Arthur saddles his horse when he sees John stepping out of the main house and it's impossible to miss that he's ready to go with them. From how he's armed to the teeth all the way to his determined walk.
"That damn fool." Arthur can't help but murmur as John takes large, strong steps towards Hosea. Arthur can't hear what they're saying but Hosea's facial expression of 'No' slowly changes the longer John talks and gestures. When Hosea sighs, Arthur can tell that John got his will. At his nod, John quickly jogs off to get Old Boy and Arthur catches a glimpse of Hosea looking worn and old. The man rubs a hand over his face, before he draws upright and the look vanishes, instead replaced with the determination that has been there before.
"Arthur." He startles slightly and turns to look at Abigail, who stands beside Storm now. His mare gently nudges her arm and she reaches out to pet her neck. Right from the first glance, Arthur can tell that she doesn't agree with John leaving and from the tense set of her shoulders, they must have argued about it. John is bullheaded though, Arthur knows once he really wants something, there is very little to be done to stop him from going.
Abigail looks troubled and then takes a deep breath. "Please, bring the fool back to me."
Arthur feels his chest grow tight and his stomach lurches at the thought of losing John in the east. "I will." He promises, though he knows better, should know better. You don't make promises like these in their kind of world. "I'll drag 'im back kickin' an' screamin' if I have to."
Abigail exhales and lifts her chin, looking a little more reassured, her shoulders easing a bit. Then she looks straight at him. "You too. You come back. You all come back and you bring Tilly and Javier and Miss Grimshaw with you."
Arthur tips his head in silent acceptance of her request and his mouth dries, but he can't quite bring himself to give her this promise too. It feels like too much, somehow and he hates, honestly loathes, that he can't tell her they'll all come back, unharmed and without a single one of them missing. Arthur knows how quickly losing people happens, has seen it enough times, even before they ended up in the east in the first place. He knows, all it takes is being deserted by luck or simply meeting someone faster and stronger. Lives can be snuffed out at the bang of a gun, gone within a second and before the body hits the ground. He's seen it, remembers it in his dreams and sometimes in his waking moments too.
Promising to bring John back is one thing, but all of them? He knows he can't give her that. Not with what he remembers of the east. A part of him still thinks they shouldn't go at all, that choosing to go there isn't going to do them any good. He remembers all the deaths and all that pain, remembers that bloody mountaintop. Remembers his desperation and death stealing through his veins.
Abigail understands what he doesn't say and she looks upset for a second, before squaring her shoulders, her face not giving anything else away. She's always been strong like that.
"I will do what I can to bring everyone back." He says instead. Abigail gives him a clear nod. She steps back from Storm to head over to John, most likely once more telling him to be careful and to return to her.
"How is Sean?" Arthur asks when Karen steps to his side, both their horses now ready. She looks grim and determined. Her expression falters for a moment and then she lifts her chin.
"He'll be alright. And when we're back, he'll get so many shooting lessons his hands will fall off."
Her words wrangle an amused huff from him and he feels a little better for it. He still worries about the kid, but at the same time, he'd rather have Sean furious and angry for months than to ever bury him before his time again. Still, he catches Karen looking back at their home.
Soon, they're all on the horses and say goodbye to the others. Sean even shows up, face paler than before and he doesn't quite look at them, but he still appears and Karen's shoulders relax a little. Jack, from beside Abigail, looks up at them, worried but not scared. He most likely thinks it's going to be a rescue like all the others he saw them leaving for in the past. Arthur is glad for it, he doesn't want the kid to be scared. Kieran looks worried and Lenny determined with a small frown. Abigail still seems unhappy about John leaving, but she stands steady and strong, Mary-Beth at her side. With all of them, the ranch will be safe and in good hands.
"We will be back as soon as we can." Hosea says and they kick their horses forward, leaving the houses and pastures behind.
All the way to the town, Arthur can't help but think that this is wrong. Their time in the east was supposed to be over, done and dealt with. And yet, somehow, the east manages to drag them back. At least not all of them. They'll have to make it back out, maybe with Tilly, Javier and Grimshaw in tow, or just one of them while the other two go elsewhere, and then they're not going to go back to the east ever again.
When they buy tickets, they have to switch trains two times along the way, before they catch one that takes them straight to the east. Things are quiet between them as they settle down for the long ride, horses in one of the wagons. Arthur is glad for Charles at his side, warm and steady. Even back when the tuberculosis killed him, being with Charles gave him a feeling of things somehow being alright. That even if he himself was lost, it was safe to follow Charles. Loyalty might have cost him a lot before, but trusting Charles never felt wrong or like the man might ask of him to go with him blindly. Charles simply is himself and would sooner shoulder more than ask anyone to do more than what they can.
He feels better too, with Charles there. Fear still crawls up his back and his stomach is clenching in a strange, hollowing feeling, but Charles helps in staying calmer, feeling stronger. They're going to be alright, he tells himself. Everything will turn out alright.
When the lights dim at night, when the wagon is barely illuminated enough not to bump into or trip over things, the sides of their hands press against each other, bridging the bit of space between them on the padded bench. Charles's skin is warm and Arthur feels himself relaxing through it, exhaling slow and low.
He isn't the only one tense either. Sadie is clearly still awake, with Karen sleeping lightly beside her. Hosea seems to have trouble finding sleep too and John beside him has a restless leg, the knee bouncing as he stares ahead. Arthur wonders what they're all thinking. If Sadie feels like returning to all the memories of Jake's death and her grief, if Karen might be scared too, if she wonders how this is going to turn out. If John worries about not coming back to his family. If Hosea wonders what had happened to his closest and longest friend to bring them to this point in time.
Arthur wishes he would have an answer for that particular question and though he thinks he understands a lot more than before, sees things a lot clearer, even he can't tell where exactly they began to lose Dutch. If maybe, there would have been a time where they could have reeled him back in. Where they wouldn't have to lose him to what he is now. Where Arthur didn't have to carry the taste of betrayal and abandonment and pain on the back of his tongue whenever he thinks too much about the man, while a small part of him can't help but still want to save him too if given the chance.
Arthur remembers how it all ended before. The memories rise stronger than they have in weeks and Beaver Hollow passes in front of his eyes, alive and colorful in a way it hasn't after arriving in the west.
He remembers graves, wood marked with names of people he held so dear. Wood that would rot away within years and leave nothing behind to remember any of them by. Involuntarily, Arthur wonders if anyone would have thought of him after his death. If anyone would have risked coming back to bury him or if he would have rotted on that mountaintop, to be picked apart by nature and his bones slowly turning to dust until nothing was left of him.
He can't help but think that he would have liked being buried properly. To have at least one person caring enough to come back for him, to remember him and leave something, even if it was just a wooden cross, so he maybe could be remembered for a few more years. By whoever wished to remember him.
"It will be alright." Charles murmurs, voice almost lost in the noise of the train. He sounds calming and reassuring. "Sleep, Arthur. Nothing will happen in this moment."
