There's a place where you are going

You ain't never been before

No one left to watch your back now

No one standing at your door

That's what you thought love was for

Baby you're lost

Baby you're lost

Baby you're a lost cause

I'm tired of fighting

I'm tired of fighting

Fighting for a lost cause

Beck

Rane and Arthur watched Abigail and Sadie ride away side by side in a silence that was broken only by the gentle patter of the rain in the forest. Rane felt a strange sense of foreboding as the horse's hindquarters vanished out of sight, long tail rippling.

"Feels like I might never see neither one of 'em again," he muttered.

Rane looked over at him sharply. "What do you mean, you feel like you'll never see them again?"

Arthur shook his head, running a hand over his face. "Just feels that way."

"You're gonna see them again, Arthur, it's not like they're going to Hong Kong. Copperhead Landing is like ten minutes away. Jesus, what a thing to say, man . . . "

Arthur didn't respond. Rane was a little unnerved that he didn't; there was a slump in his shoulders she hadn't seen before, as if all the fight had simply gone out of him. He continued to watch the horizon over which Sadie and Abigail had vanished, hands sunk into his pockets, brow knit and hat pulled low over his bloodshot eyes. The man standing next to her bore only a passing resemblance to the fast-talking, quickdraw marauder she'd robbed the Braithwaites with days before.

"Hey, what's wrong? What's on your mind?" Rane was watching him closely. "Talk to me. No more bullshit."

Arthur shook his head slowly, shifting his weight, then glanced down at her.

"I don't know, honey. I guess I just feel kinda funny about all this all of a sudden."

"Funny how?"

Arthur shrugged, tipping the rim of his hat a little lower as he did. Rane was not prepared to accept this non-answer after the day they'd had. She took his bicep and shook him gently.

"Say."

"Will ya sit with me a little while?"

Rane was bewildered. "I thought you wanted to go?"

"I do."

Rane scoffed, facing him. "Arthur, look at me. You're going two directions at once. I don't understand."

Arthur met her gaze, unsettled and perhaps a touch frightened. Rane took his face in her hands, staring up at him.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't rightly know." Arthur shook his head beneath her palms. His eyes were red beneath the brim of his hat, the blue of his iris bright and stark. He sighed roughly, shifting his weight, looking at her frankly. "Can we just sit together for a little while? Please?"

Rane looked at him, taken aback by the gentle plea in his voice, then nodded, her brow knitted.

"Yeah. Yeah, okay, sure. I can make a fire, I guess -"

"No, no, never mind that, I just -" Arthur gestured vaguely. His hand shook a little as he did. "I just wanna be with you a little while longer."

Rane felt a surge of some large, unspoken emotion rise in her stomach at these words - a little while longer, as if their time together was now explicitly finite - but she forced it back down, the way a drunk will force down a surge of vomit. She shook her head, looking at him, her lips pursed.

"Okay. So we'll chill for a little bit, right? Is that what you want?"

"Yeah, that's what I want." Arthur was looking at her, shrewd as ever. "You okay? You got a funny look about you."

"Better than yesterday, not as good as tomorrow." She chewed her thumbnail a moment, then added, "kinda nauseous."

"Why?"

Rane scoffed. "Bad foie gras from Le Bernadin, maybe? I dunno."

"You gonna be sick?"

Rane snorted, which devolved into a hoarse cough, which devolved into a retch. Arthur laughed without humor.

"Here I thought I was the one gettin' spooked by shadows like a broody hen."

Rane wiped at her mouth with the back of her hand. "Yeah, well this isn't really shadows anymore."

"I'm sure it'll be fine."

"Your definition of 'fine' is sort of migratory," Rane admonished grimly, making for Eli and grasping his bridle. "Come on. I could kind of get behind taking a break from all this, too, now that I think about it."

They found a spot just off the road, a little clearing where the pines overhead gave some meager cover from the rain. It had abated a little, but by now it was far too late; both of them were soaked through, Arthur's thin shirt clinging to his shoulders and Rane's hair stringy and stuck to her cheeks. The sunlight was muted and orange through the cloud cover, the air so dense and humid it felt almost physical, and once the horses were hitched to the tall, scrawny pine trunks that surrounded them, they slid down onto the ground, hip to hip in the pine needles, wordlessly closing the distance between them. For a few moments Rane was silent, her hands clasped in her lap and her boots crossed in front of her, and then Arthur slung an arm around her, drawing her closer still. Rane leaned against his shoulder, relaxing a little, and his free hand threaded through the one in her lap, squeezing gently. His skin was warm against hers.

