So, uh... Finals are upon me and holy shit it has taken me so long to get this chapter out. I'm starting to do the slow burn shit and I'm feeling pENT UP BECAUSE OF IT.
Also Arthur it a giant man compared to my girl.
Annabel was excited and terrified of passing over the state line from Texas to New Mexico, that once they were a few feet from it, she stopped her horse to stare out pass the bridge that led to the next state.
She had never been past West Austin or New Hanover, Going to Dublin was extensive enough on her as it was.
And now?
Now, she was crossing over the state lines.
"Anna?" Arthur called out to her, already on the other side of the small bridge. She looked up at him, took a deep breath, and spurred Flynn into a walk right over the bridge.
"Sorry. I've never been this far out." He chuckled, waiting for her to walk up next to her.
"Neither have I, though it was always a dream of Dutch's to go west." She leans a little over towards him, causing Flynn to move over closer to his mare.
"I don't know why he would want to. West isn't really wild anymore." She watched him shrug as he shrugged, but his smile said it all.
"That it ain't." he relaxed his shoulders and leaned back in the seat of his saddle. The sun was just starting to peak over the mountains. As they rode down the flat path. The snow was still thick around them, but the path was nothing but mud from the amount of use. The imprints of wagon wheels and horseshoes, they could tell this path was well used.
"We should be some miles out from Carlsbad. We can stop there for some food and a nights rest before we follow that road up to Santa Rosa." He noticed that she pulled out her map, folding it in specific places just to look at specific areas on the map. The light breeze past through them, cold and dry, blowing the stray strand of hair form her braid back.
"Which would take how long?"
"Depends. A day or two." She looked up, tucking her stray hairs behind her ear. "How badly do you want a bath and a bed?" he chuckled once more, his shoulders shaking and his belly rolling from it.
"How badly do you want a bed?" he countered, humming when she laughed softly at his response.
Carlsbad was a nice little place, the people were decent enough and the alcohol was strong. Annabel was able to get the supplies she needed, and Arthur was able to sleep in a bed and take a bath, though he wouldn't admit he was happy to get out the mud and grime and replace it with the smell of basic soap and cologne that was complimentary with the room.
He definitely took that bottle when they left, but he also wouldn't admit that.
The ride to Santa Rosa was not as simple as the ride to Carlsbad.
As they ascended the mountain side, the wind picked up and so did the snow. It got so bad that they had to dismount and pull the horses along to a little abandoned cabin with a small wooden cover for the horses.
Arthur had left Annabel with the two horses as he went to make sure that the cabin was truly empty, but he could tell from outside. He still trudged through the knee high snow, throwing his legs up awkwardly just to get through the snow and up to the little porch.
He pushed the door open, pointing his revolver in front of him and it was empty, for the most part.
Two frozen bodies were found curled around each other by the stone cold fire place, and he felt a pang of guilt in his chest as he lowered his gun and sighed.
"You poor pair of bastards…" he mumbled as he went to go pick them up and take them outside so Annabel wouldn't have to see what this harsh weather and cruel fate left behind.
He buried them, melded together under the snow and leaving a piece of wood in their stead. If he had known their names, he would have carved them into the wood but they weren't so fortunate in such weather.
When he walked back into the cabin, Annabel stood in front of him, holding herself and her hood thrown over her head.
"The blizzard is picking up, we'll need to start a fire." She mumbled, walking over to the fire place and taking the scraps of wood that were left in the wicker basket. "Hopefully this storm will pass soon and we can simple move on in the morning." Arthur simply hummed at her as he placed his satchel on the kitchen table and watched as she tried to start a fire with cold, stiff fingers.
"Do ya need some help?" she let out a tired and heavy sigh as she tried – and failed – to light the match near the fire.
"I might. My fingers might be too cold to get this fire started." He came over to her, placing a hand on her back and he felt her shiver at the contact. "I wouldn't mind heating up some canned salmon for dinner. The cold tends to make me hunger."
"Here, I'll get the fire started if you manage to get some food ready to eat?" she looked up at him, their faces inches away from each other. The smell of cigarette and salted venison lingered on his breath, and Annabel couldn't help but watch his lips move as he mumbled his words.
Her heart fluttered and she couldn't help but lick her lips and look away as he moved in several jerky motions towards the fire place.