For a brief moment, he reaches out to give Charles's hand a gentle squeeze, feels the touch returned, before they let go again, the sides of their hands still pressed against each other. Arthur slouches a bit down his seat, pushing his thoughts away with all his might and tries to quieten his worries. They will be alright. They have to be.
~*~
The journey feels unbearably long and at the same time, Arthur feels the urge, has a voice whispering in the back of his head, to turn around and go back home. Not that he would. Tilly asked for help and he won't abandon her. Even if things might be too late for Javier and Grimshaw - he hopes not, he really does, hopes they'll arrive in time - they can get her out of here.
The Pinkerton patrols are still in place and Arthur feels almost like laughing without humor when they don't control the train. Of course, why should they? They're looking for people leaving, not for those arriving. It feels like some great irony, to safely ride past them when nothing else in regards to the Pinkertons has been safe before in any way.
The Grizzlies are still so very known to Arthur. It feels like coming back to a place he wandered for a long time. And in a way, it's not so wrong. He wandered these lands in two lives and being back feels familiar, in a grief-stricken, bloody sort of way and also like the rise of the morning sun and the freeing, deeply grateful taste of an impossible second chance. The east feels like both the end and a beginning. He still has this second chance and maybe he can still save some more people and not lose anyone again along the way.
It's safe for them to arrive in Saint Denis, as safe as anywhere else. The people of the city shouldn't recognize them and with how many folks there are, they have an easier time blending in among all the other arrivals in their train.
Besides, the gang has been this far south when they left, it's a better a starting point to go looking for Tilly than all the others. Arthur is relieved to get off the train, feeling cooped up and joints tense after all those days of traveling. Storm, when he gets her, seems equally relieved. As soon as everyone has their horses, they gather around Hosea.
"We'll split up and look for Tilly." Hosea says. "Try to find out where Grimshaw and Javier are too if you can, we might find her close to where they are as well. We'll go in two groups. John and Karen, you're with me, we're going to search Saint Denis and the area around it. Sadie, Charles and Arthur, you go looking in the rest of Lemoyne. If you don't find anything in two days, we meet up here again and go elsewhere. If you find her, come back here with her and inform the others. Alright? If we find her, one of us gets you."
Arthur nods, along with everyone else. They split up fast afterwards. Hosea, John and Karen leave their horses tied beside the station to go asking around nearby, while Arthur, Charles and Sadie get in the saddle.
Saint Denis is familiar, maybe a bit too familiar. Arthur still remembers all the roads, the twists and turns, remembers where he helped a saloon owner get rid of rats and where he got diagnosed with tuberculosis. He remembers the job on the boat and the bank heist that cost them two of the people Arthur cares deeply for. At least Lenny isn't here, he tells himself. At least Kieran and Sean aren't here. Neither of them will die in the south again. It's a comfort to think about.
The roads are still as warm and dusty as the last time Arthur was here, even more so now with the heat of the summer sun, as the day slowly tips from the afternoon towards the beginnings of the evening.
"Should we go to Shady Belle?" Sadie asks, as they ride side by side. Arthur mulls over it for a moment. He suspects that Dutch and the others with him shouldn't be there anymore, but that would also mean the Pinkertons might know about the place. Shady Belle wouldn't be safe for Tilly to hide in and too big as well, should another gang come by to claim the place as their own.
"No." He decides. "Tilly most likely isn't there. Lets head for Rhodes first."
He hopes the others are still down here in the south, along with Tilly and Javier and Grimshaw. Hopes they're not somewhere around Annesburg or Valentine or Strawberry. Hopes there in the area so the chances for saving them are higher. He really wants them to be alive, so they can get away and decide what to do with their lives from then on. If they want to come with them to the west or start living elsewhere.
"What do you think about Dutch?" Charles asks as they head towards Rhodes. "You don't think that he'll save them?"
If it had been anyone else, Arthur would have said that Dutch would let them die. But Javier and Grimshaw? They're loyal. So incredibly loyal and they care for Dutch so much. The only way Arthur can see Dutch abandoning them is if something happened. Something to make him doubt them and Arthur wonders what could have happened. Then again, why would Tilly ask for their help if she still counted on Dutch?
"I don't know, but we have to be careful." He answers. "Even if Dutch is going to show up to save them, there's going to be a trap."
"The Pinkertons." Sadie says with understanding, her voice going a bit rougher on the name. Arthur gives her a nod. No matter what, Javier and Grimshaw being captured can only ever be a trap to try and catch Dutch. It can't be why Dutch won't help them though. Arthur thinks that, at least, Dutch would answer a challenge like that, would feel as if he had to prove that he was smarter than them, while saving two of his most loyal members at the same time.
He hopes they'll find Tilly soon. There are questions Arthur wants and needs answers to. Especially because he doesn't want any of them to run into something they can't get out of. They have to keep as low a profile as possible as well, if they want to have better chances of leaving the east again.
The roads are so familiar he could follow them half conscious. The smell is well known too, a scent he's lived with for weeks. The dusty roads call forth memories and a growing feeling of unease, as they head towards Rhodes.
The town, when they reach it, is entirely unchanged. The same buildings, the same people, the same prices. There is still a bit of a bustle going on, but considering that it's growing late in the day, Arthur also sees people getting ready to relax after a day of work.
"I'll head into the station and ask around." Sadie proposes and Arthur gives her a nod.
"If a guy called Alden is in, give him a bit of money and he should tell you everything you want." He says and she gives him an understanding glance, nudging Bob so he trots towards the train station.
"We should try the saloon, unless you'd like to go elsewhere?" Arthur suggests, turning a questioning look to Charles.
"A good a place as any to start. I think after the shootout the last time you was here, the sheriff station might not be the best place." Charles muses and Arthur swallows against a mix of memories and a bone-deep sigh that encompasses everything that went wrong down here.
The sun is slowly setting around them and if not for Arthur hating to be back in the east and the growing unease that seems to crawl deeper to settle along his bones, it would be a nice day. Warm and sunny with a beautiful sunset.
They hitch the horses up outside the saloon and head in, Charles quiet and attentive at his back. Arthur turns towards the bar, waving the barkeeper down when they reach it.
"Two whiskeys." He says, setting the coins on the counter. "Hey." The bartender pauses after setting down the two glasses, with a small side-glance at Charles that has a part of Arthur bristling. He knows that kind of look. Damn south. He might understand a little more what Lenny meant the last time they were down here. "We heard some rumors about gang members being caught."
The barkeeper gives him a careful once over and Arthur knows he sees what everyone else sees. A rough man, armed and with the kind of air that lets others know violence and hardness are no strangers to him. He hasn't spent nearly enough time away from that life to lose that air yet and Arthur, in all truth, doubts that he ever will.
"If you're lookin' for bounties, we have some on Lemoyne Raiders and a guy who's wanted for murder." He says, eyeing Arthur a moment longer.
