Wassup everyone? JAFS here with another story! :D RED DEAD REDEMPTION IS ONE OF THE BEST GAMES EVER. I just have to say that, like, omg. xD
So, I was really hoping for some JohnxO.C. fanfiction, and was sad to find that there are none! So I took it upon myself to create one. :]

Basically, I took the idea of Dutch's gang being like "Robin Hood's" and had them assault a certain place of importance in this story. Don't wanna give too much away. ;) Yes, it shall be odd at first, with John being married and all, but hell, people are writing things about him and Bonnie, so I just kinda thought "How hard could it be implanting my own OC"? xP

DISCLAIMER: Alas, my good friends, I do not own this sexy piece of game. Although I wish I did. ;)

"Mama!" I whined, "Are we almost there yet? This bag is heavy!"

Mama chuckled and nodded, pointing ahead at something in the distance. A quaint little town slowly came into view as we walked along the trail. Damn those bandits for stealing our horses, I mentally screamed. The blazing sun was beating down unforgivingly, making my dress stick to me uncomfortably. After what seemed like hours, we finally walked in through the ever familiar doors of the sheriff's building and dropped the bags quite roughly on the desk. The said man was sitting back with his boot-clad feet propped on the desk and had his hands folded behind his head, hat hanging low over his face.

"Well I'll be… if it ain't the Howell girls without my men." He tipped his hat back and stared at us with his with his dark brown eyes.

"Your men never came for us, Benjamin. We waited for hours!" My mama exclaimed, very unhappy, "So we took matters into our own hands and brought the bags here ourselves. Now our arms are sore and we smell worse than a pile of droppins' lit on fire!"

Benjamin scoffed, "Like you would know what that smells like." He sat up and crossed his arms, "Did you not bring horses?"

Mama sighed, exasperated, "We had brought horses, but they got stolen right from under us from outlaws tryna escape the law!"

With a grunt, the sheriff sat up and peered inside the bags, "Well I do apologize, ma'am. But are you ready to go drop these off?"

With a nod, mama and I left while Benjamin went outback to get his men. We waited outside in silence for a few minutes. Suddenly, three loud shots of gunfire sounded behind my mama and I. Screams from both men and women rang out, and mama grabbed my arm. My heart started thumping as we ran back inside and peered out of the window. Six men on horses rode through town, shooting off bullets while a man was dragged along by a lasso, getting thrown around like a ragdoll. My mama and I gasped at the horrible sight, her fingers tightening around my wrist.

"Mama," I said quietly, "Why don't anyone stop them?"

"Because ain't nobody got the guts to do anythin' 'round here." She answered, with her jaw clenched.

Benjamin and three more of his men walked through the door, "Let's go. My men brought two more horses for you."

Without another word, Benjamin grabbed the bags and left the room, all of us in tow. Mama and I jumped on our horse first, with help from the men, and started down the trail, leading the others. I was never one for talking to those I didn't really know, so I left all of the chat to mama usually. But today was different, something seemed off. The sheriff seemed more on edge, as did his men. We arrived at the rundown shantytown, and my heart broke at the faces of children and elders living in these conditions. Mother and I stopped our horses and sauntered over to Ben and his men. They handed down the sacs to mama and I. Together we strode over to one of the many half-destroyed houses and knelt in front of a small family of three sitting on the steps. Kneeling down, my mother and I smiled, saying a quick hello. We opened our sacs and grabbed a large stack of twenty dollar bills and four loaves of bread, distributing them to the family. They looked confused and surprised; the usual looks we get. Gingerly, they took the bread, muttering "thank you"s over and over again. My heart swelled as one of the women started tearing up and hugged us.

"Spend it wisely." My mama offered as a piece of advice.

