They were almost at the camp when Arthur remembered what Sadie had asked him that morning.
So, he turned to look at Julia, finding her with her usual thoughtful expression while staring absently at the road in front of them.
The words she had said before at Caliga Hall came back to his mind along with her sad expression. So, she did love someone too, didn't she? Who was that fella? And what had happened? Looking at her form, the image of her on his horse came up to his mind reminding him about how her arms around his waist felt like and her lips on his earlobe…
"By the way, Sadie asked me to tell you she was looking for you" he said clearing his throat.
Julia blinked a couple of times when Arthur's deep voice snapped her back from her thoughts.
"For what?" she asked, and the man shrugged.
"I don't know" he simply replied avoiding her gaze.
They rode through the thick wood around camp, greeting young Lenny who smiled at them.
"Glad to see you're back. Everything's fine?" he asked.
"Yeah" answered Julia.
"Any movement, you call us. Okay?" said Arthur almost in a fatherly way that made Julia smile.
"Alright, Arthur" answered Lenny.
Julia jumped down Wind Catcher the very next moment he stopped and without adding anything, she walked towards the table near Dutch's tent where she found Sadie seated while smoking a cigarette.
"Hey, Arthur told me you wanted to talk to me?" she said.
Sadie got rid of her cigarette and stood up, smiling at her.
"Yeah, I need to ask you a favor"
"Alright" Julia said.
"Would you accompany me in town? I need to buy a gun"
Julia raised her brows.
"And you got the money for that?"
"I've been saving…and stealing" admitted Sadie making Julia chuckle.
"So, what you say?" asked Sadie.
"Only if we stop for a drink. I really need one" she said and Sadie smirked at her.
"It's a deal"
They both got on Wind Catcher and headed to town. Sadie was behind Julia, her hands loosely around her waist.
"So, how you doing in camp? Everything's fine?" asked Julia after a while.
"I don't complain. There's much of work to do, thank God. I can keep myself busy" answered the woman.
"What about the other girls? Have you got along with them?" asked Julia again.
"Sort of. Abigail's been very kind to me. She's a strong one. Having a son is already difficult enough without being in a gang of outlaws"
Julia stayed silent for a moment, not sure if she should ask the next question that had popped in her head.
"Did you have any child?" she eventually asked cautiously.
"No. I didn't have the opportunity, ripped off my hands when those O'Driscoll killed my husband. Can't believe Dutch let that one stay with us" she almost snarled.
"He's not that bad if you get to know him better. I don't say he's an angel but there are people in that camp that did much worse things than him for sure"
"I don't trust him, and you shouldn't either"
"I don't' trust anyone anyway" said Julia low.
They remained silent again while a couple of men passed by on their horses and looked at them.
"What about Mary-Beth and Karen?" asked again Julia, ignoring them.
"Mary-Beth's naïve but kind, too kind for this type of life. I really don't talk much with Karen or Tilly. And Molly? She's too busy complaining about Dutch"
"I see" chuckled Julia amused.
"What about you? I noticed you don't talk much with them either" this time was Sadie's turn for questions.
"Why should I? Karen's always been mean with me, Tilly never gave a shit. Mary-Beth was the only one kind to me, but we sort of grew apart the last year I've been with them. And in three years I never exchanged a word with Molly and some others…" explained Julia.
"It must've been tough for you. What about Abigail?"
"She wasn't in the gang when I was part of it. I talked to her a little when I arrived, but she has made clear she doesn't want to do anything with me"
"For short, we ain't very popular among the girls"
Julia laughed.
"No, I believe we're not"
When they arrived in Rhodes, Julia stopped in front of the gun-shop and once they got down from Wind Catcher, she stopped Sadie by her arm.
"It's better if we give ourselves a fake name" she said.
"Alright. I'm…Anne" said the woman stretching her hand towards Julia who shook it.
"Margaret" she chuckled with Sadie before they got into the shop where Sadie asked the seller for a gun.
"Sure, what are you looking for? We got pistols and rifles"
"A pistol will do just fine" answered Sadie.
The seller showed her all the pistols he had: Buck Cattelan revolver, Packenbush double-action revolver, Hutton & Baird Schofield revolver, a semi-automatic, and a volcanic pistol.
"So, Margaret, which one do you think I should take?" said Sadie, pressing on Julia's fake name.
"Well, Anne, I suggest you take the volcanic one. High power and precision are what you want to cause more damage possible" imitated Julia.
