightly. He downed the drink before stumbling to his feet.

"Follow me sweetheart" Simon whispered in your ear. The smell of alcohol on his breath was overwhelming but you took his hand and followed him to the door. Arthur watched from the bar as you made your way to the door not letting you out of his sight.

"I'm in the hotel across the street over there. Got a very comfy bed for us to sleep in" Simon's words were slurred as he almost fell out of the saloon. You couldn't help but feel sorry for the women that fall for men like this. The cold night air hit you hard as you followed him outside and down the stairs. You started to make your way to the hotel when he dragged you down a little ally between two buildings.

"This doesn't look like a hotel" you rolled your eyes as Simon pressed you to the wall. He was pressing his body into yours to keep himself from falling over. You took the opportunity to pick pocket him while he whispered sweet words into your ear. "oh, yeah, ahuh sounds good" you muttered not listening to what he was actually talking about. You had managed to take his watch, what money he had left on him and the key to his room, stuffing them down your dress. Simon then grabbed your wrists and pinned them to the wall above your head. His head went to your neck and left a kiss. Suddenly the touch from this man sent panic surging through your body. It felt too much like when men had taken advantage of you before. Your knee came up and struck him in his manhood. Simon quickly fell to his knees cluching his groin.

"You slut" he screamed at you as he clambered to his feet. Simon's face was now red with rage as he raised his hand to hit you. You were about to swing for him and defend yourself when he was dragged backwards away from you. Arthur had him pinned against the wall by his throat. You took a deep breath of relief while cursing at the corset restricting your movement. Where did he come from? You didn't even notice that Arthur had followed you.

"That ain't any way to treat a lady" he quickly punched Simon in the face and blood spurted from his nose. "Now you made the mistake of touching this lady in particular" he struck him again. A small whine came from Simon's mouth. His nose was visibly broken and blood was dripping from his face. "No one touches her. No one, you hear" Arthur was angry. You had heard Arthur shout a lot but this was different. He was red with rage and there was no stopping it so you stayed back and watched. Simon nodded and Arthur punched him one last time. You heard a crunch as he dropped to the floor. Simon was out cold.

"You alright?" Arthur turned around to face you. He scanned you up and down to make sure Simon hadn't hurt you in any way with a look of slight panic in his eye.

"I'm fine. You didn't have to do that ya know" you looked down at Simon as he laid face down on the floor. "I had it under control" you began to walk out of the ally when Arthur grabbed you, pulled you back and pushed you against the wall. You hadn't noticed the people that rushed into the street when they heard a commotion. It was a good idea that you don't get caught with Simon knocked out or the law would be quickly on your case. Arthur's strong arms were keeping you pinned to the wall and his body was close to yours. Your heart began to beat loudly as you could feel him so close to you.  The both of you stayed extremely quiet as the people on the street tried to find where the noise was coming from. Although you had been in this situation only minutes before it felt completely different with Arthur. You didn't want him to move away from you, you weren't scared of him. The sickness in the pit of your stomach came back as you looked up to catch Arthur's gaze. His lips were only inches away from yours and you could feel your temperature rising with every second you stood there.

"Damn it Ben, you must be hearin' things" a man called out as they made there way back into the saloon. Arthur peered around the corner to check it was clear before backing away from you. There it was again. The instant coldness you felt when Arthur wasn't as close to you anymore. You took a deep breath as you pushed yourself off the wall.

"Sorry" Arthur muttered as you left the ally. "For pushing you like that" he added before making his way to the wagon.

"It's alright" your voice cracked slightly. "Where you goin'?" Arthur turned round and cocked and eyebrow at you. "I have his room key, don't ya wanna see what he has in there?" you gestured to the hotel. Arthur nodded and you lead the way into the hotel and up to Simon's room. You looted the whole room and you made close to $1,000 in money, jewels and deeds.

"Least it was worth it" you smirked as you searched through the last draw.

"You might think so" Arthur snapped back at you. His tone was dry and irritated. You stood up and faced him as he counted the stack of money he had found. Anger rushed over you and before you could stop yourself you snapped back at him.

"I didn't ask for your help Arthur. He could barely stand up and I had control of the situation" you shouted at him. He was acting as if you weren't able to do the job by yourself. You had spent months by yourself and never had a problem so it irritated you that Arthur had felt the need to step in.

"Oh really? Because from where I'm standin' he had you pinned against a wall. Kissin' your neck and was about to hit ya" Arthur's voice drowned yours out. "Didn't look in control to me".

