I'm so sorry, I've had horrible writer's block with this chapter so that's why it took me so long to post. Anyway, review, fav, follow, and thanks for reading!

Chapter 19: The Day After

Arthur woke up the next morning with a naked Sam in his arms. They'd had sex a couple more times last night before finally retiring for the evening. Arthur gave the sleeping woman a small kiss on the mouth before climbing out of her cot and getting dressed in his summer gunslinger outfit. He put on his hat, gave Sam a kiss on the cheek and walked out. He stretched as he stood outside and let out a loud yawn. He was oh so incredibly satisfied right now and had a broad smile on his face. He walked over to Pearson's cart and grabbed an apple to bite into before going over to the pot to pour himself some coffee. As he did, the girls were smiling at him knowingly. Arthur eyed them skeptically.

"What?" he said with the apple still in his mouth.

"Nothin'," Mary-Beth said.

"How was your night, Arthur?" Tilly asked.

Arthur took a bite of his apple, barely able to contain the smile on his face. "Fine."

Karen, Tilly, Abigail, Sadie, and Mary-Beth started giggling. "Just fine?" Karen asked.

Arthur took a sip of his coffee. "Why do you ask?"

"Nothin'. We just uh...there was quite a bit of noise comin' from Miss Burke's tent last night."

Arthur chuckled, a blush creeping on the bridge of his nose. "Oh yeah? What kind of noise?"

"The good kind," Abigail said.

The girls started giggling again and Arthur shook his head. "Now ladies, I reckon you mighta been hearin' things."

"Oh, I heard plenty," Karen laughed.

The girls broke out into hysterics and Arthur felt his face grow hot with happy embarassment. "I ain't got a clue what you mean."

Mary-Beth sighed. "Oh stop teasin' him, girls. You know a gentleman doesn't kiss and tell."

"Doesn't kiss and tell what?" Javier asked as he walked over. "What are you women talkin' about?"

The women snickered amongst themselves and Arthur took another bite. "We're talkin' about Arthur and Sam finally gettin' together last night," Karen said.

"What?" Javier said in shock as he gaped at Arthur. "You and Sam?"

Arthur put on a blank face, or tried to as he drank from his coffee cup. He was in a very happy mood and there was no way he was going to let anything bring him down that morning. So, he inclined his head to Javier. Javier clapped a hand on Arthur's shoulder and laughed. "Ah, amigo. It's about time you had a woman. Does this mean Sam is goin' to stay with us now?"

Arthur shrugged. "I dunno, maybe?"

The girls bounced up and down happily while cheering. "Well, I hope she stays with us. I like her," Tilly said.

Arthur finished off his apple and coffee with a grin. "I like her too," he said with a chuckle.

Just then he spotted Dutch out by the shore and he excused himself from the girls and Javier before walking over to him. Dutch turned and smiled at him.

"How you doin', old friend?" Dutch asked Arthur.

"Fine," Arthur replied with a smile.

Dutch leaned back a little and smirked. "You sure seem in a good mood."

Arthur cackled. "That's because I am in a good mood, Dutch."

Dutch laughed, giving him a knowing look. "Well, it's funny, us endin' up down here. My daddy died in a field in Pennsylvania, fightin' this lot. I ever tell you that?"

"Many times..."

Dutch hmphed a little with a jerk of his head. "I see I'm borin' you, Arthur."

"Oh, I'm not bored, Dutch. Nothing's gonna bore me today."

Dutch laughed as he looked over the horizon of the lake. "We got the day. It's nice out." Dutch and Arthur started walking back off the shore into camp. "Old Hosea says there's a creek around here. I reckon it's full of fish."


Sam quietly woke from her slumber and stretched in her cot with a big grin on her face. Man, what a night she had with Arthur. She was as satisfied as a kitten full on its mother's milk. She went and put on brown pants, her black western boots, a black button down shirt, and her big valley hat. As she walked outside, she looked around at camp with a big smile on her face. Sam headed towards the breakfast pot to get some food and Micah came marching up to her.

"So, Miss Burke, I heard you and Arthur finally got together last night," he said with a sly grin.

"Huh. Guess word goes around fast here," she said, smiling to herself as she bowled some stew.

"When am I gonna be next?"

Sam stopped and looked at Micah in shock. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me."

Sam scoffed and stood up straight. "I believe nobody is next, Mr. Bell."

Micah laughed and rubbed his nose before putting his hands on his hips. "Oh, don't be like that. I know you like me."

