Arthur felt numb once he saw his house. Abigail and Charlotte must have been working on the garden, with several pristine garden beds set up and ready for planting. There was a new wooden fence and chicken coop just away from the house which hadn't been there before, with several chickens clucking away.

Two wagons of lumber were stationed by the house as well. He hadn't ordered any more - John must have taken the initiative and done it himself.

Despite the new changes, Arthur was glad to be back, for Sadie's sake. He and Sadie had taken their time returning, not saying much to each other, but not doing much, either. Arthur was still debating on how contagious tuberculosis actually was. Mr. Downes had coughed directly into Arthur's face - he remembered that moment very well. Arthur had been making sure to cough away from Sadie; he would have to keep vigilant with that.

Even touching her scared him, but the amount of times he and Sadie had touched so far in their relationship, he was surprised she hadn't developed it. Maybe the infection wasn't transferred by touch. Maybe it was. Arthur didn't know and had still refused to touch her.

It made Sadie unhappy and upset with him. He didn't want to risk her catching it - it was his sin, and his alone.

Arthur hitched his horse on the newly built fence outside the house. He noticed a half built fence down the hill, nearly surrounding the pond. It would be suitable to host the horses.

"Uncle Arthur!"

He started and turned to face the boy who came darting out of the house. "Stop right there, Jack. Let me come to you."

Jack stopped in his tracks and looked confused. "Okay."

Arthur sighed and gathered his pack. "You go say hi to Sadie, okay?"

Sadie had gotten off her horse and held out her arms for Jack, who came running for a quick hug. "How you been?" Sadie asked him and led him into the house.

Arthur gritted his teeth and wandered away from the house. He planned to sleep outside, away from everyone. He would have to set up his tent before night fell. There had been a campfire built on a flat spot away from the back of the house. He would set up there.

John met him on his way over, sporting a gruff beard. "Welcome back. Whatchu doin?"

"Settin' up my tent."

John looked to the house and back to Arthur, his eyebrows raised. "Sadie kick you out?"

"No."

"Well…" John trailed off. "Charles is still here. You wandered inside?"

"No." Arthur set down his pack and laid out his tent. He could feel John's gaze burning on him. As he moved to set out the tent, John went to help without question.

"You… okay?"

Arthur felt a cough building in his chest. He took a step back and hacked into his shoulder. He had woken up with his lungs feeling heavy as if it was full of water - except it was small bits of blood he coughed out. Once the episode passed, he wiped his mouth with a cloth and put it in his pocket.

Charles made his way over from the trees, his dark hair tied back and his sleeves pulled up as if he had been working hard physically. Arthur guessed the new fence had been his doing. "Arthur, I'm glad you returned. You okay?"

"I'm…" Arthur had contemplated many a time how to tell them. It wouldn't stay a secret, not if he had to live here. Sadie had agreed to relay the message if she had a chance to, which she was most likely telling Abigail right now. He put a hand on his belt and scratched his beard. "I ain't good." Not only it was the infection, but Arthur was missing his cigarettes. He hadn't had a taste for them recently as his lungs had protested, yet he had been craving them like hell. He had attempted smoking several times and always wound up disgusted with himself.

"I can see that," John said curtly. "What's wrong with you?"

Charles crossed his arms. "You've lost weight."

Arthur looked away. "I've tb. That's it."

John blinked several times in disbelief. "Ho-how? Do you-"

"Mr. Downes. When I acted as a loanshark for Strauss. He had it, coughed in my face. I been gettin' sick ever since."

There was a pause. "I'm sorry, Arthur-" Charles began.

"I ain't askin' for your pity," Arthur snapped. He had been holding the tent pole in his hands - he tossed it to the ground in frustration and stormed off to the woods.

His property was several acres - he and Sadie had marked it off with rope around the nearest trees. They had planned locations for a stable where they could host and possibly breed horses. Planned to build a larger garden somewhere in the forest. Planned to create stone paths and even plant flowers. Flowers. Arthur had never thought of doing something like that in his entire life.