Slowly, we made our rounds about the entire little town, handing out bread and money to those around us until our sacs emptied. The sound of horses neighing and hooves trampling the ground startled my mother and me, who dropped our newly-emptied sacs on the ground. Fearing for the worst, we darted behind two of the sheriff's men, who had their guns ready and aimed. A little ways away from our horses four people, all men, stopped and stared at us, The man looked to be in his thirties with short dark black hair and even darker eyes. He had a thin mustache and a shadow of a beard on his jaw, with a little birthmark under his left eye. He wore a complicated garb of a trench coat and vest, along with a necklace of some kind. Another man was off to his left and looked to be of Mexican descent, thanks to his olive-toned skin. He had barely any facial hair and looked to be around sixteen or so. He wore a brown button up shirt and black pants. Off to the first guy's right was a man who looked to be nineteen, or possibly twenty, with an already large amount of facial hair and thick eyebrows. His large arms were covered with a grey coat and black scarf tied around his neck. The last man looked to be about my age, seventeen or eighteen, with tan skin and honey-brown eyes. He had slight facial hair and a scar on the right side of his upper lip. Him, along with the other younger men, had long dark brown hair that just barely nicked the nape of his neck. He wore a hat with a white feather tucked in the rim and a blue-grey vest with dark colored pants. All of the men were armed with guns, knives, and ammo belts, and all were carrying sacs like mama and I were.

"State your business, partner!" Sheriif Benjamin called out harshly.

The older man didn't even bat an eye as he swung down off of his horse and held up his hands, "Relax, friend. We just came here to do these people some good." He snapped his fingers and the three boys hopped off their horses, carrying the sacs in their hands. I, however, could not tear my eyes away from the boy in the hat, nor him from me. The three dropped the bags at the older man's feet, which tipped over, revealing stacks upon stacks of money. He called out, "Alright, listen up! There's enough money in these bags to last all of you a good, long while! Come get it while it lasts!"

Without another word, the four men turned around and hopped back onto their horses. "Wait!" Benjamin called out, "Where, exactly, did this money come from?" He inquired suspiciously.

The older man grinned slyly and replied, "A friend of ours owed us a debt."

Wordlessly, the more mature man turned around and started his horse into a trot in the direction he came from. One by one, the younger boys followed until it was just the honey eyed one left. We stared at each other for a little while until he growled to himself and spurred his horse in the direction of the others. Our little group stared mutely in the direction they went. The residents around us slowly started moving toward the bags of money on the ground. We all straddled our horses and rode out of town, back along the trail.

"What do you suppose that was about?" Mama called over to the sheriff.

"I don't rightly know for sure, but I don't like it." Benjamin responded.

Mama nodded in agreement and continued on in silence. Shortly after, we arrived back at the station where Ben and his men got off their horses.

"Thanks again for accompanying us, Ben! But, make sure that your men actually come for us next time, will ya." Mama chuckled and waved.

"Sure thing, Minerva! It's a mighty nice thing you're doin' here!" He answered back, while waving his hat in our direction, "You guys be safe now, ya hear?"

Mama smiled and together we rode off back to our house.

"We're doin' good things, Eliza! God'll surely take us into heaven." Mama spoke happily.

I grinned, "Yes He will, Mama. There's no denying that." We shared a smile before I said, "I didn't quite like the looks of those men back there. Think we'll ever run into them again?"

Mama's smile faded, "I hope not."

It took us about another thirty minutes to get home, filled with small chatter. Once we arrived, we hitched our newly-acquired horses on the post outside of our large house and stepped through the door. Closing and locking the door moments after, I followed mama into the kitchen to help cook supper. Papa was out on a business trip and wouldn't be back until nightfall, so we had hours to ourselves. After we ate, mama left to go upstairs to sleep, while I headed outback to the horses. On my way out there, however, and long pronounced howl sounded and I grinned, running in the direction of the sound. Waiting in the barn was my white/grey/black spotted Shepard, Cooper. I held my hands outwards towards him and he jumped forward, tackling me to the ground.

Hours passed by, and soon enough, it was nearly sunset. Hanging up my horse's saddle, I stepped out of the barn and made my way back to the house. But on my way there I heard hooves running toward the direction of our house. I stopped in my tracks, 'that's strange,' I thought, 'normally nobody ever comes down this road. They must be lost,' I tried to think reasonably. I watched and waited as a small blob came into view and slowly took form as a horse. The rider eased up on the horse as it drew closer and eventually come to a walking speed altogether. I gasped, it was the boy from before.

"Um. A-are you lost?" I called out, unease settling in my stomach as he came to a stop in front of me.

He looked down at me, and eventually got off of his horse. He was about half a head taller than I. "You could say that," He replied and scowled, "Hey, aren't you that girl from before?"

