They had been at the camp outside of Saint Denis for a few days now, Arthur regaining his strength spelt but surely and moving around camp more and more each day. Most of his time was spent sitting at the game table either actually playing games or making sarcastic comments to everyone at any chance he got.

Dutch had still been talking to Micah and it seemed their conversations always happened when she wasn't within ear shot to hear them. She figured that that detail was the doing of Micah, lurking around, always waiting for her to leave Dutch's side. It wasn't like she could cling to him constantly, that would be ridiculous.

...

Another week went by, then a few more days and it was truly great to see Arthur back to normal and with a trimmed beard. Actually, he had made the decision to shave his beard, leaving himself with only a moderately thick mustache. It admittedly looked pretty good.

"Where's Jack?!" Abigail ran past Celina, nearly knocking her back into the house as she tried to make her way through the door.

Celina caught her balance though and looked at Abigail with shock on her face, "Did you just ask where Jack is?"

Abigail nodded, her breathing heavy and frantic, "He's gone, I can't- I can't find him anywhere!"

Celina's mouth gaped open for a moment. How could that be? She shook her head, "He's got to be around here somewhere, Abigail. He couldn't have just disappeared."

"Yea," she sniffled and was starting to cry.

Celina took a deep breath, she was terrible at comforting people and truly, it made her feel rather uncomfortable to see someone crying, "Hey," she pulled her into a gentle hug, "I'm going to talk to John, ok?"

Abigail nodded and sniffled again as they pulled away. Celina immediately hurried out of the house and tried to ignore everyone hustling about, looking for the gang's youngest member. She immediately looked around for John, locating him speaking to Dutch. Picking up her pace, she approached them, not caring about interrupting, "John,-"

"You," Dutch pointed an accusing finger at her, "Did you tell those boys to go forth with the theft of those horses and destruction of those fields?"

Celina's eyes widened, that's what happened, that's what would have had to happen in order for Jack to have been taken. She shook her head, taken aback that Dutch would have even asked her that question, "Of course I didn't order that to happen. I don't give the orders around here, Dutch. You do."

John stared at Celina and Dutch, his eyes flicking between the two of them, "Micah said that you had talked Dutch right out of it. That you wanted this done and went to him about that." He lowered his voice, "Why would you want that to happen when you knew what would happen to Jack? I don't know how you know-"

"I never wanted that!" Celina's voice raised to a yell, attracting looks of interest and she took a deep breath, lowering her voice again, "You guys do realize that Micah is the one who told you this, right?" Celina shook her head, "John, common, why would I do something like this and then ask you if you trusted Micah and reveal to you what I did? Think."

John grew quiet as he thought about what Celina pointed out and Celina took the chance to address Dutch, "I didn't do this, Dutch." She laughed humorlessly, "Micah must have set me up. I told you. I think he knows and I told you before that he's the rat. Why is it so hard for you to believe that? You've known him for all of maybe nine months."

The leader crossed his arms, "And I've known you for all of three months."

Her eyes widened and she stepped forward, "Dutch, please. I love you. Think about this, please." When Dutch didn't seem willing, Celina looked over at John, "John, are you with me? I have literally no motive in this and you said yourself that you don't trust Micah."

"That man has been nothing but loyal." Dutch said, nodding to Micah who was across camp looking as panicked as anyone else, "How do I know that you're on our side?"

"On your side?" Celina huffed in exasperation, "How do you know I'm on your side?" She nodded, hardly being able to believe the situation she found herself in, "Listen to you. Have I ever done anything to make you doubt that I want anything but the best for the lot of you? Ever?" When he didn't respond, Celina pulled at her hair, "You were fine trusting me up until now. Until Micah accused me of this to throw the heat off of himself." She narrowed her eyes as she stared up at Dutch, "This has been what he's been talking to you about, isn't it? Whispering things in your ear about me? All leading up to this huge blow."

Dutch looked like he wanted to say something, but Celina didn't care, didn't give him the chance, "You're a damn good actor, Dutch. I would have never guessed this was how you really felt about me."

John was watching the exchange silently, clearly unsure of that to do, let alone even think. There were probably others trying to hear the conversation that had both Dutch and Celina's faces redenned in anger but neither of them cared to pay the rest of the gang any attention at the moment.

