"Arthur, Hosea, thank God you're back!"

As the pair rode into camp, they were hit upside the head by Lenny's frantic voice, unmistakable given the flawless grammar and pronunciation despite the high-pitched panic. It had been a few days since he and Micah had ridden out to scout Strawberry, and judging by the wild look in the kid's eyes as he came sprinting, something hadn't gone well. Arthur cast his mentor a look that clearly said 'I told you so'. Gone for less than a day and disaster had occurred. "Lenny, calm down boy. What's the matter?"

He was barely off his horse before Lenny was right beside him, fairly bouncing with nervous energy. "It's Micah! He got himself arrested!"

Arthur blinked slowly for a moment, then broke into a hearty chuckle as he tethered Tennessee. "Jesus boy, I thought there was some kinda emergency! Ya sure had me there."

Lenny stepped back unsurely. "Wait, you mean you aren't mad?"

"Why the hell should I be mad that that son of a bitch got what was comin' to 'im? It was only a matter of time given his hell-raisin' nature, and I'm sure it wasn't yer fault."

"A little more tact would be nice, Arthur," Hosea chided, but Arthur noted he seemed equally unperturbed by the news as he led Silver Dollar to the hitching post.

"Riiiiight. So, uh, what did the ol' bastard do?"

"We were in the saloon. I don't know what he did exactly; I wasn't real excited to be drinking with HIM of all people, so I was over in a different corner. Suddenly, there was this big uproar. It wasn't just a fight like yours though…" Arthur winced at the reminder, but Lenny didn't seem to notice. "He killed two men! I mean, they were O'Driscolls, but still. The law did not take kindly to that, and locked him up. They came after me, too, because of association. God, I thought the mob of them were going to lynch me! I barely escaped!" he shuddered.

Well, that was a much better explanation of why he was so rattled. Arthur was moved to reach out and gently squeeze his shoulder as a gesture of comfort. "Thank God that idiot didn't bring you down with 'im. It's gonna be all right, Lenny, we won't send ya anywhere near there."

"They say they plan on hanging him in a few days," he continued, looking between Arthur and Hosea, searching for some kind of reaction.

"What, ya want us to rescue 'im or somethin'? I didn't think you would, seein' as he always called you those unpleasant names and demanded you brink 'im a drink."

Lenny bit his lip thoughtfully. "I mean, if he didn't get rescued, I wouldn't lose any sleep over it."

"I believe your exact words were 'there'd be a party' if he fell," Arthur smirked.

Hosea finally got the chance to put in his two cents. "It's no mystery how I feel about Mr. Bell, but this is a big decision. If we just cut someone lose, it will make the others uneasy. We do bill ourselves as a family, even if Mr. Bell was hardly a member. I think bringing this matter to a camp vote would be the best course of action."

"You've got no disagreement from me, Hosea. Let's get everyone together an' settle this once an' for all." Arthur immediately headed to the heart of the camp, cupping his hands around his mouth to amplify his deep voice. "Hey all y'all, camp meetin' right here right now. Boys, ladies, everybody. This is an important matter."

Several members of the company had already begun to gather out of sheer curiosity from when Lenny had gone running, but several more began the slow process of ambling over.

"I'm in the middle of making tonight's stew!" Pearson protested from over in his tent.

"Let it burn, won't taste any different than usual!"

"Arthur, what do ya want me to do about Swanson? He's…indisposed," Grimshaw added.

Arthur sighed and turned to the heavens. "Forget 'im I guess."

Once everyone minus Swanson had gathered around, he cleared his throat and began. "I'm sure most o' ya have heard by now that Micah went an' got himself captured in Strawberry. To his credit, it was 'cause he killed a few O'Driscolls, but still. As it sits, if we do nothin' he's gonna hang. Now I ain't here to discuss the finer points of his personality, and I'm sure y'all know my personal opinions where he's involved, but this ain't about me an' my grudges. Micah, whether he embraced it or not, was technically a Van der Linde, and as such, all o' us Van der Lindes should have a say in whether or not we risk our lives to get 'im back. I've gathered us together so that every one of us has our say as we take it to a vote. No judgements for your opinions, speak yer minds. Gonna go right down the line, starting with Bill over here."

Bill looked surprised to be put on the spot. "I mean, Dutch valued 'im, and he's a great shot. Why wouldn't we get 'im back?"

Arthur held up a finger on one hand. "Okay, Javier?"