Annabel stood and walked over to the front door to go grab somethings off their horses while he got the fire started and searched around the cabin for blankets and furs and pillows.
He managed to set up a little sleeping area closest to the fire with the spare blankets and pillows he found in the small cabin. Once he found that the area was good enough, he set out to look around the place and see if there was anything worth taking.
Arthur found that a majority of the pictures of the people who used to live here were in the tiny bed room that was off to the right of the kitchen.
The couple looked young, barely in their twenties and the woman within the picture held her swollen belly. There was a piece of paper with the babes hands and feet and a small bassinet closest to the left side of the large bed, but he couldn't see any sign that there was a baby living in this home.
His chest hurt at the thought that the baby passed, whether it was from the snow or from medical complications so he told himself over and over that the baby managed to live on away from this cold and unforgiving area.
He sighed, the sight of a child's hand and foot prints and the mothers' swollen belly bringing back too many memories that he tried too hard to keep down.
He couldn't help but think of Eliza and Isaac, and he wondered just how old he would be if he were still alive. The little boy would most likely be in his teens, but as the time continues to fly past him, he found it harder and harder to remember their faces.
He could only remember Eliza's green eyes and Isaac's baby blues that resembled his almost too much.
"Arthur, what are you doing?" he jumped out of his skin, nearly dropping the delicate wooden frame on the harsh, cold floor. She had a large bundle of furs in her arms, heavily covered in snow and most likely partially frozen. "I found these outside. Thought we could thaw them out and use them." He let his shoulders drop in relief, the sight of her was enough to let calm wash over him even in this howling and bitter cold.
"That might work." He hummed, standing up and walking over to her. She peaked over his shoulder, looking over at the chest that Arthur abandoned.
"What did you find?" her curiosity peaked right as he started to guide her out of the room.
"Just some things that the people who lived here before left behind." She let him guide her back towards the fire place, closing the door behind him and leaving the memories behind.
But deep down, Annabel wondered what was left behind once they left.
Annabel found herself comfortable farthest away from the fireplace, right next to Arthur. From the many years living in the Grizzlies, she found it easy to handle the cold and use thick clothes and a simple fire to keep herself warm.
Arthur; however, did not handle the cold very well and was shivering harshly next to Annabel.
Annabel had covered him with her blanket, though he tried to be the gentleman type and say that he was fine even if she could see that he was; in fact, not fine.
He was huddled closest to the fire, which ate away at the wood that they would have to put in every hour. That might be why he was so cold since he was the one having to run outside to the little cover where the horses were and grab the pieces of cut up oak to keep the fire going.
Annabel couldn't help but smile at him as she passed him a cup of coffee and a small flask of whiskey.
"I can hear your teeth, you know." Her joke was met with a childish glare from Arthur, who still took the cup of coffee and the flask with gentle hands.
"Shut up. How are you fine when it's still cold enough to freeze us alive?"
"I was born in the snow and the mountains and the cold, Arthur. The cold and I get along just like cookies and milk." He looked up at her, in awe and jealousy. Her fingers and her palms were so warm against his gloved hands and he couldn't help but wonder how the hell she was so damn warm. "Put some of the whiskey in the coffee and it should warm you up."
He merely nodded at her as she walked away to get some of the food that she brought in from the horses. The spiked coffee tasted strong on his tongue and left him feeling warm in his chest and belly.
He would simple watch the fire blaze on as Annabel worked on getting some food set up for the both of them, covering him with another blanket for extra warmth and looked around for something she could cook a can of salmon and a can of sweetcorn for them to eat for the night. He noticed that she had placed a chocolate bar in his lap, but he couldn't pin point when she did that.
She found a cast iron skillet in a cabinet, and she placed it in the fire before placing two open cans on top of it to heat up.
"Feeling a little warmer?"
"Yeah." He finished off his coffee, and stared at his empty cup. He wondered how long and how hard he would have to stare at it until it filled right back up again. "Last time I was in such a cold place, I was in Colter."
"Why were you in Colter?" she stoked the fire, making sure that it wasn't going to go out any time soon.
"It was after the whole mess back in Blackwater, when I was still runnin' with my gang." She nodded, racking her brain trying to remember when she had told her that.