Dutch finally spoke, and when he did, it was steady, almost eerily calm, "I know that you are from the future, Miss Knoll... but where's the proof that you haven't been here for a bit longer than you revealed? How do we know you aren't working for the Pinkertons, or worse, the O'Driscolls?!" The look on his face was near murderous, hateful enough to make Celina take a step back.

Tears pricked at her eyes and she shook her head again, pointing at him, "This is all it takes, huh? Micah worms his way into your head and all of a sudden the woman who has offered you nothing but love and companionship is seen as your enemy. Think, D-Dutch." She choked on his name, tears began streaming down her face.

"You are sick." It was Micah's voice which was heard next and Celina shot him a look that held so much hate, by all rights it would have killed him if looks could do such a thing.

Her whole body felt like pins and needles, her hand shook with nerves as she ground out her words, "I know what you did, Micah. You go straight to hell."

Micah looked unphased and pointed at himself, "Me?" He shook his head, "No, how I remember it, it was you who asked me to go ahead and do this with the plantation houses. I didn't question it." He held his hands up in feigned innocence, "I didn't think I could trust you but I thought you were just... I don't know. I didn't expect something like this to happen from listening to you."

She set her jaw, "I never said such thing. Even if I would have, why would you go against Dutch like that? That proves right there you're not loyal to him."

John finally spoke up again, glancing around at everyone who was in close proximity to see their attention for the most part had been taken away from looking for Jack and instead trying to be nosy about what was going on, "Micah, you did actually try to convince us that the orders had originally come from Dutch...'

Dutch took a step back to study Micah for any sign that that was the truth, "Is that so?"

Micah nodded quickly, "It was, Dutch. I just really thought that if we could get away with doing this, it would be the nail in the coffin for her and everyone else would see her for how and who she is." He shifted his gaze to Celina, pride swelling in his chest that maybe, just maybe he would get Dutch to side with him. Really, all of this manipulating was making him quite a lot of money from both the Pinkertons and O'Driscolls. Not only that, but it was fun as he ever had it, "Think Dutch, how many times has things went bad where she's concerned and how fast has she been to always point a finger at me?"

Dutch's expression was once again unreadable, "Once. Other than this, once."

Micah raised a brow, "Are you willing to see how many more times it happens, Dutch? Or are you going to cut her loose?"

Celina swallowed, how was she supposed to make a life for herself in the year she was in? It was 1899 for crying out loud and she really didn't have any experience in living in the current year. Even if she did, getting kicked out of the gang? Her heart broke at the thought. She loved the gang, she would not ever do anything to harm them. The thought of them believing otherwise was like a stab to the gut. Again, she opened her mouth, "Before you make any decisions, Dutch... why don't we go find the boy?"

Dutch looked over at her, the expression on his face incredibly troubled but he nodded, "Where would you presume to look first?"

Celina bit her lip nervously, she couldn't just outright tell them Angelo Bronte's mansion... Micah was standing right there, "I would start with either the Grays or the Braithwaites, doesn't matter who, gotta be one of them though. Nothing else would make sense."

Dutch nodded, everything about him was screaming tension. She could tell that he didn't know who to believe, her, or Micah. More tears pricked at her eyes she was going to kill Micah before he did anything more to hurt her family. She would have to do it soon too... and she would need help.

"Well," Dutch gestured to John, "Let's get everyone rounded up and get going. We don't want to waist a second when it comes to getting Jack back."

John nodded, "Thank you, Dutch."

Dutch's eyes scanned the camp for all of his fighters as he walked out in the direction the horses were kept, "Boys, we're paying Mrs. Braithwaite a visit. Mount up and let's go get Jack back."

Micah stared at Celina as she tried to head out with the rest of them, "Where do you think you're going?"

She lifted her lip at him in an involuntary snarl, "Where do you think I'm going? I'm coming to get Jack back with the rest of you."

Micah looked her up and down slowly before running his tongue over his lips in a predatory way, "I don't think you have any balls, girl. So, unless you want to show me, I'd say you need to stay at the house with the other women."

Celina flicked him off and started to walk towards her horse anyway, she would be right there beside everyone else as they shot the Braithwaite mansion to he'll for taking Jack. It surprised her when Dutch was the next one to say something, "Did you not hear him? You'll stay here."

Celina froze in her tracks and looked up at him to see him mounted on his horse, looking at her with a look of finality on his face. She raked her hand through her hair, "Dutch," she laughed lightly, she couldn't believe how the day was going, "Please, you know I can shoot pretty well. I can be of help."