Arthur frowns a bit, before he can say anything though, a short, broken off laugh makes him look to the side. He straightens in surprise when Molly almost falls against the bar as she stumbles closer, so drunk Arthur can smell the whiskey on her. She doesn't look good. Pale and her usually so well maintained clothes are dusty, the hem of her dress smeared with dried mud. Her hair is only halfheartedly done and there are shadows under her eyes.
"If yer'r lookin' for..." She breaks off, stumbling a bit as she sways a step to the side. Arthur gently grips her arm just as the bartender gives her an annoyed look.
"You again. Here to finally pay up? Don't think I forgot that you left yesterday without paying." He takes a step closer and Arthur is quick to lift a calming hand.
"How much?" He asks and the man gives him a frown, before telling him. Arthur is rather certain it's a dollar or two more than what Molly really owes, but he honestly doesn't much care. She slumps against his side, murmuring something he can't hope to understand. Especially with the alcohol slurring her accent so much he honestly thinks she's no longer speaking English. Or coherent English in any case.
"Take her." The barkeeper says after accepting the money. "She's too drunk to stay anyways."
Arthur resists the urge to shoot the man a look. It says a lot about him that he lets two strangers just take a woman along. Still, it's better to get this done without protest than having to make a scene or drawing too much attention.
Leaving the whiskey, Arthur gently grips Molly and helps her stay upright. Charles walks ahead of them to hold the door open as they cross the room. Molly trips on the stairs on the way down and Arthur barely manages to keep a grip on her.
"Alright Miss O'Shea, just a bit further." He tells her, only to realize that she's too far gone. By the time he strengthens his grip, her eyes have fallen closed and the most he gets out of her are nonsensical mumbles and small noises. He exchanges a look with Charles, who has a small, worried frown on his face.
Bending his knees, Arthur lifts Molly up, carefully slinging her over one shoulder. She smells of dust, the saloon and whiskey.
"I'll go get Sadie." Charles says once they are a bit away from Rhodes and stop by a tree right outside of the town. "You'll be alright alone?"
"Sure." Arthur sets Molly down and carefully leans her back against the tree. In the light of the sinking sun, her matted hair still looks fiery. Her freckles seem to stand out a bit, considering her almost sickly pallor and even with the slight tan the south left on her.
"Hey, Miss O'Shea." Arthur gently taps her cheek, kneeling at her side and wondering just how much she had. She seems almost entirely out of it now. "Molly."
She seems to stir a bit at her first name, but aside from a small noise, she can't seem capable of much more. It doesn't take long for Sadie and Charles to return and Sadie kneels at Molly's other side, frowning a bit as well.
"Molly. Hey, Molly." She taps her cheek too and then looks at Arthur and Charles. "What should we do with her?"
"We ain't leavin' her." Arthur says. It's not even something he has to decide on. Molly got dealt an incredibly shitty hand the last time around and it looks like something happened to drive her away from Dutch entirely this time too. The least he can do now is do his best to try to ensure she stays alive. "Let's see if we can wake her up."
They decide against staying in Rhodes and Sadie has Molly in front of her as they ride further away, keeping her in the saddle with an arm around her middle. Charles leads them to a good place to set up camp and Arthur heads out for a quick hunt, while Sadie tries to get Molly to sober up a bit.
By the time he returns with a pheasant, Molly sleeps on Sadie's bedroll, looking tousled and somehow also very exhausted.
"What do you think happened?" Sadie asks, while Charles prepares the food and Arthur sets out his own bedroll.
"I don't know." He answers honestly, glancing at Molly and the shadows under her eyes. "But I think Dutch either kicked her out or she left."
Personally, he can't help but think the former, unless Dutch once again ended up somewhere around Cuba. Back then, Molly herself only left after it looked as though they had died after that botched robbery and the subsequent storm at sea. In all honesty, Arthur would have thought the same in her shoes. But now? He doesn't know if Dutch even attempted to rob the bank in Saint Denis, so he doesn't know if Guarma ever happened. If it didn't, he can see Dutch throwing Molly out at one point. He did have less and less patience for her.
"We'll find out when she wakes up." Charles says and they fall quiet again, listening to the crackle of fire and the small hiss when a drop of fat from the meat of the pheasant falls into the flames.
Arthur offers to take the first watch after they eat, since he already knows that he won't be able to sleep and he lets Sadie have his bedroll. He sits beside Charles, rifle close and keeps an eye on everything around them. Still, even with the peaceful quiet of the night and with two people he trusts the most at his side, he can't relax. Restlessness spreads through his limbs and his heartbeat feels too fast and too nervous. The same unsettled feeling from before hasn't let go of him and instead seems to have burrowed into his very being.
It takes Arthur a moment to realize that he's scared. Scared of this place and everything that happened here in another life. He's scared of what returning to it will cost him. No more graves. He'll have to focus on that. No more graves, even if coming back is going to cost him his own life, he'll gladly give it as long as no one else joins him in death. As long as they all can go home, can go west again.
Molly sleeps like a log for hours, right up until Arthur would wake either Charles or Sadie to take over the watch. She groans and rolls to facing the fire, which has burned down to embers. But it's really warm down here in the south so they really don't need the heat. Arthur pauses and watches as she seems to wake up. It only takes him a moment to realize what will happen and the next he's on his feet and at her side.
Arthur helps Molly upright and a few stumbling steps, before she throws up. It's a bit awkward as he tries to somehow hold her hair back and help her stay mostly upright. Therefore, it takes him a moment to notice it when her heaving turns into shivers and then quiet sobs.
"A right laugh I am. I loved him, I really did." She chokes out and Arthur helps her a few more steps away from the vomit so she can sit in the grass. Molly still sounds like she's drunk, but not nearly as much as a few hours ago. She wipes an unsteady hand over her face and then seems to give up, her head falling to her drawn up knees.
Arthur has absolutely no idea what to do. A feeling of helplessness and something empathetic and slightly aching rises in him at seeing her cry. Carefully, he puts a hand on her shoulder and keeps it there when she seems to tilt towards the touch a bit. Behind him, he hears some rustling and turns to see both Sadie and Charles awake. They hang back though, for now, Sadie throwing some twigs into the fire and Charles pulling out some water, most likely for Molly to drink if she feels like it.
"What happened?" Arthur asks when she seems to be all out of tears. She wipes her hand over her face again, an entirely humorless laugh escaping her. It sounds so aching.
"Threw me out." Molly says and keeps her eyes fixed on her knees. There is shame on her face and she seems to curl in on herself. "Said he wanted a nagging woman like me no more and if I was so unhappy, I should go find someone else."
Something twists her face, heartbreak and anger and something that looks like self-blame. Then she glances up at Arthur, frowning and eyes bloodshot and he lets his hand drop away, almost feeling the way she tenses up now.
"Here to laugh at me?" She asks, hurt and angry and Arthur gets it. She doesn't know if any of them will understand her or not laugh at her. He didn't much talk to her, not last time or this time around. Molly didn't really have friends at camp either, none that he knows of at least.