It was probably when they were in Odessa, when she had too much alcohol. She woke up to an empty room, some pictures on her nightstand and a birthday note from Arthur in his neat and curly handwriting.
"You know, I've never been to Colter, but I heard that some bad stuff happened to the miners that worked there." She commented, hoping to move the conversation from something she knew she was told but couldn't remember to something she could talk about and not feel guilty for any given reason. "I remember helping one man out in Strawberry with some simple scrapes and bumps and he talked about his injuries and scars that he got from Colter." She leaned back, wiping some sweat from her brow. "He said that Colter was cursed and a demon resides there only to torment sinners."
"Did you believe him?" A chuckle escaped her lips, and Arthur felt himself growing warm from just that.
"I'm not religious. In anyway." She looked over to him, shifting her weight to lean against only one of her hands. "My parents grew up Catholic but they never really raised me with religion in mind."
"My momma did before she passed, and my father was too much of drunk to really care."
"Do you believe there is a high power up above us, watching from the clouds?" he hesitated with his answer, only because he had to go through his memories to see if he ever really, truly believed in any god.
"I can see myself believing there is a higher power, but really I don't think we'll know until were dead." She hummed, watching the fire. He noticed that her eyes turn gold under the reddish-yellow glow of the fire.
"I can respect that. I went to school for medicine and medicine is nothing but science and I'm sure you can see where I'm going with that."
He didn't respond to her, letting the haunting howls of the brisk blizzard wind rush outside the cabin and the crackling of the fire take over his sense. He noticed that she was pulling the cast iron from the fire and left it on the bricks to cool off.
"I'm not too hungry so you can have them." She had laid herself down on the bedroll covered in blankets and furs and got herself comfortable enough for bed. He tried his best not to watch as she adjusted her dress and shifted her body until she was set with her position.
He listened to her breathing and the way that it started to slow with her heightening sleep. The fire still blazed and crackled as he started to lose himself within his thoughts.
The blizzard broke in the middle of the night, and the fireplace was still warm with golden embers.
Annabel woke slowly, her eyes peaking every so often so her eyes could adjust to the bright, white light that poured in from the window. She could hear Arthur's soft snores from next to her, as she pushed strands of hair from her face and rubbed the sleep from her eyes.
She rolled onto her back, stretching out her limbs and letting out a loud yawn. Arthur shifted, pressing his back against her side and groaning softly before letting out a loud sigh and relaxing once more.
She stared at the back of his head, pushing some of his hair away from her nose before sneezing loud enough to cause Arthur to jump from his position next to her to covering her chest with his.
He had a hand reaching for his gun, while Annabel started to chuckle at his actions.
"God, you're heavy…" she groaned as she tried to push him off. Annabel could tell he was still waking up by the way he started to blink away from the bleariness and grogginess while he tried to yawn himself awake.
"You jus' call me fat?"
"No, I said you're heavy. You are a whole foot taller than me, it's not a shock that you're bigger than me." She pushed on his chest, and huffed in his face. He chuckled, and moved with slight hesitation. His hand graved her side, and he wondered if she felt it or if the shiver that left her body was from the cold.
"Sounds like the blizzard broke overnight. We should pack up and head out before we hit any more snow storms like that."
Arthur was the first to stand, wobbling a little as he started to roll up his bedroll and throw around the blankets that they borrowed from the cabin.
Annabel stayed on her back, her hand running over her the button on her coat. Her side still tingled from his touch, and her heart was still pounding hard from the weight of him. She couldn't pin point why she was reacting this way around him, especially now of all times. Her belly started to churn on the idea of being with him, when she knew she needed to be mourning but then her mind went back to what Sadie had told her when they were at Beecher's Hope.
"You may know what goes on inside, but it's not definite."
"Anna?" his voice was gruff from sleep, but his eyes were bright and alert and she felt her heart do flips as he glanced at her. She noticed that he was in need of a trim as well, as he pushed his hair back and placed his hat over it before scratching at his beard.
"We'll have to take you to a barber." She pushed herself up, feeling the wooden floors below her creak from the weight. "You're starting to look feral."
"I do not look feral." He jabbed at her, helping her up from the floor with a childish glare. "Maybe you should get a haircut, Rapunzel." She huffed a laugh as she started to pick up the furs and blankets.
"The fact that you know that book is surprising." He huffed a chuckle as he started to roll up her bedroll for her.