Hosea looked over at Dutch as did Arthur, the oldest was the one to speak, "Don't you think she should come along? We don't exactly know what we're walking into, Dutch. One extra gun could make all the difference."

Dutch shook his head, "She will set this one out. I need to think without her hovering over my shoulder."

Celina clenched her jaw tightly, was this really how it was going to go? Was Micah going to start turning the group against her one by one? Was he going to cost her the family she loved more than anything. The family that she would so quickly lay her life down for. She shook her head and the words she said hardly made their way out of her mouth as she kept her gaze locked on the dark brown eyes she loved so much, "Ok. Have it your way then."

It was in that moment that she realized she may have to choose between saving Dutch's life and having him love her. She forced herself to break eye contact with him and turned on her heel before heading back into the house. Only after she had her back to the boys did she allow tears to begin steaming down her face again.

She passed Molly without paying the slightest attention to her, dodging away from her touch when she went to lay a gentle hand on her shoulder. She felt like if anyone tried to touch her at all in the state she was in then she would break their finger. No questions asked.

Pushing the door open, she hurried upstairs to the room Dutch and herself shared keeping her composure for the most part before making her way through bedroom doors just in time before all the pieces crumbled despite herself. She fell to her knees, hitting them hard on the wooden floor and just like that, the dam had broken and she was crying and crying and crying.

Her whole frame shook with the force of her sobs. She cried so hard that the tension in her chest was so intense that it was truly painful, it seeming almost impossible for her to draw in a deep enough breath to begin breathing properly.

Somehow in her brokenness she managed to make her way to the bed which she and Dutch had shared just the night before. She climbed onto the bed, curling into a ball in the center of it and clutching the sheets helplessly. Micah was worming his way into Dutch's head and could she really do anything about it? She feared no.

She thought back to the look on Dutch's face, in his eyes when he had accused her of possibly partnering with the O'Driscolls and/or Pinkertons. As if she would ever do such a thing. Did he really think that she would be capable of that? Was that what he thought of her. How that must make him feel... how that made her feel to think about how that must make him feel if, indeed that was how he felt.

Unless, she tried to look on the bright side, what if Dutch was doing what they had agreed to do in the Canoe with Hosea and Arthur and pretend to trust Micah? She wanted to believe that so badly but she knew that it wasn't true. She could tell that it wasn't true. Micah had really, truly gotten Dutch to start, or at least consider starting to actually trust him.

She was going to lose him.

Upon hearing the door creak open, she immediately forced herself to quit crying, she didn't want anyone to see her in the state she was in. She felt stupid for acting so weak but she couldn't help it if she were being honest with herself. She felt as if she were stuck on the sidelines as she watched her worst nightmare play out before her very eyes.

"Celina?" The voice belonged to Sadie Adler, she had been left behind with Celina and the other women.

Celina wiped at her eyes, in attempt to dry her tears, when she said she didn't want anyone to see her in the state she was in, Sadie was no exception. She sniffled, there was no way she was going to get herself under control in time to keep Sadie noticed she was currently a mess. In fact, it seemed that the woman older than herself had come to check on her for for the very reason of knowing she was distraught. She responded in the most collected tone she could currently muster, "I don't really feel like talking now, Sadie."

The woman didn't move from the doorway, "You don't have to talk about it but I just wanted to let you know that Abigail saw how Dutch was being towards you... we didn't exactly hear what was being said but we didn't need to to know that whatever it was wasn't... wasn't good. Are you ok?"

The young woman forced herself to sit up on the bed, not bothering to try and hide her redenned face, "No, I'm really not ok... at all. I love Dutch, but right now I just..." She shook her head. Was allowing herself to love the charismatic leader just setting herself up for heartbreak?

"Well," Sadie shifted her weight, "I know how men can be sweetie. My Jakie and I, God rest his soul were always sweet on eachother but that didn't mean we didn't fight. That said, how Dutch-" she stopped herself, obviously unclear on how she wanted to word what it was she had to say, "Jake never acted like what it looked like Dutch was acting like towards me. If you-"

Celina shook her head, "Dutch wouldn't ever hit me. But I know, Jake sounds like he was a special man." She sniffled, "I think Dutch is a good man- he can be a good man I should say." She wondered for a moment if she would ever see him be the man that she believed he could be... the man which Arthur had described prior to the boat incident in Blackwater.

