I've been replaying RDR and I'd forgotten how great a game it actually is, and how much I love John and Bonnie as a pairing. This plot bunny popped into my head when playing so I figured I'd see where it goes...
I don't anything but a copy of the game and my own imagination...
Redemption was something that John had never hoped to find. Not for the sins of his past, or the misdeeds he was about to execute. He was still numb to Abigail's death, her loss entirely his fault. He still had not dealt with his grief, just the reminder of the circumstances threat enough for him to drown himself in guilt and despair. She'd been his anchor, the only person besides Jack who had kept him together. And she was gone.
He shoved the thought of Abigail far from his mind, melancholy a heavy burden on his shoulders. He forced himself to think of Jack, at home under guard while he did Edgar Ross' dirty work. Abigail was gone, but Jack was barely fifteen and he needed his father, despite their frequent disagreements. John could hold the pieces of himself together for Jack. He was all he had left.
He'd been escorted to the train by Edgar Ross and his lackey Archer Fordham, the former making it explicitly clear that if he did not do what he asked, Jack's life was forfeit. John had several bitter responses on the tip of his tongue but he kept his mouth shut and got on the train. The train compartment was nearly full, John taking one of only two empty seats, sliding to the window and staring out sightlessly as he listened idly to the conversation around him.
John could never claim to be a good man, though he was certain which side he fell on in the dividing line between right and wrong. The conversations surrounding him made him appear virtuous by comparison, and coming from the 'civilized' people of the west. A preacher that he hoped no one but the naive young woman actually paid any attention to. And two old women whose conversation actually disgusted him with how ignorant it was. A woman moved from a seat somewhere behind him to the other empty seat in front of him. He took notice of her youthful appearance, the pretty features of her face and her blonde hair with keen eyes, a habit of observing people he hadn't been able to break. Of course, he'd never allowed himself to think of any woman as pretty besides Abigail in the fifteen years of their marriage. He turned his attention to the passing landscape outside his window, shutting down any thoughts of the woman and concentrating on Bill Williamson, the man he'd come to Armadillo to hopefully capture, but likely kill.
Bill had only been a pawn when John was part of Dutch's gang. A loudmouthed idiot who had cruel tendencies that even John found disturbing. Still, he'd been a sort of friend once under Dutch's rule and John would regret killing him. John had been directed to head to the saloon in Armadillo when he arrived and meet a man named Jake, who would lead him to Bill Williamson. He noted the woman with blonde hair being picked up by an older man in a wagon who she greeted warmly. Her father maybe? Or even her husband. It was a common enough practice for older widowers to marry woman young enough to be their daughter. He hoped not, for her sake. He shook his head once to clear it, a ball of guilt and shame weighing heavy in his gut. Whatever the woman's situation, it was no matter to John.
Jake was a talker, asking more questions than John was willing to answer. His replies were short and to the point, something that had never really changed in his life. He'd never been fond of idle chitchat, silence something he'd appreciated, though had less of than he'd liked sharing a life with Abigail. When Jake left him, cackling gleefully, John considered abandoning the entire thing. Fort Mercer was well fortified and he had no hope of actually compelling Bill to leave with him. But Jack was expecting his return.
It ended as well as he'd supposed, with a gunshot below his ribs and left to die. He crawled back towards the road, his only remaining thought was to return to Jack. He remembered falling unconscious with Jack's face in his mind, the boy's tears fresh on his face.
Sorry, Jack.
Just a brief prologue to introduce the story. I'll post the next chapter soon...Please let me know what you thought.
Just a warning. This story is possibly going to be very fluffy in the future. I can't help myself with these two.