"No." He says as she draws breath to say anything else and he sees her deflate a bit, the fight going out of her to leave something bitter and hurt behind. He tries to gentle his voice a bit. "No, Molly. This isn't your fault."
Her shoulders sag at that. Arthur believes it too. It's not her fault when things didn't work out, he overheard her trying to talk to Dutch before, who was never fond of sharing his troubles with others. Sometimes, things just don't work out, even with trying.
"Why are you here?" Molly asks as Arthur nudges her up to come sit by the fire again. She accepts a tin mug of water Charles hands her and seems grateful for Sadie sitting down on her other side. "You was gone."
"Tilly asked for help." Sadie explains. "Says the Pinkertons have Javier and Miss Grimshaw. Do you know anything about it?"
Molly frowns into her cup and then looks up. "They was still with Dutch when I left. But I met the Pinkertons a few days ago or somethin'. I remember them talkin' to me, 'bout Dutch and the rest of them. I never told them a thing." She bites on her lower lip and her frown deepens for a moment, before something flits over her face. "Van Horn. I remember them talking about hangin' up at Van Horn. But I could tell it was a going to be a trap. They wanted me to overhear it."
Sadie, Charles and Arthur exchange a look.
"Might be as good a place as any to go to next, if Hosea and the others don't find out anything more." Charles says. Arthur nods, before looking at Molly.
"Do you want to come with us?" He asks. Arthur doesn't want to leave her down here, alone and grieving and getting drunk all the time. Even if she keeps drinking, at least at home, they can ensure nothing bad happens to her. As much as possible at least.
Molly lifts her head, surprised and stares at Arthur for a moment. Then she huffs out a soft noise, something along her shoulders and back easing. "I got you all wrong, Arthur Morgan." She swallows and there is a brief flash of shame, before she nods, her voice quiet. "Yeah, I'll go with you."
"Alright. Try to get some more sleep, we'll leave early." Arthur gives her shoulder a small pat and then gets up. Charles briefly touches his arm as he sinks down on the bedroll beside him. They exchange a glance and Charles settles down beside Arthur's head, ready to keep watch.
Sadie exchanges some murmurs with Molly, getting her to lie down again as well. Arthur looks up at Charles, who gives him a small, warm smile. He has to resist the urge to reach out, instead giving him a small smile back. Arthur still feels nervous and unsettled, but no longer as unbearably restless as before. Something about watching Molly cry sapped some of that excess energy out of him as well. He should be able to catch a bit of sleep, even if he's still worried. Still scared, in a way.
"Sleep." Charles murmurs, briefly reaching out. It looks as though he nudges Arthur's hat a bit to the side, but Arthur feels the way his fingers card through his hair for a moment, making him relax a bit with a silent sigh. "We'll keep watch and if it is a trap, they won't kill Javier and Grimshaw too soon. We still have some time."
It helps to hear that. Still, once Arthur falls asleep, the dreams that greet him are anything but kind.
~*~
Molly is quiet on their ride back to Saint Denis. At first, Arthur is pretty sure it is due to her hangover, but afterwards she seems to withdraw, still looking kind of ill and a few times, when he glances at her, he sees a sheen of tears in her eyes. Tears she refuses to let fall and sometimes she look a mix of heartbroken and angry as well.
They all are rather quiet and they keep the pace swift. Van Horn isn't horribly far from Saint Denis - not like Strawberry or Valentine would be, for example, but Arthur still wants to hurry. The thought of being too late because they took their time on the road nags at the back of his mind and draws the muscles along his shoulders a little tighter.
Saint Denis looms into view soon, smoke and dust rising from the city to smudge over the sky like the colors on a failed photograph. It makes the sun look murkier somehow. The hooves of the horses are noisy on the cobbled streets and Arthur has to pay attention to the pedestrians, so he doesn't accidentally rides into anyone. Or runs them over.
Charles breaks away to go and get Hosea and the others, while Arthur and Sadie, who has Molly on the horse with her, head to the station. As the two women pick an unobtrusive place to wait, Arthur heads to a nearby store and gets some more food. He should try and get a newspaper soon too, at least to see if anything of note stands in there. Or if he can maybe find out if Dutch did anything since they left. Molly doesn't remember hearing anything about him, though then again, she looks as though she spent most of her days drinking.
When Hosea and the others return, they are surprised to see Molly. She lifts her chin, but Arthur can see the tense fists her hands curl into and the curve of her shoulders, caught between squaring and rounding, as though she is half ready to fold into herself and half ready to face a fight. Hosea speaks with her, voice gentle and kind and Karen seems to understand what's going on at the first glance too. She doesn't say anything and Arthur is glad for it. He isn't sure if she and Molly ever really got along, but Karen can be a lot kinder than most people give her credit for. Most times, at least.
"What did you find out?" John asks, just as Hosea steps closer to him as well. Arthur briefly motions at Molly.
"Miss O'Shea overheard the Pinkertons talking about keeping Javier and Miss Grimshaw up at Van Horn, but it's most definitely a trap."
"When isn't that the case." Hosea muses, thoughtful and serious. "Alright, John, Arthur, you ride ahead and see how much truth there is to it. We'll get some more supplies and follow you a little later. Meet us outside of Van Horn when you know more or you're sure Grimshaw and Javier are there."
John and Arthur give Hosea nods, before turning to their horses. Arthur can't help but glance back at the group, standing close together and talking, before they're weaving their way past pedestrians and head out of the city.
"You think they're really there?" John asks as they canter down the road at a steady pace. Arthur reaches up to adjust his hat a bit.
"Maybe. They should be, if Milton and Ross want it to be a trap." He's reasonably certain that's the case. Back at Beaver Hollow, with Abigail that had been the case, when she had been kidnapped and Arthur and Sadie had ridden to go save her. "If they are, we should most likely find Tilly there too."
"Yeah." John falls silent again for a little while, before looking over at Arthur. "Do you really think Dutch wouldn't come for them? Even if he knew of the trap, wouldn't he come get them?"
Arthur frowns and tips his head forward, rubbing a thumb along the reins. "I don't know. But something is going on."
It worries him though, he has to admit that. What if it's a trap so deadly that Dutch wouldn't find saving two people worth the risk? What if he knows and doesn't care to save them? Has something happened in all the weeks since they left, that would cause him to abandon Javier and Grimshaw? Tilly certainly doesn't seem to trust Dutch to save them. She isn't prone to panic, she's smart and keeps a cool head. Tilly wouldn't lightly ask for their help.
John frowns but doesn't say anything else. He still seems to mull over things and Arthur is doing pretty much the same. He also can't help but keep an eye out. It's partly his paranoia speaking and partly because he is right to be careful. The last thing they need is being spotted by a person who recognizes them and reports their presence to someone.
Above them, clouds gather and they're halfway to Van Horn, when John speaks up again.
"So." He says, in a tone of voice that makes Arthur glance at him reflexively. It's as if John tries to sound very casual but can't help curiosity from bleeding through. "You and Charles?"
It takes Arthur a second to realize just what exactly John means and he finds himself flexing his hand on the reins.