I crossed my arms and huffed, "You could say that."

A slight smile barely ghosted across his face before it returned to its normal scowling state, "Cute. Do you know the way back to Armsworth? My damn friends left me."

I nodded and pointed towards the direction of the town, "They don't sound like very good friends, friend."

He clenched his jaw and jumped back on his horse, "Yeah, but they're the only ones I've got." He nodded in my direction, "Thanks, friend."

I nodded back and headed back for the house as he sped off in the way I pointed.

The next few days went by without incident, and were rather boring. Mama had fallen ill, so I've had to take on her duties and my own. Unfortunately, I've had to ride back and forth in and out of town for medicine and to inform the sheriff of mama's sickness.

"Mama!" I called out, "I'm heading into town, we're out of eggs!"

Walking around the back of the house to the barn, I grabbed my faithful steed and saddled him up. Leading him out of the corral, I hopped on and sped off towards Armsworth. Papa was home, so he'd take care of mama. The ride there was uneventful and long. Halting in front of the general store, I hitched my horse and stepped inside, grateful that it was cooler in here than outside.

"What can I do ya for, ma'am?" The shopkeeper asked out from behind the counter.

"Might you have any eggs?" I retorted, glancing around the shop.

He shook his head and smiled apologetically, "Sorry, miss. Fresh out. Maybe-"

"Excuse me, partner!" Came a loud drunken voice from the door. I whipped around at the man in the doorway, "Got any matches?" He laughed, "I needa light me up a cigarette." I watched the man as he strode forward and leaned against the counter as the shopkeeper went into the back. He looked so familiar, but I couldn't place from where. Thick, bushy eyebrows and a semi-thin beard accompanied by dark eyes. "What's the matter, missy? See somethin' you like?" He leered at me, leaning closer, "We could always take it somewhere private." I could smell the alcohol on his breath and nearly gaged.

I shuddered in disgust and stepped back, "No thank you, sir."

He placed a hand on my forearm and laughed, "Ooh, polite, this one. I like you."

I grimaced and leaned back, praying to the lord for something to take him away. "Here are your matches, sir."

He released my arm and grinned, "Thank you, my good man." He turned and winked at me, "And I'll see you later."

"Bill, come on!" An angry voice declared from outside.

I turned to the shopkeeper, who looked just as confused as I felt. I shuddered again, that's enough contact for me today. I left and leaned against the wall outside, just watching the people around me move on their merry way. I started walking away to my horse when suddenly, I was tackled from behind. I screamed as I was flipped over to face a man with a short, white beard in a fancy black suit and hat.

"I swear to God, whore! Give me all of the money you got and I won't kill you right here, right now!" He snarled and raised his knife over his head. I laid there, kicking and screaming, my heart slamming against my rib cage. Without thinking, I slapped him. He completely stopped moving for a second and stared at me in shock. He roared and flicked his knife over my face, cutting my cheekbone, "I said give me all of your money now!" he placed the knife at my neck and I complied, reaching into my breast pocket, pulling out a small stack of cash. "Is that all you've got in there?" Without warning, he stuffed his hand in my pocket and felt around, feeling up on my breast as well. I started sobbing and begging him to stop. Eventually, he did. He grinned, satisfied and stood up, heading back into the saloon counting the wad of cash.

I sat up and held my head, crying. I looked around and found that nobody was left on the streets, They all must've ran off. I thought back to what mama said, "ain't nobody got the guts to do anythin' 'round here." And couldn't agree with her more. I sat up and jumped onto my horse, making a break back to my family. Wanting nothing more than to just be around people I know and trust. Slowly, the tears that were once streaming down my face stopped and were replaced with anger at the man. I spurred my horse on faster, the anger getting the better of me. From a distance, I could see black smoke rising in the air. Fear set in as I drew ever closer, realizing that it came from, what used to be, my home. There were four other figures standing in front of the house, watching. I stopped my horse in front of the walkway that lead up into my house. I ran as fast as I could up the path and stood stock still, watching as the flames engulfed everything that I owned. I fell to my knees and cried.

"Ohoho, what do we have here, boys?" A male voice said.

I completely forgot about the four people beside me and turned to look at them, it was the same four men from the shantytown, and the guy from the store! The guy from the store, Bill, pushed me down and flipped me over onto my back, laughing, "Well if it ain't missy from the store!" He cheered.