And now he was angry he never would. A part of him wished he would just die already - but a bigger part of him wished he could stay with Sadie and ignore everything and keep working for the life they had wanted.

John and Charles had followed him. "Arthur, come see your house," Charles was saying. He caught up to the larger man and yanked him to a stop. "See what we've done."

"Charles and I have been hard at work - we been waitin' for your approval before we continue," John added.

"My approval ain't needed much anymore," Arthur spat, but nevertheless followed them to the house. They went through the backdoor and Arthur instantly understood why they had wanted him inside.

Brand new furniture filled the house, along with carpets, side tables, and simple decor of painting and flowers. He went into the bathing room first and found it had a large tub, stool, and mirror, along with a wooden closet in the room. He wandered over to the window and touched the new drapes over the window. He had never owned drapes before.

These were all items he and Sadie had browsed over while they had been in St. Denis.

He walked out and went to his and Sadie's room. His heart nearly jumped out of his chest. There was a full size bed, made up with plush blankets and pillows. One large dresser sat in the corner, a deep mahogany set that matched the wood of the bed. There was a rocking chair in the other corner, right next to a wooden crib.

A crib.

Arthur felt light headed and stumbled forward. He found himself caught by Charles, who helped him over to the bed. He felt his whole world swirling - they hadn't planned a crib. No, it had not been a part of their discussion. No. Arthur snuck a glance at the crib again and felt himself go weak.

Charles left the room and Sadie wandered in, her face pale. She shut the door behind her and leaned against it.

"Why we got a crib?" Arthur asked, his voice tight. He wanted to hear that it was only just in case they would have had a kid. Maybe…

"I wanted it to be a surprise," Sadie said, tears in her eyes. She held her stomach. "It would have been happy news, under different circumstances. I'm pregnant, Arthur."

"How… how long?"

"I suspected it when we were in St Denis. I'm almost two months along, now."

"You…" Arthur could barely form the words. "I put you… at risk, durin' the fightin'? You knew?"

"I couldn't let it stop me," Sadie retorted. "If I had died, well, then you wouldn't've had to mourn your child, too."

" Sadie. " Arthur rubbed his hands over his face and let out a shaky breath. He was so tired. And yet, his heart was pounding with joy and anguish at the same time. If he had known months ago, he would have tried to stop her from fighting the O'Driscolls. Yet he knew he would not have been able to stop her from leaving. It would have had the same outcome.

And now his child would grow up without a father.

Sadie closed the distance between them and put her arms around him and held him to her chest. "You ain't gonna die, Arthur. You ain't. You are gonna grow old and see your child."

Despite him not wanting to touch her, he leaned in and closed his eyes. He wrapped his arms around her back and held her tight. "It ain't that simple. I'm a dyin' man-"

"Don't. Don't do this to me, Morgan. We are gonna continue livin' our lives. We are gonna build our stable, our gardens."

Arthur took a deep breath and pushed her away. He kept her at arm's length. "You ain't been sick?" He didn't know much about pregnancy, but Abigail had been sick for the longest time with Jack. And he hadn't even been there for most of Eliza's pregnancy.

Sadie shook her head. "No. I been feelin' off, though. I missed my courses, twice now. And I always been on time. When we left St. Denis, I suspected it and told Charlotte to get a crib, in case. If it turned out to be wrong… well, it would have been for our future child. I ain't showin' yet, but…"

"I am… I'm at loss for words." Arthur stood up and wandered over to the window. The view offered a glimpse at the pond.

"You… happy?"

"I am. Let me be clear on that." Arthur still didn't look at her. He was happier than anything right then. "I wish I could hold you, celebrate with you… but it ain't that easy. It just ain't. I'll stay here, help build the ranch. I'll support you and our child, until…"

"Until nothin'!"

"Don't. Not right now, Sadie."

Sadie huffed. "Abigail's fixin' dinner. I'd like you to join us."