"Which is perfectly fine." John tacks on, almost hurriedly, voice taking a reassuring tone. "It's just, most of us have been wonderin'. I've been wonderin'."
"Since when?" Arthur can't help but ask, glancing at John again, who frowns a bit in thought.
"Uh, at Shady Belle I thought somethin' might be up, but only a bit. It really registered when we reached the west." He looks back at Arthur, earnest in a way they aren't often. "I'm happy for you. I mean, if it worked out." A beat of silence. "Did it?"
Arthur feels something along his shoulders relax a little, something in him calming and settling a bit at what John said. "Don't go blabbin' it out now, Marston."
John huffs out a brief laugh. "Wouldn't think of it." He nudges his horse a tad closer to reach out and clap Arthur on the shoulder. There is something impish entering his gaze when Arthur looks up. "Took you look enough, I thought you'd never find someone."
"Oh shut it." Arthur gives him a small shove and can't help but smile himself. John grins back and Arthur, unbidden, thinks that this guy, this impossible, stubborn, great guy, really is his brother. He wouldn't have it any other way.
They ride on for a moment longer in silence and then Arthur frowns. "Wait, most of you?"
John grins at him, entirely unapologetic. "I mean, we all guessed somethin' was up, but Hosea just told us to leave it alone. That it's none of our business." He gets more serious then. "But really, I won't say anythin' to the others if you don't want me to."
"Thanks." Arthur honestly never thought about telling anyone. To him, it's between him and Charles and that's where it would have stayed. Especially with how new and fresh everything is and feels and all the stuff that has gone unsaid for now but won't remain that way for too long. Still, it's, well, it's really nice to have John be so accepting about it.
They remain quiet for the rest of the ride, up until they get close to Van Horn.
"Let's keep our distance. That ledge there gives us a good view of the place." John suggests and Arthur nods. They get up on the ledge and pull out their binoculars once they have a good view of Van Horn without being easily seen in return.
The place, on first glance, looks just like Arthur remembers. Rundown, kind of dark and giving off the feeling as though this is where every person with empty pockets ends up in. The houses look kind of sooty and the same broken wagon is still on the side of the road at the entrance to Van Horn. Right up until Arthur sees something that doesn't really fit the place. Gallows that haven't been there before, half made of old and new wood and built just well enough to be passable. It takes Arthur a moment to recognize the person left swaying on the rope.
He sucks a sharp breath in, heart lurching with startled alarm, followed an ache that briefly steals his air and nausea roiling through him like a stormy sea. John beside him makes an aborted move, a strange mix of flinching back and tipping forward, as though to reach out.
"It's, how, they - they just left her there." John sounds as thrown as Arthur feels, shocked and angry, both of them almost frozen in place. For a long moment, Arthur can't look away from Miss Grimshaw, her hair half undone and strands fluttering in the breeze, her whole body limp, skin a strange, pasty white and her skirts torn at the hem, dirtier than she ever allowed them to get while she had been alive.
He can tell she's been there for more than just a few hours. She's been dead for a good few days already. His mouth bone-dry, he looks away and John beside him does the same, looking shocked and stricken.
"How dare they." John says, sounding as though he still can't really believe it. Arthur can't either. A hanged person gets taken off the noose once it's confirmed they're dead, a part of him thinks as though from far away. Arthur drags a deep breath into his lungs, forcing himself to focus and get some feeling back into his fingers.
"We'll have to get her down." John says, already reaching for the reins to turn Old Boy around. Arthur grips his arm without thinking.
"She's still there for a reason." The words feel wooden and wrong in his mouth and his mind reels, half caught up in the sight through the binoculars and his memory of Grimshaw dying before. Of being shot in the chest and falling. This...this wasn't how it was supposed to go. She shouldn't have died again, not for this, not for anything but old age.
For a moment, he thinks John is going to argue, is going to get angry or frustrated, before he deflates. They sit in silence on their horses and Arthur lets go of John's arm when John takes a deep, steadying breath and straightens up.
"Tilly, we'll have to see if we can find her. And Javier. Let's hope they haven't killed him too yet." John says and looks back towards Van Horn with a dark expression on his face. "And we'll get her down. They don't get to keep her up there to be picked apart by ravens. She deserves better than that, she -"
John shakes his head and Arthur understands. Grimshaw kept the camp together in a lot of ways, she kept them presentable, kept roofs over their heads as much as possible and sure, she could be incredibly hard sometimes, but Arthur always trusted her. Trusted that she'd do what she could to make sure everyone made it through. That the camp ran well.
"Yeah. We'll not leave her there." He promises quietly, taking another deep breath before he lifts his binoculars again. "Let's see if we can spot any Pinkertons or what they might have in store for us, too."
Arthur tries not to look over at Grimshaw again, his chest tight and heart beating too fast once more, the unease in him surfacing again. Keeping his breathing slow and steady, he surveys the place a second time.
"I can't see Tilly." John murmurs and then lightly smacks his shoulder. "There, over by the docks."
Arthur looks over and sees Milton glancing out a window, the one by the fence shop, before he steps back and disappears from view. Involuntarily, Arthur remembers another time that he was here, Milton waiting for him and Sadie with his men.
"Think Ross is here too?" John asks and Arthur frowns, looking around further.
"I don't know. Possibly." He heaves an angry sigh. "Shit, what if they have Tilly too now?"
"She would have tried to help Grimshaw." John says and something angry enters his voice. "And they left her hangin' to capture whoever else tried to come for her or Javier."
"I doubt Javier is still here, if I'm honest." Arthur looks over the rest of the buildings again. "Maybe never was. It would be a better trap too. Separate the two and make it harder to save them both at the same time."
"We'll have to find out if Tilly is here." John lowers his binoculars and Arthur does the same. "One of us sneaks down and tries to find someone to talk to?"
"Alright." Arthur stows the binoculars away. "I'll go." He holds up a hand to stop John's protests. "And you keep me covered."
"Fine." John frowns heavily now, sounding anything but happy. He still gets his rifle out and Arthur turns Storm to the side to ride through the trees and use their cover to get as close to Van Horn as possible without being visible right away.
If he's really careful, it could work. Milton and his men are probably keeping an eye on the main road, where Grimshaw is as well. And if they really have Tilly, she might be in the same place Abigail had been before. Especially with Milton having looked out the window of the fence shop. Arthur hopes Tilly is around and that she's well, even if she's captured.
He has to leave Storm behind as the houses come into view. The sun is still up, so Arthur isn't happy sneaking about like this, but he keeps low and an eye on the windows and alleys. He slowly slides his way down the hillslope behind Van Horn towards the tavern, where a man stands and smokes, eyeing him with a wryly lifted eyebrow. Knowing what he knows about Van Horn, Arthur is pretty sure the guy has seen way, way worse. And weirder too.
"Good day." He greets the man politely, who lifts his cigarette in a slightly sarcastic greeting gesture. "Could I ask you somethin'?"