"You… You didn't need matches for your cigarette…" I felt breathless as it all sank in, "Why?" I pleaded, "Why my family!?" My voice raised an octave higher as I attempted to sit up on my elbows.

"We can let ol' Dutch here explain that one." He winked.

The older man with the mustache laughed, "You see, darlin', it's families like yours that are too wealthy. They need to be reminded of just how fortunate they are. It's those of lesser fortune that need it, friend."

"I don't understand!" I wailed, "We gave to the poor! We gave them food and money! Plenty of it!"

"Ah, yes. I remember you now," Dutch grinned, "You're that girl who was with that attractive woman. You're Eliza Howells, correct? And your parents are Minerva and Butch Howells?" I sat there, dumbfounded, "You see, Eliza," He drawled out my name and leaned forward, "Your family has been on my debt list for a while now. Or, should I say, your father has."

"I don't-"

"Hush! Your father was a great asset to me and my gang, you see, but he failed to repay us back for those countless times we saved his sorry ass. I warned him bad things would happen, but," He sighed dramatically, "He just didn't listen."

"So this isn't about the poor, this is about my father!" I screamed. Dutch didn't say a word, he only smiled mischievously. Fresh tears streamed down my face, "How could you? My mother was bedridden! She was ill! You just burned her alive?" my voice cracked midway and Bill laughed, "You sick bastard!"

Winking, Dutch said, "Sorry, friend. Bill, Javier! Let's go. We'll leave John to finish her." He turned to look at John, "Think of this as your initiation."

The three men left so that it was only John and I. Thunder roared from above and light raindrops fell, masking my tears, "Please," I whispered, "Don't…" He withdrew his holstered his gun and aimed it at me, his face showed no emotion. His hand slowly tightened on the handle of the gun, "Please!" I pleaded.

I didn't even have time to process what was happening until I heard a loud bang, and nothing but darkness.

My eyes were blurry as I opened them again, I sat up groggily, holding my head in my hands. "Oh!" A feminine voice called from somewhere across the room, "You're awake finally, friend!" I looked around the room, there was a dull ache in my abdomen, but nothing too bad. A woman with bright blonde hair strode this way, "I was beginnin' to think that I lost ya!"

"Where am I?" I asked hesitantly.

"You, my friend, are in a quaint little town of Armadillo." She answered cheerfully.

I froze, "Armadillo?" I asked slowly. She nodded, "Isn't that…. That's in New Austin, correct?"

"Yes ma'am it is! My husband and I brought you here when we seen you unmoving in front of some burned down house. He doctored you up there and we brought you here on the train." She giggled, "He's the town doctor."

"Thank you so much, miss…?"

"Ashford. Dixie Ashford."

"Thank you again, miss Ashford. Do you know of a place I can stay?" I asked, throwing my legs over the edge of the bed.

"Yes ma'am I do! If you go into the saloon and ask for a place to stay, they'll be more than happy to let you purchase a room."

I stood up, feeling dizzy for a moment and walked out of the room, Dixie in tow. "Where're ya goin', miss?"

I stopped walking for a second, where was I going? I didn't know this place. Hell, I'd never been anywhere but Armsworth. "I… I don't know."

Dixie grabbed a hold of my hand and led me back to my room, "Please, stay here. I'll go get my husband to see how well you are."

I nodded mutely and watched her go. Once she left I thought back to everything that happened. How long was I out? Hours? Days? Weeks? Maybe even months? Then it all hit me like a ton of bricks, everything I know is gone, and everyone I love is dead. I felt like I was suffocating, like breathing was damn near impossible all of a sudden. Suddenly, my heart felt like it was stabbed a million times over. Tears threatened to overflow as I thought of mama and papa. Even Cooper and my horse. My grief was replaced with anger when I thought of those men that caused it all. Picking up a pillow, I threw it at the wall as hard as I possibly could. Clenching and unclenching my fist repeatedly, I struggled to remember all of their names. There was that drunk Bill, hard to forget him. I closed my eyes and sighed, There was… there was a Mexican. What was his name? I think it started with a 'J'. I opened them and stared at the roof, then there was Dutch. The leader-like of them. Wait, my thoughts halted, wasn't there four of them? I groaned, maybe I just needed a clear conscience.