"I have to finish settin' up my tent." Arthur pulled his hat down and brushed by Sadie to open the door. He avoided her touch and went outside. There was still more of the house to see, more questions about who bought the furniture, who he'd have to pay back -

But all he did was wander to the woods and grieve for the life he was going to miss.

Eventually he found out from Charles that Sadie had purchased half the furniture with her own money; Charlotte had loaned money to cover the rest with the promise it would be paid back. Sadie explained it was a money stash she had gotten while a part of the gang. Her share hadn't been much. Before she had left St. Denis, she had left a long list and the money with Charlotte, who went to buy everything along with Charles' help. John had ordered lumber to make fences and hitch posts for the horses. The chicken coop had been their first build.

Arthur chose to divy up the O'Driscoll money between him, John and Charles, meaning a couple thousand for each. Charlotte was reimbursed for buying the furniture. Sadie would have full control of the money and Arthur made sure she knew of it. It would keep her safe and comfortable for a few years.

Charlotte never questioned where the money came from. She was happy to see Arthur back, but devastated upon the news of his infection. She made herself available when she could, when she wasn't taking care of her own house. Charles also chose to stay with her, as she had a spare room for him.

Despite Arthur coughing every now and then, each day became easier for him. He kept at an arm's length from everyone, but helped where he could. The fence for the horses was completed within a few days.

Every night he would retreat to his tent, each night being harder than the next. He ached to have Sadie beside him at night. He missed kissing her goodnight, missed her fire. Yet still she would be with him at his campfire for dinner, her spirit optimistic.

One night, Arthur came back with two tiny fish ready to cook. It had been a day where he hadn't felt like moving much, so he had resorted to fishing which didn't require much movement. The fish weren't brag worthy, but they were enough to feed him and Sadie.

She was already prepping the campfire when he approached. She wore a simple skirt with a light jacket, and her hair was let down. Arthur's heart fluttered when he saw her as it always did. How he had gotten so lucky with her, he didn't know. Her new knowledge of her pregnancy seemed to bring a glow about her - her smile radiated happiness.

Yet he could see it falter a smidge when she saw him, replaced with a flicker of worry. She hid her worry well.

"Brought us dinner," Arthur said once he was close. He went to his makeshift table - the one he had attempted to build as a dinner table - and grabbed his knife to gut the fish.

Sadie came to stand by him. "They so tiny. You shoulda let me come with you."

"Wanted to impress you," Arthur said. He poked one of the fish with the knife. "I take it they didn't do a good job?"

Sadie chuckled. "Oh, they did, for sure."

"I tried."

She placed a hand on his shoulder. It was about the most contact he had been allowing. "You done good. I've some beans cookin'. Best we get the fish cookin', too."

Arthur had argued many times she should be eating inside with the others, but he had lost that argument every time. He cut open the fish and began prepping it.

"We got a letter from Mary-Beth today," Sadie mentioned as she walked over to the fire where the beans were cooking. She grabbed a spoon and stirred it. "She and Kieran are doin' well. They expect to get married in January and want us there."

"Surprised they ain't done it earlier."

"Well… she mentioned they wanna have a little bit of money saved up. She apparently got in contact with an author somewhere - she might become a real writer sometime soon, from what she said."

"You know I snuck up to her wagon and read a few of her stories?"

"You didn't!"

Arthur nodded. "Several times. Silly little romances. Still, she has talent. Always knew she was meant for more, and I glad she got out when she did. Dutch was startin' to be keen with her, ya know."

"Ugh. Poor Mary-Beth."

"Wish we coulda helped Karen."

"She will find her way, I know it."

"Into a ditch, more like."

"Arthur," Sadie chided. "That ain't nice."

"Life ain't nice." Arthur grabbed the meat and went over to the pan on the fire. He placed the fish in the pan, which began sizzling in response.

Sadie wrinkled her nose. "How fresh were those fish?"

"Caught 'em today."

"They smell awful." Sadie held a hand over her mouth.

Arthur leaned forward to smell the fish. "They smell... normal?"