"Depends." The man eyes him, gaze lingering a moment longer on his weapons.
"I'm looking for a friend and I wonder if you might have seen her come through. Wears a yellow dress, polite and probably kept a low profile."
"The darkie they captured?" The man asks and snips a bit of ash to the side. "Tried to save that old crow from being hung. I really wish they'd take her down, she's startin' to smell."
Arthur resists curling his hands to fists or to let a particularly dark and angry expression cross onto his face. He still needs a bit more information and he really should avoid causing trouble.
"You know where they took her?" He asks, trying for casual by resting his hands on his belt instead of doing something foolish, like letting one drop close to his revolver or shifting his stance to something more dangerous looking.
The guy eyes him and then lifts a shoulder. "My memory isn't that good." He gives him a humorless smile. "Could be encouraged though."
"How 'bout this." Arthur says as he keeps himself from taking a step closer and appear threatening or crowding. "I give you somethin' to prod your memory and a little extra somethin' to make it forget again."
The man's grin now takes a pleased turn. "Hand me the cash and I never saw you."
Arthur doesn't know how well that would work, especially if Milton offers money as well or anything, but knowing the guy, as long as Arthur and the others get away again, by tomorrow if possible, they should be good. Hopefully.
Arthur digs out some money and hands it to the man, who looks over it, appearing pleased and satisfied. "Have you heard anything about them having a Mexican too?"
The guy stashes the money away, frowning in thought and takes his cigarette out of his mouth.
"No, haven't heard about anyone like that. They have your lady friend over by the docks. Hidin' her away in the shop of the fence. They're hopin' you'll be stupid and storm in blind and down the main road." He leans back against the wall. "That's all I know. Oh, they have a bunch of men, all armed to the teeth." He gives Arthur a surprisingly serious look. "They're gonna blow you full a holes before you even get to decent cover."
"We'll see." Arthur murmurs and with a small wave, leaves again. He uses some scraggly bushes growing further at the side to climb out of the back of Van Horn. It doesn't take him long to reach Storm again and ride back to John, telling him everything.
"Let's meet up with Hosea and the others first." Arthur suggests. "Then we'll talk about a plan of attack."
They ride to an abandoned house a little bit away from Van Horn, that Arthur remembers well. Here, he and Bill once went to go stealing dynamite and Micah got on his nerves even more. Most of all, he remembers how much the illness had already eaten away at him.
The others arrive a few minutes after Arthur and John.
"Miss Grimshaw is dead." Arthur says when they're all standing together. Hosea briefly closes his eyes, taking a deeper breath. Charles frowns and Sadie tips her hat so her face isn't visible for a moment, before looking up again. Karen looks entirely unconcerned - which doesn't surprise Arthur, she mostly hated Grimshaw. Molly presses her lips together, arms wrapped around herself, but she doesn't really appear sad either.
"They have Tilly too now." Arthur continues. "They're holding her in Van Horn, but I haven't heard anything about Javier. I think they separated them and he's somewhere else." And hopefully still alive. "They have a lot of men, we're gonna have to be smart about this."
Hosea rubs a hand over his mouth, looking to the side and then glancing up at the sky, before straightening. Arthur knows the expression that appears on his face. He has a plan.
"We'll wait until nightfall. It's going to be quite foggy tonight and we're going to need all the cover we can get." Hosea's voice takes on something clear and strong and everyone around him straightens in response. "Arthur, you and Sadie ride to the shore. I saw a small fisher boat farther down the road, nothing more than a rowboat, but it will do. Take it and use it to get to the docks unnoticed. The rest of us are going around town and get into good positions to draw the fire." His face and voice turn grim. "It's going to be bloody. We'll prioritize Tilly and if we can, we'll take Grimshaw to bury her later."
"She's still at the gallows." John adds and there is a small shift on Hosea's face, something grieving and angry, before he nods.
"Alright, we best rest up." Hosea tells them, dispersing their round. Arthur though knows he and Sadie might have to leave now if they want to take the boat to Van Horn in time. "Arthur, be at the docks at midnight at the latest. That's when we'll strike. And afterwards, we'll meet close to the stables a bit further down."
Arthur gives him a nod of understanding. Yeah, it looks like they're going to leave now.
Sadie turns to Molly and Arthur. "We best get going now, the boat is quite a bit away. I'll ride with you, if that's okay." At his nod, she faces Molly. "You take Bob. If anything tonight goes wrong, you run with 'im."
Molly swallows and then straightens. Arthur hopes everything will go well and they won't have to split and run in all directions like a herd of panicked deer. This thing tonight has to go well. He already lost so much to the east before, he doesn't want to go through that again. Sadie takes her guns from the saddle and hands Bob's reins to Molly, who takes them with a half worried, half determined look. Then she takes a deep breath and squares her shoulders.
"Be safe." She tells them, fingers closing a bit tighter around the reins. Arthur gives her a nod and gets back on Storm. Sadie is behind him before he can even so much as hold out a hand to her. It makes a small smile tug at the corners of his mouth. Then he lifts his head and gives the others a parting nod, gaze locking with Charles a moment longer.
They all look a bit tense, though not too worried, not yet. Charles gives him a small tilt of his head in parting and Arthur turns Storm around.
"I know where the boat is." Sadie says."I'll tell you when to go off the road."
"Alright." With a nudge to her flanks they leave and Arthur gets Storm into a steady, swift gallop shortly afterwards. It's quiet between them, aside from Sadie giving him the occasional instruction until they reach the shore with the rowboat. No one else is around and the sun starts to set. Giving Storm a pat to get her to leave, Arthur pushes the boat back out onto the water with Sadie. They climb in and he grabs the oars, starting to row the moment Sadie sits down.
"What are you thinkin' about all this?" Sadie asks when they get away from shore, her hands resting on her legs as she looks around. A bit further up, Arthur can see Storm trotting along the shoreline, keeping an eye on them. Smart girl. Then again, after everything she went through with him, it shouldn't surprise him that she knows what to do. She'll probably find the others soon and one of them will keep her close.
"'bout what?" Arthur asks, though he can guess what Sadie means.
"About Tilly, Javier and Dutch. And now Grimshaw is dead." She shakes her head. "I can't believe it."
Arthur can't help but remember all the deaths before. Everyone he couldn't save, all the tragedy that took place while he stood by, not yet seeing the truth. A part of him thinks those memories will stay with him forever, though he hopes, one day, they might not be as haunting, not as aching and painful.
He sighs. "I don't know, Sadie. There is too much I don't know, but we'll save them. If they're still alive, we'll get them out. That much I do know."
"Yeah." She leans forward, her elbows on her knees and her keen, thoughtful eyes watch him. Then she frowns slightly. "I'm sorry about Grimshaw. Death waits for no one, not even for us."
"No." The world feels strangely thick and rough on his tongue, his mouth turning dry. "No it doesn't."