"If it were bounty hunters out in the open like it was for Sean, maybe. But a full prison break for a guy who told me to get the fuck back to Mexico? ¡Puede irse al Diablo!"

Arthur cocked his head. "I take it that's a 'no'?"

"That's right."

He held up a finger on his other hand. "Sean, how about you?"

"Hold up!" the lad interjected loudly, looking mighty offended. "Are ya sayin' ye wouldn't have rescued me from a prison?"

Javier shook his head quickly. "For you, of course, amigo. Just not for him."

"Ah, okay." Sean seemed much relieved. "As fer me, I'm up for anythin'. A good prison break sounds like fun!"

Not the reason Arthur was thinking, but noted all the same. "Charles?"

"No."

Arthur waited for a reason. Charles refused to elaborate. He didn't need to; everyone knew how Micah had called him a Redskin and ordered him around. They also all knew how Charles had made him eat dirt for that disrespect.

"Lenny and I spoke already, so…John?"

"We haven't got that many guns now that the Callander boys are out. And Dutch really trusted 'im. I think we should go."

It was very hard for Arthur not to point out that they'd probably lose guns in the effort to bust him out. He'd promised this was only about gathering opinions, though, so he bit his tongue. "Susan?"

"I'll make this very simple, Mr. Morgan. I, and all of the girls, vote to let 'im rot. He's always making unwanted sexual advances, and none of us feel safe with him around camp." When Arthur looked to the rest of the women, they were all nodding somberly with severe frowns. He didn't doubt it was true, not after some of the things he'd heard Micah say.

"Uncle?"

"Abstain."

"Abstain?"

"That's right. I ain't qualified to vote on this matter."

Arthur sighed. "At least he recognizes it… Okay, Strauss?"

"From a completely logical standpoint, it makes no sense. Even if you rescue him this time, he's got the temperament that will lead to the exact same scenario."

It took a few seconds for Arthur to process Strauss' statement, but it registered eventually. "And that just leaves Pearson, right?"

"I see a lot of things, being the cook. I can tell you right now, that man ain't really a Van der Linde. He treats everybody like shit…"

"Even YOU, Pearson?" Arthur interrupted with mock surprise.

Pearson just rolled his eyes. "Shocking as it is, even me. That man would never risk himself for any one of you, just saying. I vote good riddance."

"Okay…I think that's everybody-"

"I vote 'no'!"

Everyone turned and looked for the source of the unfamiliar voice. They found it hanging around the back, blushing under all their looks. Kieran wished he could say what he thought, that Micah would be far more likely to betray them than he would, that his cruelty matched that of Colm O'Driscoll himself, but he knew that would not go over well.

Arthur scowled. "Ain't nobody asked you! I said 'boys and ladies', not O'Driscolls!"

Kieran swallowed, but held onto the spark of defiance with a death grip. "You said 'everybody'."

"You ain't 'everybody', you're 'nobody'! Not that it matters in the end…" Arthur waved a hand dismissively. "I think the results are pretty conclusive."

"Hold on a minute. Why do all the women's votes count the same as the guys that put their necks on the line?" Bill complained.

"Mr. Williamson." Hosea spoke for the first time. He seemed to know through all his years of experience that saving his voice gave it far more impact. Now was the time to use it. "If the women do not feel safe, that is unacceptable. The fact that we can all come together as a family of equals is what makes this gang better than savages. Micah did not understand this concept, and this is why so many are not willing to come to his rescue. You'll also notice that the vote between gunslingers is tied without factoring Arthur, myself, or the entire rest of the camp who voted 'no'. This really isn't even a contest. Do you understand?"

"Yessir…" he muttered dejectedly.

"Then I think that settles it…" Arthur began, only for Lenny to interrupt him.

"Can I add one more thing?"

"Sure."

"When we were in Strawberry, I saw him kick a dog."

There was a collective gasp of horror, and even Bill looked mildly offended.

"Well, that 'bout settles it. We leave 'im to hang. Win-win, we get rid of 'im and we don't even hafta do anything; he did it to himself." This earned a smattering of applause.

"So, can we drink to this?" Lenny inquired with a smug grin.

Arthur snorted. "I don't know nothin' 'bout it. Just be sure to bring me a bottle!"

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Arthur had wanted to discuss possible job opportunities, but their camp meeting had gone on long enough. He'd round up the bunch tomorrow and figure out what everyone could do to be productive. For tonight, he figured he'd just gnaw on the roast pheasant he'd contributed, toss back a beer as Lenny had suggested, and sketch the birds he'd hunted that day. For once, things seemed to be going well. He was particularly pleased they'd been able to resolve the Micah issue with a nearly unified response and next to no arguing. He had to admit, the mood around the camp tonight was outright jovial at the prospect of never seeing his ugly mug again.