"I'm gonna… just go over here." Sadie turned and wandered off to a tree. She gripped the side of the tree, leaned over and vomited.

"Oh!" Arthur went to her and started rubbing her back. "You okay?"

"The baby don't like fish," Sadie huffed and spat out the last of the vomit. "Oh, that smells horrible."

"I'll get rid of it, hold on." Arthur ran to the fish and scooped them up with a utensil. He ran to the small pen they had recently built meant for pigs. John had picked up a small pig just yesterday and already Jack had named it Runt - which meant Jack was already attached. They would deal with that mess later if they decided to have Runt for dinner. Jack would be terribly upset. For now, Runt would have a treat of fish.

Once that was done, he jogged back and found Sadie sitting cross legged on the ground by the fireplace. She handed him a bowl of beans. "You coulda ate the fish," she pointed out. "You need it more than I do."

"Naw. I'm good with this," Arthur said and accepted the bowl of beans. He sat down next to Sadie and had a spoonful of the beans. "So… baby don't like fish."

"For now. It could change, I guess. That's what Abigail was tellin' me."

Arthur mused as he ate. "You scared, Sadie?"

"Terrified, Arthur. I ain't… so many things could go wrong, you know? We buildin' a new house, a new life. And now we brought a baby into this."

"We did." Arthur reached over and squeezed her hand. "I just wish… it were better circumstances, ya know? I don't… I dunno if I'll be able to hold… to hold my child. It ain't fair to you, Sadie. It ain't."

"Don't say that," Sadie replied lightly. "You right, it ain't fair. But this is what we were dealt, Arthur Morgan. I ain't gonna give up. And neither should you."

"I'm here until…" Arthur stopped and pulled his hand away. He didn't want to say it out loud. The possibility of Sadie having to raise their child by herself was a difficult thought and he choked on the words.

"Don't be too hard on yourself, Arthur. Now, eat up. I was warmin' some bread, too."

Arthur accepted a roll she held out. He took a deep breath and let out a cough he had been hiding. He stood and left until the coughing fit was over, and spat out the small bit of blood he could feel in his mouth. His coughing fits were getting worse by the day, and he hated it. Hated that it was shortening his time with Sadie, and now, his child. Nevertheless, he went back to the campfire as if it didn't happen.

Before Sadie left for the night, she gave Arthur a kiss on the cheek. She respected his wishes of not wanting to be touched, but always made sure to kiss him on the cheek and express her love for him. Afterwards, Arthur crawled into his tent and stared at his house he never thought he would own - a house he could not live in.

That's when he realized it had never meant to be. The outlaw Arthur Morgan would never be allowed happiness, no matter how much he had wanted it.

The next morning he was woken by John. He was dressed in only his jeans and a half closed shirt. "You might wanna come inside," John said with a worried tone.

"What wrong?" Arthur shot up from his cot and grabbed his pair of jeans. He had them on in a second and went to follow John to the house barefoot.

"Sadie woke up pretty bad," John replied. Despite John usually having a controlled face, he was frowning. "Charlotte's supposed to drop by this mornin', we might have to ask her what she thinks. She healed you right?"

"Sadie's sick?" Arthur's body screamed at him to stop moving, to take a break even though he had just woken up. He halted by the front door and coughed into his hand. Once it was over, he went inside and to Sadie's room.

Abigail sat in the room and looked slightly pleased to see him. "So it gotta take Sadie bein' sick to get you in here, does it?"

"You know I can't risk spreading the infection - how is she?"

"I'm fine," Sadie said, though her voice was weak. Arthur could see sweat on her forehead, her face whiter than usual. "Just a fever, that's all."

"A fever," Arthur repeated to himself. "No coughin'?"

Sadie shook her head.

"The baby?"

"Should be fine. I ain't bleedin', or nothin'."

"Still, we will keep a close eye on you," Abigail said and pulled the blanket up close to Sadie's chin. "You been workin' too hard. Your body is tellin' you to rest."