Annabel threw the furs and extra blankets on kitchen table – out of the way and out of mind – as she went back to take her bedroll from Arthur.
Packing up with easy, but in order to pack up their stuff, they had to trudge through thigh high snow.
Well, thigh high for Arthur.
Hip high for Annabel.
"How did you end up so damn short if yer mother was just as tall as your father?" Arthur joked, watching Annabel throw her arms forwards just to get enough momentum to get through.
"My father used to joke and say that she cheated on him with a dwarf, thus creating me."
"What made him rethink that?"
"He said that dwarves were ugly little bastards and that I had his looks." She took her time wading through the snow, knowing well enough that Arthur was laughing at her efforts. "I believe though, that all of my looks came from my momma, so who knows. Maybe my real father is a dwarf." She chuckled, before yelping and falling face first into the snow.
Arthur's laughter was slightly muffled by the snow that seamlessly covered her body. The fresh powder was light and soft and so damn cold, that she shot up from her position and gasped at the sudden chill that ran down her neck and through her back.
Arthur was next to her, helping her get her footing by grabbing her arms. He was always so gentle with her, but he also knew that a gentle touch would lead to her falling once more.
So he held on with a little bit more of a firmness that she was not used to, and he felt her muscles tense under his fingers and thick coat.
She was strong, from the way her arms went from soft tissue to hard muscle that was used to saving lives, hauling bales of hay and carrying a large cast iron pot full of fresh stew to and from the fireplace.
She looked up at him, almost instinctively, and let out a puff of steam from her nose. His gorgeous blues bored right through hers and she noticed how bright they look under the simple light of the sun. She noticed the slight flecks of green that circled around his pupils and a darker ring of blue that wrapped around his irises.
He was indeed handsome, and both her brain and heart agreed with each other for once to go for it.
But she caught herself from doing anything stupid, looking away from his eyes and grazing over his lips for a millisecond too long then looking down at the snow that was now seeping into her socks and boots.
"I think we should get going." She waited for Arthur to release her arm, and he did moments after she had made that statement.
He couldn't help but feel hopeful, with the way that she reacted. Her brown eyes seeming like pools of honey in the sun, and the slight specks of freckles that ran over her face seemingly easier to find in the brightness of the sun. He couldn't help but let his stomach churn at the sight of her nipping at her bottom lip, deep in thought and when she tore her eyes away from his he felt a slight dread fill the pit of his belly.
She had slid her arm out from his grip, his gloved fingers grazing her arm until her hand reached his and her fingers tickled his palm. For a moment, he thought there was a pause in her movement when she let her fingers glide over his.
For a moment, he was sure that she had squeezed his hand.
Santa Rosa was a gorgeous.
And huge.
And extremely festive.
When they crossed over the hill and looked down at the city that seem to spread on for acres, they noticed all the twinkling lights, the smell of fresh baked items, and the large evergreen tree that sat tall in the middle of the city center.
When they checked into a hotel, only then did they realize that Christmas was twenty five days away.
Arthur got disgruntled learning that Christmas was just around the corner, knowing full well what it would entail for the both of them.
But they would cross that bridge once the time came along, and until then, they would enjoy the calm but bustling city with the pretty lights and the enticing smells.
They skipped out on the saloons for once, and ended up sitting down at a slightly fancy and fairly popular restaurant even if Arthur quietly complained about the price point and the stuffy arrogance that the people seemed to bring along with them. Annabel didn't really understand what he meant, but she told him she would take care of the bill, saying that money wasn't the problem.
Those words had him wondering where she got money, knowing full well that the people she helped back home barely paid her anything. She refused to take their money, especially when her patients would confess to the Valentine doctor scamming them to the point where they had to take out loans to pay for basic medical needs.
So she would give them what they needed, practically free of charge.
He watched Annabel, swirling his fantastic and most likely expensive whiskey within his glass, and waiting patiently for their food to come out from the kitchen. Annabel was leaning forward on the table, a glass of red wine in her hand, and a few crumbs of bread strewn across her small plate.
"It's a nice change of pace compared to the other cities." She hummed, tapping her finger against the glass to the live music that was playing in the background.
"This one is surely cleaner." She giggled, sipping her wine a little. He stared as she licked her bottom lip, still tapping her finger to the soft, little tune.