A long period of silence passed between them. It was strange, intimate, and there seemed to be many things unspoken that passed between them during those long moments. The cicadas cried overhead, and the rain continued to patter onto the canopy gently, steady and comforting. The air was redolent of ozone.

"You're trying to say goodbye to me," Rane said at last, her voice very low.

Arthur scoffed lightly, shaking his head. "Quit it."

"You come out here into the woods with me for some other reason?"

"I came out into the woods with you because I needed a goddamned break."

"It doesn't feel like that."

"What are you, a soothsayer or somethin' now?" asked Arthur roughly.

"Maybe I am. Wouldn't you feel silly."

Arthur scoffed roughly, shaking his head. Rane was watching him, eyebrows raised.

"I just wanted to sit with you."

"No, that isn't it. Why are we really here?"

Arthur rolled toward her, placing both hands on the earth next to her thighs, his lips lingering before hers. "Maybe I just wanted ya by yourself, did ya think of that?"

Rane leaned back, frowning at him. "Arthur, come on, is this really the time for -?"

He pressed his mouth against hers before she could protest further, pushing her down against the pine needles on the forest floor, his fingers roving through her hair and up the back of her shirt. His touch on her was a little frantic, the scrape of his nails sharp against her skin as he moved his free fingers over her skin. Careless, almost slipshod, not like his usual impetuous affect at all. She felt him pulling his fly down, and Rane began to move away from him, feeling oddly unnerved by the weird, hasty way he was going about this. Arthur had always approached intimacy between them with affection and ardor and an almost timid genuflection, as if afraid he might break her into pieces. He had never set after her like she was an assignment, a task, and she liked it not at all.

"Arthur, hang on -"

"Hush."

"Hey, wait, this is -!"

"Rane." Arthur leaned back, meeting her clear eyes with his bloodshot ones. His brows were low, his mouth downturned. "Don't say nothin'."

Rane looked at him a moment, then fell back against the tree again. He leaned forward again without waiting for an answer, his mouth moving over her throat. She lay back against the pine needles, giving him headway, enjoying his touch in spite of herself, and he leaned back down, grasping himself in one hand, his mouth lingering before hers, stroking himself robustly, his other hand dipping into the rim of her jeans. She gasped lightly, as much in pleasure as in discomfiture, squeezing her eyes shut, and he drew her close by the small of her back, his cadence already increasing right out of the gates, not gentle but rapid and hard, the movements of a man trying to reach his zenith quickly, as if the process itself were in danger of being snatched from him. His hips moved fast against his palm, thrust and thrust and thrust, unremitting, his free hand rolling over her beneath her jeans, maddeningly firm, thighs flexing.

"You're going too fast," Rane gasped, her voice a little thick as she pressed her face against his shoulder.

"You like it, I can tell."

"I like it, Arthur, but please, slow down -"

"Hush and look at me."

Rane shook her head against his chest, her eyes still squeezed shut. Arthur, watching her face closely, touched her cheek. He had never done it this way before and she was bewildered.

"Look at me, Rane."

Her eyes sprung open reluctantly, and even through the pleasure that was clear in her face he could see the unnatural brightness in her eyes. He placed his forehead against hers, feeling her quick breath against his neck, shaking his head, drawing her chest close to his own.

"Are you cryin'?"

"No." Her voice was rough with emotion.

"Honey -"

"Hush. Get there, Arthur."

Arthur sighed roughly. "You sure?"

Rane nodded against him. He did, helpless not to with his increased tempo. His body stiffened, pulling her near, meeting her gaze as he spilled onto the earth. Her eyes met his squarely, bright and clear and present. She was breathing quickly, but not quite quickly enough.

"You didn't come."

"It's fine, I -"

Arthur's touch became a little firmer beneath her jeans. She made a low sound in her throat, one of both pleasure and desperation, and he began to rotate his fingers, watching her face from where he hung over her, his eyes on hers, sharp and perceptive. His free hand went to the back of her neck, drawing her face near, touching her mouth gently with his.

"Come on, honey." He brushed his mouth over her lips, letting his eyes linger on hers. "Come on."

"Arthur, no -" She was writhing now, and he increased his cadence, encouraged. He watched her face closely. "Please -"

"Lemme see it."

"I don't want to -"

"I want you to."

His fingers were moving with maddening intensity now, and in just the right place, and after a few more seconds of squirming beneath his touch, she came quickly as she looked into his eyes, his hand warm and strong against her, gasping roughly. As she relaxed against its afterglow Arthur withdrew his hand from beneath the rim of her jeans, watching her in a strange way, as if he didn't know what he was seeing.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

He pushed the damp hair from her forehead gently, pressing it behind her ear.

"You were upset right then."