"Ah, so you are awake!" The door opened, and a fancily dressed man stepped through, with his hands outstretched, "Good, good!" He came closer and inspected my bandages, "We shall need to change your bandages, okay?" I nodded and sat up a little straighter. Slowly, as not to hurt me, he unwrapped my bandages, "So what's your name?" He asked.

"Eliza Howell, sir." I answered slowly.

He smiled, "It's a pleasure, Eliza. I'm Gregor Ashford, and I see you've already met my wife Dixie?" I nodded. "Great!" A few silent moments passed by and he pulled back, seemingly satisfied with his work. I looked down at the freshly changed bandages and glanced over at Dixie.

"You guys are so nice, how could I ever repay you?" I asked sincerely.

"That won't be necessary," Gregor replied earnestly.

"What do you mean? There has to be some way." I argued, slightly crossing my arms.

"No ma'am, we make all of our medicine from scratch here, so it costs us nothing." He stopped and thought for a moment, "Actually, if you ever find yourself out an about the frontier when you are able, would you mind finding some of these plants?" He turned around to a side table and quickly scribbled plant names down, then handed the paper to me.

I quickly glanced at it and grinned, "Of course, friend!"

The two of them smiled and left me to my own devices by myself. I stood carefully and made my way over to a mirror hanging up on the wall. I stared at myself for a moment, only able to see traits from my parents in the reflection. I inherited my blue eyes from my mother- a rare feat nowadays- and my dark brown hair from my father. Eventually, the feeling passed and I could see myself again. I touched the scar on my cheek and thought back to these passed events and decided that from here on out, I'm going to do something outrageous for women these days. I'm going to do a man's job. Nobody deserves to feel how I felt, all criminals should be put to justice, I thought furiously. I'm going to be a bounty hunter. I stormed out of the room and looked around for Dixie and Gregor.

The said two were in the front helping a customer with a bleeding arm. "Excuse me, Dixie. A word, please?" Dixie trode over in my direction and I asked, "Dixie, can you take me to the tailor and blacksmith? Also, might I borrow some money? I know this is a lot to ask but-"

"Oh of course! Follow me. We'll go right now," She grabbed my arm and we quickly left the building and crossed the street where she motioned inside, "This is the tailor, his name is Gideon Barrett. Over there," She pointed down the row of buildings, "Is the gunsmith, Hank Harrison. Why do you want to go there, though? That's a man's store."

I placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled, "I know. I can't thank you enough for everything. I will pay you back, though. You have my word." She handed me a large sum of money and grinned, walking back to their house. I pushed through the doors and said to Gideon, "I need a slightly-loose fitting shirt and man's pants, sir."

"That's an odd request coming from a woman." The man replied.

I sneered, "Then I suppose you don't want my money." He stepped from behind the counter and measured me, then added up the total. I handed him the money he needed and walked down the street over to the gunsmith, Hank. "Excuse me," I called out, "Is there anyone here?"

A broad-shouldered man stepped from behind a wooden archway, holding a piece of cloth in one hand, and a pistol in the other, "Yes, little lady?"

"I have an odd request to make, friend." I stated bluntly, "I need you to train me in how to use a gun."

Hank busted out laughing, "Teach a woman how to use a gun? Absolutely-" I held up the bunched-together bills and grinned. He cleared his throat, "Maybe I could find a little time to spare."

"That's what I thought," I said smugly.

For the next years of my life, I did almost nothing but train with Hank every day and every night until the early hours of the morning. Occasionally I would go buy more comfortable clothes from Gideon, and work up some money to help pay back Dixie and Gregor. Eventually, I started taking up small bounty hunting jobs to pass the time. Petty outlaws like robbers and trespassers, but eventually worked my way into the lives of many a criminal like kidnappers and murders. All the while increasing my fame around Armadillo and many other places in New Austin. I kept constantly searching for those four men who caused my life to be a this way, and eventually drew their four faces from memory. Those pictures are kept above my bed at the saloon, where I spend most of my free time.

The future may be obscure for now, but there was one thing that I knew for sure; I was hell-bent on taking my revenge.

So whatcha think, guys? :D

~JAFS signing off