Sam shook her head. "I despise you."

"You used to say that about Arthur."

"I was lying."

"So who's to say you ain't lyin' now?" Micah asked while getting too close to Sam for comfort. "How much for a night with you?"

Sam glared at him. "I don't know what gives you the impression that I'm a whore, Micah, but I'm not a whore. So you can take your offer and shove it right up your fucking ass."

Micah cackled and held his hands up. "Such a dirty little mouth. I like that."

Sam chuckled, grabbed the spoon from the pot, and tossed food in Micah's face with it. He backed up with a yell. "Fuck off, Micah!"

Micah went at her and Sam, still with a bowl of stew in her hand, pulled out her knife and put it to his throat. He held his hands up and started laughing. "Feisty little bitch, ain'tcha?"

"Damn right I am, now fuck off!" Micah backed up with a laugh and walked towards the lake. Sam shook her head and sheathed her knife before taking a bite of stew. "Fucking jackass..."


"Alright," Dutch said as Arthur rowed the boat to shore. "I think...I...well, I mean we...are gonna be okay." Hosea and Arthur got out of the boat and Dutch stood up. "I know...I always know," he said as he stepped out of the boat, "whenever I got you two by my side, things are gonna be just fine. This place will be good for us. For now, anyway."

"I hope so," Hosea said.

"Well, I am going to take in the view."

Hosea and Arthur started walking away. "I'll give these fish to Pearson."

Arthur nodded, looked around camp for Sam and spotted her brushing down Orion. He grinned and made his way over to her. Sam saw him and smiled. As he closed in, he put his hands on his gun belt and coughed almost uncomfortably. "Hi."

Sam smiled at him bashfully. "Hi."

Arthur looked at the ground and dug the tip of his boot in the dirt. "So, uh, how are you?"

"I'm good," she said. "And you?"

"I'm good. Real good," he said, giving her a smile.

She smiled back and they both looked away. "Where'd you head of to this morning?"

"Fishin' with Dutch and Hosea."

"Oh." Sam started digging in her fingernails and looking at them. "I uh...ahem, some of the girls teased me about all the noise we made last night."

Arthur chuckled. "Yeah, they they teased me too." He saw her cheeks redden and took a step forward. "I had a good time with you last night."

Sam looked at him with a surprised look. "You did?"

"Of course I did. Did you?"

"Yes. A very good time."

Arthur nodded. "Good." He felt unsure about what to do next, but he buckled down his nervousness and cleared his throat. "So, does this mean we're uh...back on?"

Sam giggled. "I should hope so, Arthur. If that's what you want, I mean."

"Oh, it is."

Sam grinned with a nod. "Then we're back on. At least until I...well..."

Arthur frowned. "You still want to go back?"

Sam made a regretful face and lowered her gaze. "Do you blame me?"

"No, but...I guess I was hopin' you'd want to stay after last night."

"You want me to stay?"

Arthur grabbed her hands and pulled them up to his chest. "Of course I do. Sam, you don't have to go off doin' anything dangerous here. I can..." Arthur lifted her chin to stare into her eyes. "I can protect you."

Sam looked at him and sighed. "You can't protect me from everything. And I certainly can't keep myself out of danger here...because I...well..."

Sam looked away but Arthur forced her to look at him. "What is it, Sam? Talk to me."

"...I like the danger. That's the problem. I know it's weird, but I do." Arthur huffed. He knew from the way he talked that her time back in 2020 was a lot safer, and part of him would be glad she'd be safe. But at the same time, he wanted to beg her not to go. He wanted to keep her at his side. Sam frowned at him. "Penny for your thoughts?"

Arthur shook his head. "Nothin', I was just...can you at least think about stayin'?

Sam sighed. "I'll think about it."

Arthur smiled gently at her. He looked at her hands and kissed one. "Good. Now, I talked to Hosea. He said he might find a score for you to help with in the local town, with some family called the Braithwaites, I believe."

Sam looked impressed. "Well, that was quick. We only just got down here."

"I know, but on our way to go fishin', we kinda got involved with the law. On the good side, for once. I helped chase a wanted man so now we're in a good spot."

Sam smirked and looked into his eyes. "Good. Should I go see Hosea about this?"

"If you want. But first..." Arthur grasped Sam in his arms and pulled her in close, kissing her softly. "You uh, wanna head to the tent?"