They shared a moment that the seller noticed and when they looked at him again, he had a puzzled expression on his face.
"Are you gonna give me that pistol or not?" snapped Sadie.
"Y-yeah sorry"
The man took out the model from one of the cabinets behind him and gave it to Sadie that took it and studied it.
"I like it. How much for it?"
"One hundred dollars"
Sadie winced and put the pistol down on the counter.
"That much for a pistol? What, you ask an arm and a leg for a rifle?"
"It's one of the best we got" defended the seller.
From her words Julia understood she hadn't that much money, so she reached her bag and took out seventy dollars putting it on the counter.
It was almost all she had got.
"Here" she said and Sadie shook her head.
"Nah ah. I don't want you to spend money for me"
"Then we have a problem because I want to. I want you to have a goddamn pistol that blows off every fool's head that threatens you" blurted out Julia staring at Sadie who smiled.
"You are as crazy as they told me"
"I'll take that as a compliment" smirked Julia.
Sadie shook her head amused. Finally, she had found someone with some guts.
"Alright then, I'll take it" she eventually surrendered.
They walked outside the shop and reached Wind Catcher while Sadie fixed her new gun belt on her hips.
"Yeah, I definitely can get used to it" she murmured to herself.
Julia looked at her, feeling happy for her.
"So, about that drink" said Sadie looking at her.
There's a saloon further ahead answered Julia and Sadie smirked at her.
"What we waiting for?"
At their third whiskey, Julia started to feel her head dizzy while Sadie seemed to be perfectly fine, maybe a little tipsy.
She took the small glass and shoved the burning liquid down her throat while Julia looked at her.
"So…I noticed you spend a lot of time with Arthur" said the blonde, smirking at Julia's shocked expression.
She didn't see it coming.
"I do, but the reason's not what you're thinking of" said Julia looking at her still full glass and shaking her head.
"And what is that I'm thinking of?" provoked Sadie and Julia gave her a look.
"He's the one who always get the most important jobs that yield the most part of the money. That's why I follow him, that's all" explained Julia trying to avoid Sadie's not-convinced-at-all gaze.
"So today you made some money?" she asked.
Julia frowned.
"Not really. He asked me to come with him in case we would have found Grey's gold" Julia said and then she drunk her whiskey in one shot.
Damn that burn.
"Did everything go right? You had a strange expression when you came back"
Julia didn't answer Sadie's question, but instead her mind traveled back to when she was on Arthur's horse and when she remembered what she had done her cheeks flushed red and she felt so stupid.
"More or less" she said in the end, avoiding Sadie's gaze.
"Can I ask you something?" asked Sadie lowering her tone.
Julia frowned and then nodded.
"What are you gonna do after you get all your money?"
Julia was surprised by her question, no one in camp ever asked her and she knew perfectly why.
No one cared.
"Well, as you know I have someone who's waiting for me. He is…ill. I need the money for his him and then I'll buy a house, maybe a ranch and live a proper life" Julia said with dreamy eyes while staring at her empty glass.
"So, no more bounty hunter? No more Hound?" asked Sadie and she seemed almost disappointed.
Julia gave her a hint of a sad smile.
"No more Hound"
When they came back to camp it was already dark outside. Uncle, Bill, John, Simon and Sean were seated in front of the fire. Charles and Javier were on the watch. Dutch was reading in his tent, Molly was near the lake, doing nothing.
Karen and Miss Grimshaw were singing in their tent, Tilly and Mary-Beth were talking. Abigail was already asleep with Jack around her arms.
Swanson, Strauss and Hosea were asleep too.
Arthur was in his tent, writing about what had happened that day. When he finished, he couldn't stop himself from drawing Julia.
The image of her, staring into space, with her brows frowned and her lip between her teeth was still very clear in his mind.
Suddenly he heard some horses coming near and lowering his journal he saw her getting down her horse and laughing with Mrs. Adler.
All of sudden he wanted to know where they have been, first because since he and Julia came back to camp, he hadn't seen her for the rest of the day and second because they seemed pretty tipsy.
He sat straight on his cot, looking at Julia while she exchanged a few other words with Mrs. Adler before she headed to her tent without even looking towards him.
When the flaps of her tent closed, he moved his eyes on the blonde woman, catching her staring at him with a grin on her face.
Shit.
The next day Julia got up early.
She reached the wagon with the medical supplies and used some whiskey to dumb a new bandage to put around her arm that didn't look so bad. The wound was healing fast, thank God.