Rane considered doubling down on her front for a moment, then gave up. He'd seen it. The last time he'd seen her cry, he'd kept after her until she told him why, protestation be damned.

"I'm worried about you. About all of this. Feels like things are about to get really . . . I dunno." Bad, she didn't say. The word hung unspoken between them, pregnant. "I'm just worried, Arthur. This whole thing with you, it's still new, and already it feels like I could lose you any minute. You know?"

"So it wasn't just me bein' bad in bed," Arthur said, trying for a smile. The humor fell flat between them, however, and he sighed, leaning back and rubbing his cheek. "I know what ya mean, yeah."

Rane got onto her knees, moving nearer to him between his thighs, and placed a kiss on the corner of his mouth, looking up at him bluntly.

"You're miles away. Take me to where you are. Let me understand."

Arthur met her eyes, his brows contracted, then shook his head. "You talked about that feeling you get, about things goin' sideways. I think I got it too."

Rane shifted her weight, curling her legs beneath her. "Explain."

"Feels like somethin' bad is about to happen."

"Where?"

Rane didn't specify, but Arthur touched his midsection, just beneath his breastbone. "Here. Sort of here. Can regular folks feel it too? Am I just bein' crazy?"

Rane watched him for a few moments in silence, frowning, then shook her head, glancing at the ground. She sighed, running a hand over her face, letting it linger before her mouth.

"I don't know. Maybe. Probably."

"What is it you called it?" Arthur asked her.

"Umbarae," said Rane after a moment, still stroking her mouth.

"Whatever it is, I sure don't like it too good."

Rane snorted without amusement. "I don't think it's supposed to be fun."

"Well, then what the hell good is it?" Arthur muttered roughly.

"I mean, adrenaline doesn't feel very nice either, but it sure as fuck comes in handy if you're getting chased by a bear, you know?"

"Well, we ain't gettin' chased by a bear, we're just fumbling around in the goddamn dark. You really think shit's about to go wrong?"

"I don't know. What I think is that we need to go forward with our eyes open, that's all -"

Arthur nodded, chewing his lip. "Sorry I fucked you. Just wanted some distraction, I guess."

"Well, to be fair, you didn't," said Rane, and taking his hand kissed his palm. "You're pardoned, you may proceed to eternal bliss. Go with God."

"What a relief."

"I'm sure it is."

"Rane, I did come out here to say goodbye to you, sorta," said Arthur suddenly in a rush, as if excising this statement from his mind against his own will. "That's exactly what I was doin'. I lied to ya and I'm sorry for it."

Rane looked at him sharply. "Are you going somewhere?"

Arthur pulled his hat off, holding it in his lap like a worshipper sat in a church pew. He was looking at her with a strange, strained expression, the look of a man confessing some deep, unpleasant truth. Rane, perceptive as always, was already shaking her head, looking away from him, her brow knit, negating the words he was about to speak before they had even left his lips.

"Rane, I'm real sick -"

"No." Rane was shaking her head more firmly now, scoffing.

"- and I ain't gonna get better from it -"

"I'm not talking about this with you."

"- and I don't wanna leave this unspoken between us if I don't get another chance to tell ya that I -"

"No."

"Hey. Rane. Rane!" Arthur reached out and took her cheek, forcing her gaze to meet his. She did, reluctantly, and now the brightness was back in her eyes, angry and resentful though they were. She was frowning hard, her lips thin, breathing quickly through her nose. "I want you to know I love you. More than goddamn anything. I just want you to know it if -"

Rane broke away from him, getting to her feet. Arthur sighed, leaning back, massaging his forehead. She met his eyes as she dusted her jeans off, her gaze bright and fierce. When she spoke, her voice was loud and sharp and a little fearful.

"I guess my chickens are roosting for agreeing to come out here with you to begin with, knowing you might start this shit up again, but I'm putting the kibosh on this right now. We're done with this conversation."

Arthur got laboriously to his feet, his boots skidding a little in the pine needles. "Rane, listen, I know you don't wanna hear this, but -"

"You're right, I don't. I won't."

Arthur sighed, looking defeated. She was looking into his eyes, her expression cool and impatient on the outside and frightened and hurt everywhere else. He tripped forward and pulled her into his arms, squeezing her to his chest and resting his cheek on the crown of her head. She resisted at first, stiffening, but after a moment she relaxed into his touch, and he felt her hands grasping at his shirt tightly.

"I love you, girl. That's it. I'll shut up."

Rane sighed, nodding against his shoulder. "Thank God for that."

"You ready?"

Rane sighed, pulling away from him and swiping at her eyes with the heels of her hands. "Always ready. Let's go."