Sam giggled. "So Micah can harass me again later? No, let's go out and have some actual privacy."

Arthur narrowed his eyes, looking apoplectic. "He harassed you? When?"

"While you were gone. Asked when he was gonna be next, asked how much for a night with me, blah blah blah."

Arthur's eyes went wide. "That son of a bitch! Micah!" Arthur yelled as he turned around. "Micah, where are you!"

Sam grabbed Arthur's arm. "Don't worry about it, I fended him off."

"That's not the point, Sam!" he snapped, looking at her.

Sam sighed at him with a grin. "Well, what is the point?"

"The point is he shouldn't be disrespectin' you like that!"

Sam laughed and kissed his cheek. "I think he learned his lesson when I pulled my knife on him."

The corner of Arthur's mouth twitched into a smirk. "Oh really?"

"Yes. And threw food at his face."

Arthur burst out laughing and pulled Sam into a warm embrace, kissing her softly. "That's my girl."

Sam grinned and licked his lips which made him gasp and set his loins ablaze. "Damn right I am."

Arthur growled and gave her a deeper kiss. "God, you're so sexy."

"Thank you," she giggled.

Arthur kissed her once more and walked over to Mr. Pearson's cart with her to give him some fish. As they walked around camp, talking about what to do next, Mr. Strauss got Arthur's attention and Arthur sighed. "Well, maybe you better go see what Hosea has to say about things and I'll talk to Strauss."

Sam gave him a scolding look. "Alright. Just don't go beating people up."

"Yes ma'am."

Sam walked away to go find Hosea and Arthur walked to Mr. Strauss. "Ah, Herr Morgan," Strauss said.

"Herr Strauss," Arthur replied.

"How are you enjoying yourself here?"

"Well enough, I guess. And you?"

"Well, it turns out the pursuit of freedom is not a cheap business. Not for us and not for some of the locals."

"Sharkin' already?"

"I prefer to call it banking."

"You ain't the one handin' out the beatings."

"No, but I am the one feeding the women and children in the camp. What choice do we have, Mr. Morgan? Besides, I heard you didn't beat Mr. Downes like you were supposed to."

"Well, he was real sickly so..."

"Ah, is that so?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure it didn't have something to do with Miss Burke being mad at you?"

Arthur looked over at Sam who was talking to Hosea and he smiled a little before looking back at Strauss. "Ah, I don't know, I...well, come on, then. Tell me who."

"Here's the list," Strauss said while looking in his ledger. "Refinery worker turned hunter by the name of Winton Holmes. You'll find him up in the hills north of Strawberry. Ah, an apprentice undertaker. This one working in Rhodes...his name was Gwyn Hughes."

"And how many of them do you think will be able to pay?" Arthur asked.

"With enough encouragement, both of them," Strauss replied, chuckling.

Arthur nodded and walked away to go back to Sam. Before he was going to do any of that, he had some business with his woman in her tent. But then Sean called out to him. "Oh, hey Arthur."

Arthur went to him. "Yeah?"

"So," Sean said, rolling up a map. "Tell me...is your people, err, Jacobites or English lovers, Arthur?" Sean asked while crossing his arms.

"My people were peasants. We had no time for politics."

"My dad would say that no politics was politics."

"That old world bullshit, it ain't got no place here."

"Why? Because there ain't no judgment here? Most folks hate the Negroes, they hate the Redskins, the Jews...even us Irish. Heh, you ain't so free of politics."

"I hate everyone just the same," Arthur argued lightly.

"Well, in that case, you're gonna want what I just found for us."

"What's that?" Arthur asked, feeling intrigued.

"I was ridin' around a couple days back...and I come across this old cabin. Couple of fuckers lazin' about outside...all liquored up. Heh heh heh, I didn't think nothin' of it, but then I come across this hunter down by the river, and he tells me that they're a stuck-up crew. Says they hit a train a couple of days back near Emerald Ranch. Nice feller, he was, shared a bottle we did. Then I robbed the bastard blind, heh heh heh!"

"And you believed him?" Arthur asked skeptically.

"No reason not to. If he's right, it'll be a big haul for us. I saw three of them, maybe more. But I reckon you and me, we could take them real easy."

Arthur nodded in approval. "Alright. What the hell...let's go check it out," he said with a gentle slap to Sean's arm.

"Heh heh, them sons of bitches think they're mean, haha, they're about to get a lesson in mean!"

The two started walking to their horses. "You just keep your cool, you hear me?"