Food came along, light and simple and not something that would sit so heavy in their stomachs. The waiter recommended their soups, that's what they were known for so that's what they got.
"I will bring you some more bread." The waiter said as he placed down the two bowls. Annabel nodded with a smile, while taking the cloth napkin and placing it on her lap.
Arthur; who was so used to just shoving food down his gullet, watched her in confusion. She was so elegant and dainty as she placed the napkin on her lap, but where the hell did she learn this dumb etiquette.
"Are you gonna eat?" she asked, stirring her soup with a small spoon.
"Why are we here, Anna?" she wasn't even able to get her bite in when he asked her that question with such a defensive tone. She wasn't sure what had gotten into him, but as the waiter came over with a new loaf of fresh sourdough, she could only muster up a fake smile and a small thank you.
Arthur wasn't sure what had just slipped past his lips, he wasn't even sure what he was asking but all he knew was that frustration had bubbled its way into his chest from the pit of his stomach and it started to ruin his appetite.
They stayed quiet, sitting across from each other at the small, square table with its pristine white table cloth and small candles that sat comfortably in a glass vase.
"Eat your food, Arthur." She closed her eyes, finally able to take her bite of food. She ignored him, and he wondered where that burst of frustration or annoyance came from.
He did as he was told, and they ate their food quietly. Annabel still tapped her finger against her wine glass to the tune of the piano and violin in the background.
She paid, he ate the last piece of bread, and they were out and walking around the city as small little flakes started to fall.
Annabel made herself comfortable on a bench that sat right across the way from the large decorated tree. He followed almost like a lost puppy, sitting himself close to her but still so far away from her. The cigarette in his hand was starting burn away faster than he was able to smoke it, and so he threw it in the snow, groaning in annoyance as he did so.
Bells started to ring a tune before they struck ten times, indicating the hour to the people in the city. Annabel was bundling her arms under her armpits for warmth and all she could do was let the small amount of alcohol in her system take her away to that calming warmth she was starting to get so used to on this trip.
"We're here to spread my parent's ashes in their dream place." She was so quiet that the wind nearly carried it away from his ears. "I don't know why else you would ask that question." His deep sigh was enough to cause her to look at him.
He looked confused, and unsure of what to do or say next, as if he was on trial for a crime he didn't commit and from Annabel knew from his little stories, he had enough blood on his hands to turn the sea red.
But this one thing… this one little thing that he questioned her out of impulse was enough to get him confused and slightly flustered.
"You know… I'm glad you came along." She admitted to him, her voice smooth to his ears and all he could do was let the warmth from her voice spread over him like wildfire. "If you didn't, I don't think I would have left the house." She chuckled, staring up at the star lit sky and let out a heavenly sigh.
There was nothing for him to say to her, so he sat there, slowly inching himself closer to her body and waiting for her to push him away. That's what he was so used to, that his mind prepared his body for her hands to stop his movements and shoot an incredulous at him.
But she didn't.
Instead, she met him half way, moving as he moved. His nose and cheeks started to tingle from the cold but he knew that they flush was because of her as she rested her head on his shoulder and he placed his arm around her.
He felt her shoulders fall from the tension she was holding and he could help but hum at the immense about of warmth that she brought to his side.
"I'm glad it was you, Arthur Morgan…"
He peaked down at her; still trying to process those words, but he didn't have time dwell on them as she looked up at him.
Her hands were small and soft as she placed them on his cheek and pulled him closer to her.
He was expecting a kiss so he had closed his eyes and waited, but then his forehead was pressed to hers instead. He opened them slowly, seeing the look on confliction knitted in her furrowed brows and the creases in the smile lines. Arthur knew she wanted to, but she was forcing herself when she wasn't ready.
So all he could do was pull away and place a small, lingering kiss on her forehead.
"Don't push yourself for my sake, Darlin'." He mumbled against her soft skin, taking in the smell of lavender and lemongrass from her hair that just seemed to fit her so damn well.
She could only nod against his lips, but she didn't pull away from him, because she knew what she wanted.
They would have to just wait a little bit longer for it.
So, I made a reference to how tall Annabel was back in like... chapter three but I never said how I feel how tall Arthur is.
Sooooo
He's like 6'3"
Yep