"I've seen him be a good man." Sadie nodded in agreement, "He and Arthur rescued me from where those awful O'Driscolls had... Dutch and Arthur rescued me and I know I would be dead somewhere right now if it hadn't been for them."

The question she wanted to ask came flying out of her mouth, "Do you trust Micah?"

Sadie looked at her as if she were crazy, "Do I trust Micah? I don't trust that greasy man any further than I can throw him."

Celina nodded, "Can I say something to you in confidence?"

"Sure."

Celina picked at the bedsheets for a moment as she thought about what she was going to say. She only hoped that she wouldn't be shooting herself in the foot by saying what she was about to, "I really think something should be done about a man like Micah."

Sadie's eyes widened in surprise and she entered the room the rest of the way before shutting the door behind herself, "Something should be done about him as in you want to see him hang?"

The younger shrugged carelessly, "Hang, be buried alive... burned to death, death by a thousand cuts... It really don't matter to me how he goes, but he needs to go and soon. I know how he is, Sadie and he is going to be the death of this gang... this, family if something isn't done about him. He's getting into Dutch's head, keeping him from thinking clearly. That's what today was about, Micah going behind his back and taking out the Grays tobacco fields and stealing the Braithwaites horses. You know, he told Dutch, John and whoever else helped with that that I was the one who wanted it done... that I had talked Dutch out of it just to turn around and give the orders to go through with it myself."

Sadie was listening intently, so Celina continued to build her case, "What reason would I have for doing something like that? And the worse part is it seems that Dutch doesn't know who to believe, Micah or myself." She shook her head, "I just can't believe Micah's incredible ability to manipulate Dutch. He's going to drive him insane, Sadie. I need your help to stop him. I can't watch the people I love fall. Not again..."

She raised a brow at her and Celina silently cursed to herself for letting the cat out of the bag by accident, "Again?"

She rolled her eyes, might as well show her now, Sadie didn't seem to be the type to go around talking to everyone about what she told her... or showed her. With that thought Celina rolled up her right sleeve and pulled off her glove, extending her hand to Sadie so she could clearly see the marks on her skin.

Sadie stepped closer to her to get a better look at the tattoos, "What's that from?"

Once again, she found herself explaining her tattoos, "They're a form of self-expression... permanite body art of the future... I have them because I came here from the future." She studied her face for any sign that she was being close-minded towards what she was telling her. "I came here from 2018 actually... don't know how or why I got here. All I know is that I'm here now and that I know a lot about what we're going to possibly be faced with in the near future. I know that something needs to be done about Micah. If you care about the boys at all, please help me." The look on her face was one of hope, her complexion beginning to return to normal due to the fact she had finally stopped crying.

Sadie was quiet for a moment as she let or tried to let everything Celina had said to her sink in. She shook her head with a small smile, it wasn't that anything was funny or that she didn't believe her, just that all the information she had been bombarded by was a lot. Almost too much to process, "So you're from the future."

Celina nodded, she felt stupid in that moment, really, how crazy did that sound to tell someone that she's from the future and insist that something needed to be done with Micah? She just hoped that Sadie would believe her and not let anyone else know about the conversation they were having.

Sadie finally spoke again, "You know, you're lucky you have those... tattoos because if they weren't there like they are there's no way I would believe you." She stared at them for a moment more before reaching out and touching the gun on her forearm gently, "Seeing them with my own eyes..." She nodded, "I'm going to have to believe you.." She stuck her tongue into the side of her cheek for a brief moment in thought, "What are we going to do about Micah?"

...

A/N: So, this is officially the longest chapter yet! Kinda excited about posting it for that reason alone. Anyway, a lot of drama and angst in this one, Micah had been working on Dutch for the last week or so and Dutch isn't sure of what or who he should be believing at this point. As we all know, Micah unfortunately has a way of whispering in Dutch's ear in a way which makes Dutch believe him.

Someone blow Micah's brains out now ?

But the question came up if I'm now making updates every two days and I can't really answer that question. Sometimes there might be a day with no new chapter, sometimes I'll be on a kick where I pump out a new one every day. Just depends on that thing called life as well as motivation lol.

Hope you all enjoyed the new chapter and as usual, I love reading your comments so keep them coming!

Disclaimer: I do not own Red Dead Redemption 1 or 2 or anything associated with it.