He had just settled onto his cot and opened his sketchbook when a feminine silhouette flickered against his tent flap. "Arthur? You aren't passed out yet, are you?"

He snapped the journal closed. That's right, he had some business to discuss with Mary-Beth that he still hadn't gotten around to. Might as well get it over with now considering how well everything else had gone. "Naw, too early for that."

"I didn't know how much Hosea wore you out with your little trip today." Mary-Beth pulled back the tent flap and allowed herself to enter, letting it fall shut behind her. She had no fear of anyone in the camp judging what she was doing in a closed tent with Arthur Morgan, because everyone knew she considered him the closest thing to a father-figure she'd ever had. Conversely, they all knew he had a soft spot for the girl. That soft spot was not going to interfere with what he had to tell her, however.

"Not enough that I forgot the conversation you and I need to have," Arthur responded. He made no move to rise, felt no need to utilize a more imposing physical presence with the girl. "But judgin' by the fact that you're here, you haven't forgotten neither."

"What you said to Kieran in front of the entire camp was unnecessary," she declared, bypassing any subtlety.

"First of all, you're on a first name basis with the O'Driscoll? Secondly, how you undermined me was unnecessary," he countered, arcing an eyebrow. "The entire point o' torture is to get the person so uncomfortable that they spill their guts. You givin' 'im water kept 'im from foldin' sooner. I thought I noticed it already in Colter. Is that when you started?"

"Yes. He was terrified! He thought you'd do to him what Colm would do to him. I know how much your tough exterior means to you, but he deserved to know you weren't that kind of man."

Arthur growled. "You were tellin' 'im I was nice?"

Mary-Beth shrugged. "I told him you didn't enjoy violence for violence's sake, but the sooner he talked the better. Then, yes, I gave him some water, because you never said no water."

"How much faster could the process have gone if you hadn't though?"

"Did you ever consider how much faster the process would go if you had dangled a carrot instead of threatening the stick?" When Arthur's brow furrowed in confusion, she continued. "He's not hard to read. With you, he's scared of his own shadow, but with me, he offers up information without being able to help himself. He's DESPERATE to be heard. If you'd have played up that angle, you'd have gotten the information out of him the first night, I guarantee it. As it was, he was too busy crying to say anything!"

The cold, critical analysis Mary-Beth offered surprised him, but he should know better by now. She was a girl that often got away with things based on a pretty smile, but she didn't run with the gang for nothing. "I'll admit, I can certainly believe the last part."

She waggled a finger. "That old saying, you know? You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. You can be the vinegar, Arthur, but I'll be the honey. Between the two of us, we've got this set."

"Okay, I can see yer point. But what does that have to do with your first comment about our meeting today?"

Mary-Beth blinked. "Well…it was cruel. He's going to be much more loyal to you if you stop humiliating him like that."

Arthur gave her a long, hard look. "He can deny it all he likes, but he still ran with the O'Driscolls. It's gonna take a very long time before he proves himself."

"He's already done more work than Micah around here, and Micah was here for a few months to his two days."

A snort escaped him. "I concede that is also very true."

"Just…go easier on him, all right? I'm not going to pretend that it's purely tactical." For the first time, Arthur could see her face soften in the glow of the oil lamp. "He's had it rougher than most, even by our standards."

"You know I worry about you gettin' too soft, Mary-Beth…"

"I know. But I'm a grown woman, Arthur. I can take care of myself."

"Well," he smiled, "I will say out of the three o' you I took to Valentine, you were the only one I didn't hafta rescue."

"Tilly's thing was kind of unfair though."

"See? So noble, all the time!" Like Hosea had said, Mary-Beth the empath. Yeah, he was never not going to worry. "All right then. If that's settled, I'm ready to wind down for the night."

"Okay. Thanks for hearing me out, Arthur. It's nice that you're in charge now." She suddenly stopped, aware of what she was insinuating.

Arthur was as well, but he pretended not to. Dutch never did pay heed to the women's opinions despite how he welcomed them into the fold and used the information they gathered. He could understand where that would drive a smart girl like Mary-Beth crazy. "You can take over my position any time, you know." Seriously, any time. It had been nearly two weeks of this, and he was exhausted. Maybe the drawings of pheasants would have to wait for another night.