Then she took a cup of coffee that she sipped on the bank of the lake, looking at the sun still not high in the sky.
When she finished, she reached Wind Catcher giving him the good morning before she groomed him and gave him an apple.
"Morning, Miss" she heard and turning around she saw Kieran passing by with a box of cookies in his hands.
"Morning Kieran. You good?" she asked.
"Fine. You want me to take care of him?" he asked referring to Wind Catcher.
"No thank you. I'm gonna need him this morning"
"Alright"
She got in her tent where she took her satchel and hat before she walked back to her horse and saddled it.
While she was tightening the straps of the saddle, she heard someone approaching her, but she didn't turn.
"Morning to you" she heard Morgan's deep voice.
She turned and smiled at him.
"Morning Arthur. Going somewhere?" she asked noticing he was ready to take off.
"I'm going to give that letter to the Gray boy. And you?"
"I'll go into town. Got some business to take care of" said Julia finishing to fix her saddle.
"Alright" Arthur said vague still standing there.
Julia looked at him, trying to figure out what he was doing.
"If I'm not mistaken the way to Caliga Hall it's the same direction of Rhodes. We can ride together if you want" she said.
Arthur raised his brows before he lowered his head, hiding his face with his hat.
"Yeah, sure" he said walking towards Tundra.
Julia smiled still looking at him before she shook her head and got on Wind Catcher.
Together they left the camp, tuning right when they got out the wood surrounding it.
"So, what business you have to take care of in town?" Arthur asked.
Julia glanced at him for second before she moved her eyes on the road again thinking about a good answer that wouldn't have raised any suspect from the man.
"Pinkertons" she simply replied.
"Pinkertons? In town?" he asked worriedly.
"Only an agent. I'll meet him, give him some information to mislead them and then leave" she lied.
Arthur nodded, dropping the conversation when they reached the town.
Julia stopped near the saloon and Arthur copied her.
"Okay, I'll see you later then"
"If you care so much, see you later Morgan" smirked Julia enjoying the puzzled and flushed expression on the man's face before he left.
She got down Wind Catcher and tied him at the post in front of the building before she sat on the bench outside the saloon from which came out a loud noise.
Now, I've to wait, she thought. But what she would have told him?
I'm sorry Nathan, but I don't like you. It cannot work between us. You see I'm actually helping Van der Linde to run away so I can get my fucking money.
I don't like you because I actually like…
Suddenly she heard a horse approaching and raising her eyes she saw Nathan on his horse. She took out her pocket watch realizing that almost an hour had passed.
The young man got down his horse and ran towards her, climbing the stairs on the porch.
"Sorry, agent Abney didn't allow me to go until I finished my assignment" he said.
Julia got up and smiled at him.
"That's okay. Don't worry" she said with a gesture of her hand.
He immediately sneaked his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him, leaning closer to kiss her.
Jesus, stop trying to kiss me you octopus.
Julia pushed him away from his chest, finding it incredibly muscular.
"Listen, Nathan, I…I have to tell you something" she said not looking at him.
The young man frowned and loosened his grip on her slightly.
"Something's wrong?" he asked.
"No…Yes…The thing is…is" she stuttered before she looked at him in the eye.
How could she do such a thing? With his puppy eyes and naivety, he melted her heart.
But she had to do it. She couldn't lie to him and hurt him this way, it wasn't right.
"Listen, I…"
Julia stopped from thinking when her eyes looked past Nathan's shoulder and saw Arthur on a wagon full of women screaming, singing and waving some billboards.
She started to panic. Nathan knew Arthur's face and if he had turned he would have seen him.
"What? What you want to tell me? What's happening?" asked Nathan worried.
Julia stuttered, her eyes moving frantically from him to Arthur.
When the women's singing reached their ears, Nathan frowned and did to turn, but before he could do it, Julia threw herself towards him. She placed her hands on his cheeks and pulled him closer into a desperate kiss.
Julia felt Nathan flinch for a moment before he closed his eyes and leaned into the kiss, wrapping his arms around her once more. He deepened the kiss, pulling Julia so hard that their teeth touched.
She was shocked by his passion and she almost found it too much for her, but she couldn't stop because Arthur was still there on that wagon.
She looked at him before moving her gaze on Nathan whose eyes were still close. When Julia saw the wagon disappear from her sight.
She pushed Nathan gently away a looked down.