~*~
Like Hosea said, fog starts to roll in as the last sunlight disappears, the dark of the night spreading around them. The fog is thick, thick enough that without some lights weakly shining through from Van Horn, Arthur honestly wouldn't have found the place. For a while, it even felt as if he wasn't even still rowing in the right direction, with how everything around him disappeared in the thick gray-whiteness. Now though, he at least has some guidance.
He slows his rowing as they approach the place a bit before midnight. Partly to reduce the amount of noise he makes and partly because even with some guiding lights shining through the fog like some far-off specters, he still has trouble figuring out where the dock with the fence shop is.
In the end, they almost bump right into the dock it stands on and only Sadie quickly reaching out and pushing them sideways saves them from making a very noticeable noise. They stay still and quiet for a long moment, ducked low and Arthur can only vaguely see Sadie in this fog and with the lamps barely casting enough light to make shapes around them reasonably visible.
"Should we wait?" Sadie whispers and he hears the tell-tale, quiet noise of her pulling out her revolver in preparation. Arthur wets his lips and then nods towards the house on the docks.
"We'll get closer. Maybe we can get Tilly out before they start shootin'." Especially if Milton might stick close to her or level a gun at her head when the fighting begins. He ties the rowboat to a dock post more or less well enough and they climb out, feet quiet on the wooden planks.
Sadie stays a step behind him, close enough in case anything happens and no to lose sight of him, but with enough distance for sudden stops, to avoid running into him. Arthur keeps listening for noises and as they get closer, hears the quiet murmur of two guys talking. They seem farther to the left though, probably guards that abandoned their hideouts to have a better look in this fog. Arthur waves Sadie with him to the right side, towards the back of the fence shop. The lights are clearer here, shining through the windows. He crouches down by one. Sadie is beside him and glances around to ensure nothing can sneak up on them.
Arthur straightens a bit, just enough to take a peek inside. In the shop, only two lanterns are lit, enough to help people see by, but casting a lot of convenient shadows to hide in or to make attackers pause for a second to check if nothing is there. Glancing around, he exhales in relief when he spots Tilly, before he frowns and bites back a curse. She's tied up in a chair, much like Abigail had been all that time before and Milton is barely two steps from her, leaning against the counter and removing dirt from under his nails with the tip of his knife. Great.
"I see Tilly." Arthur whispers when he ducks back down. "Milton is with her."
"Shit." Sadie straightens a bit now too, to take a look herself and then ducks back down. "What do you wanna do?"
They only have a few minutes to decide since midnight is almost upon them. Arthur thinks it over and then draws his own gun.
"We go in a minute before midnight." He tells her quietly. "Get Milton away from Tilly. Hosea and the others should attack before Milton can get too much help and by then, his men hopefully can't afford leaving their posts."
"Alright." Sadie checks her gun over and then settles back to look out for any patrolling guards, while Arthur pulls out his watch. It's a bit hard to make out the time in this fog and darkness, but with a bit of squinting, he can see it okay enough. As the time nears, he tucks it away and Sadie at his side shifts to get ready. Arthur exchanges a look and nod with her, before creeping towards the backdoor.
His heart is picking up its beat too, thrumming against the inside of his ribs and there is a strange, cold tingle spreading over his skin and making him restless and worried. Scared, he's scared this is going to fail. He doesn't want to carry Tilly out there, dead and gone. Not her, not when she had survived before. He won't be her undoing now, after saving all the others. That's not the price he'll pay for changing things. Not her and not Javier. Not after already having failed Grimshaw.
As he reaches the backdoor, he takes a deep breath, Sadie getting in position on the other side. She holds two guns now and her gaze is hard and determined. She stands with the strength to bring anything in her path down to their knees and for a brief, sharp second, Arthur is dearly glad to have her there with him. To have her reliable, fierce strength at his side. Inhaling deep, he straightens up and turns to the door, sees her shift to come shoulder to shoulder with him at the same time as he raises his foot.
The door splinters open with a strong kick, slamming aside with a loud noise. Fog swirls around them as they storm inside, Milton having startled upright. He whirls towards them, gun lifted and then he dives sideways, just as Arthur and Sadie begin to shoot. Arthur doesn't stop, shooting first one revolver and then the other, while Sadie rushes past him, using the cover to stop beside Tilly, who tries to make warning noises through the cloth over her mouth.
"Behind you!" She screams when Sadie tugs it down and Arthur whirls around with a start. The two guards from before have run around the shop instead of going straight in and possible meeting enemy fire. Smart, sadly, he could have used dumb henchmen tonight.
Arthur ducks to make a smaller target while he shoots, the first guy falling and the other taking three bullets before he goes down. An enraged shout behind him makes him turn around again, to see Sadie throwing herself towards Milton. It's strange, to see her in a position Arthur had held before, bracing against Milton's arm to keep the gun away from herself, away from him and Tilly too. Still, Milton slowly begins to force her hand down and Arthur curses, hurrying to change position and to get a clear shot without accidentally hurting Sadie too. Distantly, he's aware of shooting starting outside and the yells of men.
"Arthur!" Sadie shouts just as he rounds Tilly, seeing her gripping Sadie's dropped knife with one hand and cutting herself free.
He raises his gun. "Duck!"
Sadie dives to the side, letting Milton stumble a step forward as her resistance is suddenly gone. Their eyes meet for a moment, Milton's wide in slightly startled surprise. Arthur shoots, the man managing to stop his stumble at just the right height and angle. Watching Milton crumble to the ground, a hole in his head, feels strange. Neither a victory nor a bad deed. Just desperation and relief.
"You came." Tilly says, disbelief and relief in her voice and he hears rope snapping, turning around to watch her rising to her feet, knife in her hand. She takes a step and Arthur meets her in a hug. He holds her tight for a moment, feels her grip him in return, the handle of the knife pressing again one of his shoulders. She's alive. She's alive.
"Thank you." Tilly says, voice rough and when she pulls back, Arthur sees a large bruise swelling up one side of her face. "Both of you."
She grips Sadie in a hug as well, who looks surprised but hugs her back, before gently but firmly pushing Tilly to the backdoor.
"As glad as I am to see you." Sadie says, voice gentler than before. "But we really need to get out of here."
"Right." Tilly draws up taller, handing Sadie the knife back and picking up Milton's revolver in return. She gives the man a disdainful, angry look. Then she pauses, halfway towards the door. "Miss Grimshaw, someone needs to take her down. I couldn't...I wasn't fast enough."
Her voice wavers slightly and Arthur puts a hand on her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze as they move forward once more.
"Hosea and the others are here, they'll take her if they get the chance. We can't just walk out into that fight." He lightly gestures towards the direction of the loud, ringing noises. Tilly frowns and presses her lips together, before she nods.
They're quiet and keep low as they step past the two dead guards and outside. The fog is still as thick and they thankfully find the rowboat with little trouble. As predicted, all the guards are too busy shooting back at Hosea and the others to notice them. Arthur helps Tilly onto the boat, while Sadie already grabs the oars and he barely has the boat untied, before she already starts rowing.
"Should I..." He offers and trails off at the look she gives him.
