Oh god, Arthur thought, what did he do? He tried to recall last night. He'd gone hunting, robbed a stagecoach, yelled at Uncle for being a lazy useless drunk, confiscated his bottle of moonshine, drank a bit... Well, more than a bit if he was being honest. He drank a lot... and that's when things got a little fuzzy.

Well shit.

Arthur knew he was drunk last night, the hangover a dead giveaway but to be blackout drunk was not normal for him. He almost always remembered everything. He wasn't his father, a drunkard. He fused to be like him. Yet last night was just gone from his memory.

"Um," he began elegantly, "I'm sorry if I broke something. I'll fix it, pay for it whatever."

"You didn't break anything." Dutch replied looking angrily at Arthur.

Arthur paused under the glare, if he wasn't an angry drunk then maybe he was a mean drunk? Did he yell at Dutch? His face paled at the thought, eyes growing large and he opened his mouth to apologize but Dutch lifted a hand to silence him.

"You didn't yell at anyone either."

"Well, whatever ridiculous thing I did-"

"We're not here about any of that."

That made him stop short. What did he do? Not mean, not angry, not ridiculous enough for it to be mentioned first? Then the slow horror of what must have happened hit him. Oh GOD NO! He couldn't bear to look at Dutch any longer, his pride wouldn't allow it, so he turned to Hosea but the gentle sadness was all the confirmation he needed.

He groaned putting his head into his hands. He was a sad drunk, why couldn't he have been more like his father? "What did I say?"

"Well, it wasn't us you said it to." Hosea began. "You were talking to John and well, worried him quite a bit actually."

"Look." Arthur interrupted. "I was drunk, it was the rambling nonsense of-"

"Children and drunks are the most honest among us." Dutch corrected. Tho the anger from before seem to have dissipated some, he still had a stern clench to his jaw. "Do you remember any of it?"

"Ehh, last I remember is sitting at the fire."

"Anything about Tahiti?"

"What?"

"Nevermind, what's important is what John told us."

Embarrassment reared up and Arthur cast a look around for anyone eavesdropping. It was only then that he realized how empty the camp was. Micah, Javier, Charles, Sean, even Uncle were gone. He could see John tending to the horses but he only counted four of them.

When had Miss Grimshaw left? She was here this morning along with Pearson, Bill, Abigail and Jack but now it looked like they were gone as well.

He turned a bewildered look back to Dutch prompting a shrug and an explanation. "Decided everyone was due for a day of fun in town."

Arthur balked at the obvious lie. Uncle was with them.

"Alright, what is really going on, this an intervention? I get shit face drunk one time and you send everyone away?" his irritation masking a growing sense of insecurity, and insecurity quickly becoming twisted into outright fear. What if HE was the one they were sending away? As in, kicking him out permanently. Officially replacing him with Micah. "You all know I pull more than my own weight around here, do everything I can to keep things running smooth, keep people safe, happy and fed."

Dutch just looked at him unimpressed as he continued prattling on like a beggar asking for a job. Cause at this point that's what he was. "I bring in more money than anyone else, we could check the ledger right now if you don't believe me. I'm a damn good shot too, better than Micah by a mile and I've always had your back Dutch. Micah can't-" he stopped suddenly, knowing that the unchanged expression on Dutch's face meant he wasn't getting through.

He was openly panicking now, sweating and desperately searching for someway to convince them he should stay. "If this really has to do with John, then get his greasy ass over here!"

"Enough Arthur." Dutch growled. "This isn't about John or Micah, it's about you."

And honest to god, Arthur flinched. Flinched enough that even John over by the horses seemed to notice. He cast his eyes down in shame. "So, you've been thinking of getting rid of me for a while then?"

No one moved, no one breathed.

"Arthur." the word was whispered gently enough that it could have been from Abigail wishing Jack good night but it wasn't, it was Dutch of all people. "Arthur, look at me."

And after a breath to steady himself, he did.

He didn't know what Dutch saw when he looked at him but his face changed from sadness to pure grief. "Oh son," he said "I honestly didn't believe John until now. God Arthur. The things you said last night, you really believe them?"

When had Dutch gotten so close? They were face to face now. Warm hands reaching up to cup his face. "We aren't... Arthur, my boy, we are not getting rid of you. We are never going to get rid of you and we are not going to replace you with Micah. Or anyone else for that matter. YOU are MY son. You are OUR son." He corrected hastily, a quick glance at Hosea before returning to Arthur. "You are not alone, you are not going to die alone."

Dutch always had a way with words but this was a sharp shot to the heart.

He hiccuped an ill-suppressed sob and suddenly he was in Dutch's arms. Months of grief, stress and loneliness sprang to the surface and no amount of pride could shove the oncoming flood back. The dam was already burst open by a night of careless drinking.

"Go on son, let it out." Dutch whispered. "You haven't lost us, we are right here. Arthur..."

He sobbed like a child.

"Oh son, what can I do to make this better?"

He shook his head wishing some explanation would be forthcoming, but apparently he wasn't drunk and therefore couldn't express himself with words anymore.

"Get rid of Micah," John said coming up behind Dutch. "He's a toxin. He's changed the way the camp functions. He's changed us."

Dutch sighed irritably.

"I mean it Dutch, look at Arthur if you want proof."

"You think this is because I've been planning with Micah and not Arthur?" He challenged.

"It ain't simple Jealousy Dutch! You didn't see him last night. The man, I I can't explain it." his frustration clogging his thoughts. Perhaps John was also someone better equipt to explain things when drunk? "The man is bad karma, bad I don't know, bad something..."

"I agree with John." Hosea said. "Micah is a different sort of outlaw. Too reckless and it's not just youth. I know you owe him your life Dutch but look what he's done to your son. Micah isn't worth this. I say let him go."

Arthur scoffed at being called out so bluntly multiple times and pulled away from Dutch. He tried to act normal but between the crying, the hangover and his current emotional hell... he probably wasn't very convincing.

"I do owe him my life," Dutch growled, averting his gaze from Arthur as his anger rose back up. "I would have thought by now my family would see that, that MICAH can help us. He isn't so different than any of us."

"I don't know about that," John said stiffly. "Far as I can tell Micah is only good at making his plans sound good but they rarely ever turn out right."

By now Dutch was fuming. "Do you all feel like this?"

"I'm sure if we took a poll of the entire camp a large majority would agree." John continued.

Hosea leaned forward, kicking the char out for John to sit.

Arthur cleared his throat. "I'm fairly certain he killed Cain."

"You sure?" Dutch asked surprised.

Both John and Arthur nodded next to each other followed by Hosea when they made eye contact.

The table was silent.

"I need a smoke." Dutch groaned fishing out a cigar from someplace Arthur couldn't see cause his head was dipped low enough it almost touched the table.

"Well then, lets put it to a vote." Dutch prompted. "All in favor of Micah staying say aye."

More silence.

"All in favor of him leaving."

"aye."

"aye."

"aye."

"... aye." Dutch said somewhat forlorn and Arthur snapped his head up to look at him. Surprised to find him looking right at him with a wistful little smile. "If this is what it takes to make you all happy, then so be it."

The sheer amount of relief that flashed through him was so transparent it made Dutch laugh.

"Are you feeling better Arthur?" Dutch asked.

From a health perspective, he still felt like horse shit but everything else... "Yeah Dutch, I'm fine."