Arthur wanted to be right there, to hold her hand. But he knew to hold off. "Sadie, I'll run with Charlotte to get you some medicine. Abigail, please take care of her."

"You can count on me." Abigail smiled at him.

Arthur and Sadie shared one last loving look, with him admiring her chocolate brown eyes, how he loved them and her freckles - then he left to his tent to get dressed. Charlotte knew of some herbs and where to find them. She'd know what to do.

An hour later, he and Charlotte were on the road meant for Annesburg, though they had no intention of heading that far. Charlotte had her hair pulled back and a rifle over her shoulder; she had much changed from the city woman Arthur had first met her.

"It's just a fever," Charlotte was saying as she pulled her horse off the side of the road. They were surrounded by lush forest and all sort of plant life. "All we gotta do is keep her cool and let it work itself out. Peppermint tea can work wonders with it. We just gotta find the mint, first."

"I'll keep lookin'." Arthur wasn't the best plant forager but had done decent enough in the past. He walked a ways from Charlotte and led Roy with him, as they tried to comb the area for it. Peppermint was one of the many items Abigail had talked of growing; she had borrowed a book from Charlotte about planting gardens and had John read it to her.

Arthur had been enjoying seeing all of them come up with new ideas of how to survive. Even John had seemed excited. It had taken him awhile to get used to the idea of leaving the van der Linde gang behind, but after awhile, he had embraced being free from the gang.

"There you are," he murmured as he spied the fragrant mint plant. He leaned down and started pecking at the stems.

"Arthur Morgan! Fancy meeting you up here out in the middle of nowhere."

Arthur knew that voice and went very still. He felt a cold object to his chin and looked out of the corner of his eye. Agent Milton, accompanied by Agent Ross. Ross held his rifle to Arthur's neck, a wild glint in his eyes.

"Do I know you?" Arthur asked calmly. He hoped Charlotte wasn't around - hoped they hadn't noticed her with him. She was nowhere to be seen. He doubted she had turned him in. That wasn't like her.

Agent Milton laughed bitterly. He hadn't changed - still dressed in a well cut suit of black and red. Still possessed a manner of pretentiousness. "Oh, come now, Mr. Morgan. No tricks or games this time. We want Dutch, and you're gonna help us get him."

"I ain't seen him for sometime now."

"Is that so?"

"'Fraid so. Guess you gotta let me go"

Agent Milton regarded him aloofly. "You ain't the only van der Linde we caught recently. Eventually, we will make one of you talk."

That worried Arthur immensely, yet he kept his poker face. It could be anyone at this point - everyone was so spread out.

"Stand up, Mr. Morgan. You're coming with us."

Arthur didn't like that one bit. His palms turned sweaty as he readied himself to reach for his pistols. Adrenaline rushed through him as he grabbed his pistol and aimed it upwards to Ross, only to be met with a rifle butt to the front of his face. His body gave up way too quickly - his limbs were weak and his reaction time was slow.

He landed backwards and triggered into a coughing fit. Ross brought down the rifle once more against his face, nearly knocking him senseless. Once again Arthur found his arms and legs bound and he was tossed onto the back of a horse. He was nearly dizzy with blood running down his face.

"Oh my lord!" He heard Charlotte exclaim. From Arthur's awkward, upside down point of view, he could see that she looked shocked.

"Oh, I'm sorry ma'am," Agent Ross said. He took off his hat and smiled. "We did not mean to scare you. This is a wanted man, part of the dangerous van der Linde gang."

Charlotte shuddered. "What's a man like that doing out here?"

"What's your name, miss?"

"Charlotte. Charlotte Balfour."

Milton and Ross exchanged looks with one another. "Well, you take care of yourself, now."

Charlotte nodded briskly and watched them as they departed. She nodded once as Arthur caught her eye with a promise to run back for help. Arthur was relieved she hadn't tried to stop Ross or Milton; she would not have been capable of that.

One thing Arthur knew: he would fight to escape no matter what it would take, if only to look into Sadie's eyes one more time.