"I can defend myself. Don't need you to fight my battles for me" everything inside you wanted to scream at him. "It was my job and I was doing just fine untill you intervened".

"I know you can defend yourself (Y/N). I know that better then anyone cause I've seen it but do you think I'm just gonna stand there and watch him touch you like that?" Arthur marched across the room to stand directly in front of you. He towered above you, just like he had the first time you had gone hunting. Making you feel small and helpless. His body was so close to yours that you could feel the heat radiating from him again. You both stood there tense and unmoving. "Do you know how hard it was for me to watch him with you all night?" his voice was hushed now but still assertive. His brow was furrowed as he looked deep into your eyes waiting for your response.

"Why would you even care?" the words came out of your mouth uncontrollably. You were not intimidated by Arthur. Not anymore, not after everything you had been through. You didn't back away from him like you had before. His eyes widened at your comment but he was quick to reply.

"Because I do care about you (Y/N). A lot more then I should" Arthur sighed before continuing. "I know you can fight your own battles, I know that. But seeing him touch you made me so damn angry that I needed to....well ya know. You don't have to fight alone anymore. I'm here to back you up and I'm sorry it came across that I don't believe in ya" he spoke softly as he placed his hand on your shoulder and scanned your face. You were taken aback by his comments. He wasn't trying to fight for you, but with you. Sudden guilt flooded your body for getting angry with him.

"Thank you" you stared up at him. "I'm sorry, I just ain't used to people helpin'. I'd been on my own so long I guess I just learnt to fend for myself. I thought you didn't think I was capable of fighting and I got angry" your voice was hushed and slightly cracking. The last person you wanted to argue with was Arthur. You felt all the anger drain from your body which left you feeling deflated. With one motion Arthur pulled you towards him and embraced you. He wrapped his arms around your shoulders and pulled you into his chest. You were shocked at first but accepted the hug by clutching at his shirt. He was warm and smelt of cigarettes and whiskey. You could hear his heart beating in his chest and the feeling of being safe in his arms was enough to make your heart race.

"Your not alone now" Arthur squeezed you tighter as he said this, his voice was almost a whisper. You closed your eyes and nuzzled into his chest to prevent him from seeing your rosie cheeks. The warm feeling in your chest spread throught your body and you wished that you didn't ever have to let go of him. You felt him place a light kiss on your head before he pulled away from you. "Come on, we should get Karen and go back to camp" he gave you a tender smile as he walked across the room and opened the door before gesturing for you to walk through. You slowly walked out of the hotel and back into the street with Arthur following closely behind. Karen was waiting for you at the wagon ready to go.

"How'd it go? Get much from him?" She giggled as Arthur lifted you both into the wagon.

"Yeah, it was worth all the effort" you passed her share to her.

"Told ya it would be a good job" she nudged your arm. "You have a good night Arthur?". He hummed in reply as you left valentine. Karen told you both about her night the whole ride back to camp. She had managed to pick pocket a couple of men and showed you what she had grabbed. Your mind was far away from the convocation as you watched Arthur drive the wagon. You wondered what he meant when he said he cared for you more than he should. He cared about you and that was the only thing that mattered, it made you feel warm inside. You cared about him too, a lot, but there was no way he would care for you the same way you cared for him. It didn't matter to you right at this moment, you were just greatful to have him as a friend. It wasn't a long journey back to camp and when you got back most of the camp were already sleeping. Karen jumped down from the wagon and went straight to her tent to sleep off the alcohol she had consumed. You would have followed but the corset was too restrictive and you could barely move. Arthur came to help you down for the last time tonight.

"I don't know how women wear these damn things" you cursed as your feet touched the floor. Arthur chuckled at you struggling to move.

"I don't know much about that but you look....ermm....you look beautiful tonight" Arthur managed a complement before looking down at his feet and scratching the back of his neck.

"Thank you Arthur" you blushed. "I'm gonna go get outta this thing though, g'night Arthur and thank you again for everything" you smiled sweetly at him whilst trying to brush off your nerves.

"G'night (Y/N)" he tipped his hat and smiled sweetly at you before going to untie the horses from the wagon. You wanted to stay and talk to him all night but your eyes were becoming heavy so you walked away and went straight to Mrs Grimshaw.

"Can you help me outta this?" you smirked as you gestured to your corset. She shook her head before giggling at your incompetence.

--

Chapter 7

@nena-ma