"Sorry, too much?" he chuckled noticed how she took a deep breath.
Julia forced a smile.
"A little" she admitted.
"What you say if we move this upstairs?" he asked in a lascivious way.
Julia glanced towards the direction where the wagon had disappeared, thinking she needed to get rid of Nathan.
"Yeah, okay. Go ahead, I'll join you. I have to take care of Wind Catcher for a moment" she said smiling.
Nathan nodded and smiling in turn got into the saloon.
Julia reached the road and looked at the small crowd in the distance seeing Arthur talking to a young blonde lady who pointed at Beau Gray a few feet from them.
She quickly got into the saloon and asked the barman for a piece of paper where she wrote a short message for Nathan, then she gave it to the man.
"If the young man who got upstairs asks for me, give him this, please" she said giving the man a dollar.
He nodded and Julia rushed outside getting on Wind Catcher and turned the corner just in time to see Arthur and Beau leaving.
She spurred her horse to go faster but decided to stay a few feet away from them anyway, just in case.
After a while, they stopped near an old battlefield and the same did Julia, watching them from the distance.
She saw Beau giving Arthur some money that he took before the young man thanked him and rode away in the same moment Julia got closer to Arthur.
When he noticed her, he looked away while Julia got down Wind Catcher.
"What happened?" she asked noticing Arthur's hard expression.
"Nothing, nothing at all" answered Arthur, but his tone was harsh.
Julia peered at him and walked closer to him touching his shoulder, but the man withdrew from her touch and turned to look at her.
"Well, it doesn't seem nothing happened" she objected.
"What about your business? Everything alright?" he asked but from his tone, Julia could say his question was rhetorical.
Suddenly she realized why the man was so angry, he had seen her.
"Oh, shit…" she whispered rubbing her forehead.
"Yeah, shit. So, while I try to find the money we owe you in exchange for your help, you're sweet on one of those snakes!" roared the man pointing at Julia.
"It's not what you think it is…" she tried to appease him.
"For what I saw it's exactly how I think it is. What you changed your mind? You gonna sell us to the Pinkertons, is that it?" he continued to yell at her.
Julia stepped back, getting defensive.
"I was trying to help you!" she yelled back.
"Yeah, I saw how you were helping me. Wrapped all around him like a…like a…"
Julia's eyes widened at Arthur's implication.
"Say it" she demanded.
Arthur closed his eyes and shook his head wishing he'd never said it. He heard Julia walking closer to him, then he felt her hands on his shoulder and suddenly she was in front of him. Her eyes were full of rage and disappointment.
"Say it!" she yelled and Arthur moved his eyes away.
Julia lowered her hands from his shoulder.
"Like a whore is what you were saying, wasn't it?" she whispered.
They suddenly fell silent. Arthur looked at her again catching her gaze.
"I can't understand why I should give you an explanation. You never gave a shit of me, why now?"
Arthur frowned at her words not understanding what she was talking about.
"Oh, don't give me that look, Morgan. You know I'm right"
"I don't know…"
"Yes, you do. Or maybe you don't so let me refresh your memory. For all the time I've been part of the gang you never looked or talked to me. And while I was a victim of Sean, John and Karen's malice, you always just stood there, doing nothing. Minding your own business, full of yourself. So, you don't have any right to throw anything at me!"
Arthur took a deep breath, not knowing what to reply.
Was he like she had said? Was he really like this with her? He couldn't remember, why he couldn't?
Julia huffed and shook her head, feeling her heart racing and thundering in her chest.
"You know what, screw this. I'm done" she said and got on Wind Catcher.
Arthur followed her with his eyes.
"Where you going?" he asked maybe harsher than he intended.
Julia didn't answer and instead, she spurred Wind Catcher and left Arthur there.
Arthur watched her leaving while he felt some words pushing to come out from his dumb mouth, but he swallowed them back when he realized she was gone.
He sighed and rubbed his neck, walking back and forth while a feeling of guilty spread across his chest and cheeks.
He felt so stupid, so stupidly…jealous. As if he was a boy again, a boy who had seen the girl he liked talking with another.
Was it like then?
Was it?
...
HY EVERYONE!
So you know, I'm playing this game for the third time and I'm discovering so many new things! I know that some people had played it like thirteen times and I'm like 0.0
I could not stand seeing Arthur die for thirteen times, it just...I can't :'(
Cut the chutter, I hope you liked this chapter if so let me know and I'll see you the next week.
KISSES!