"You rowed all the way here." She tells him firmly, though still keeping her voice low to avoid being noticed. "Let me do the rest."
"You alright Tilly?" Arthur turns to her next and she gives him a nod.
"Yes. They only roughed me up a little." Her hands briefly fist her yellow skirts, some dust and dried mud clinging to it. "He wanted to know where Dutch and you guys was. I didn't tell him anything."
"What happened?" Sadie asks, her voice a bit gentler again, a bit kinder. "With Dutch and for you guys to get captured? Do you know where Javier is?"
"They're holding him in Fort Wallace." Tilly answers, shoulders slumping a bit. "I heard that they wanted to hang Miss Grimshaw first, so I came to Van Horn. I tried to stop them and free her, but I failed." Her mouth twists and Arthur puts a careful, gentle hand on her shoulder.
"What happened?" He asks, his own voice dropping to a kinder, warmer tone. She rubs a hand over her eyes, careful with her bruised cheek. "How did they capture them in the first place?"
Now a frown pulls on her face. "After you guys was gone, Dutch got really angry. I've never seen him this angry before, about nothing. Not ever like this. And afterwards...it was like we was losing him real fast. We had too little manpower too, so he sent Micah to get some of his friends."
At this, her voice turns to something harder and tinged with disdain. Arthur remembers the two guys Micah brought with him before all too well. He might have brought them again this time too. And maybe more.
"It's, Dutch's started talking really strangely. I talked with Javier and he could see it too, even if he didn't agree with me at first." She looks down at her entwined hands. "Javier tried to help Dutch and all of us, but there was too much to do. Hunting, money, the jobs Dutch found, all the leads he said he had. Dutch went for the Grays again to get the Yankee gold from them." A humorless huff escapes her. It's a tired and worn noise and makes something in Arthur's chest twinge. "There was none."
"Did he try the bank job too? In Saint Denis?" Arthur can't help but ask.
"No. I told him it was insane to want to try and I think he didn't really trust Micah's friends then. Javier agreed with me, even if it was really hard for him. But going for that bank...we wouldn't have made it and Javier knew that. Dutch decided he'd go for the root of the problem: Cornwall." Tilly explains and Arthur inhales and holds his breath for a moment.
Cornwall. He remembers all too well. Remembers Dutch attacking and killing the man just minutes after the Pinkertons had been there. Arthur is far from a fan from Cornwall, but even he, sick and dying, had been able to tell that killing the man had no advantage nor did anything good. They only killed a hard, even somewhat cruel man and in return, they got into even more trouble with no win whatsoever. Though then again, Arthur suspects Dutch killed the guy out of revenge more than anything else.
"He killed him, but in the following fight, Javier got cut off and captured, while Dutch and Micah made it out. That same day, the Pinkertons had found us at Shady Belle and we barely managed to get away. They got Grimshaw then." She falls silent for a moment. "When I asked Dutch if he was going to get them back, Micah convinced him to wait."
"What?" Sadie pauses for a moment in her rowing, before picking it up again. "How?"
"He's been hanging around him a lot. Always whispering in his ear. The next day, Uncle and Pearson and Swanson were gone. I don't know where they went and they never said anything to me either. Trelawney hasn't come back ever since you guys left. So I asked Dutch again, what we should do about Grimshaw and Javier."
"Micah convinced him not to go. Not right away, at least." Arthur murmurs and she nods.
"I, it feels like there is something I'm missing. But it also didn't feel like it was hard for Micah either." Tilly swallows. "Dutch murmured something about Javier doubting him and Micah said that the Pinkertons won't kill them right away either. That they would wait for them to show up and walk into their trap. That they had time to prepare and get things done before going to save Javier and Grimshaw."
"And then you wrote us." Sadie guesses.
"Yes. Trelawney had left me a letter with a way to contact you should I wish to go and join you. So I sent a telegram. I didn't know where Javier and Grimshaw were then, so I couldn't tell you then. I only found out about Van Horn and Fort Wallace a few days later. And, well, you know how it went from there." She looks up at them. "Thank you, for coming."
"Of course. Always, Tilly." Arthur answers and Sadie gives her a clear, strong nod.
Tilly exhales and takes a deep breath, before looking at him. "You knew, didn't you. You knew about Dutch and that's why you left." She looks a bit pained. "But I hadn't seen it yet."
"It's not your fault. None of it is." Arthur can't help but sigh, rubbing a hand over his face. Behind them, the sound of gunshots fall quiet and he can't help but glance back, worry crawling up his back. Sadie pauses in her rowing, clearly listening out as well, before starting again. "You couldn't have known, Tilly. And you did everythin' you could, never doubt that."
Tilly gives him a small nod, though Arthur can tell that she doesn't entirely believe it. He understands it too. Even now, after turning things around for a lot of them, he still doubts. He still blames himself and feels guilt about everything that had happened before.
"We'll save Javier." Sadie says. "If he's still alive, we'll get him out of there."
"Fort Wallace is too well guarded." Tilly speaks up, sounding pained as she says it. "Getting in would be suicide. Nevermind getting out again."
Arthur thinks back on the time he and Charles went in to free Eagle Flies. Though then again, the Pinkertons hadn't been involved. Security is going to be really harsh and everyone will be on the lookout for them and the rest of the gang. Whoever is still left of the gang by that point at least.
"We'll find a way." He says, because they can't leave without trying at least. Then he frowns slightly. "Did Javier begin to doubt Dutch too?"
"I don't know. Not really, I think." Tilly spreads her hands a little. "I think he just disagreed with him because it was too dangerous and he didn't want to do something that would endanger us like that. Especially since Dutch wanted me to stage a diversion for the Saint Denis bank job. I'm good but...I don't know if I could have done that. I'm no Hosea, he always knew how to pull off the big things. Javier was looking out for me and for Dutch too, when he spoke up."
"Must've been hard on him." Arthur murmurs. He remembers Javier from before, from both lives. The man had, a very few times, spoken up against Dutch and always when things became too dangerous for others or when he was really worried or something too bad had happened, like when they escaped from Guarma. But Javier never stopped being loyal, even when looking out for others. He most likely still was. They're going to get him anyway. Who he is loyal to doesn't matter at this point, especially not when it looks as though Dutch might have abandoned him. Arthur doesn't want to leave Javier to die, thinks he could never truly live with himself if they turned and left.
They reach shore soon enough and climb out, leaving the rowboat behind. Tilly sticks close to them as they walk to the agreed meeting point. After a while, Arthur can see the lights of the stable glow through the fog. By then he's stumbled over roots and rocks and almost tripped into bushes a number of times. He barely sees anything in this weather and Sadie beside him curses then and again too as she trips. Tilly has taken to walking behind them in hopes of avoiding to stumble over things as much. She seems exhausted.
The sound of approaching hooves makes them pause and Arthur has his revolver out right away, Sadie and Tilly doing the same and flanking him. They exhale with relief when Hosea calls out to them, bringing the others with him.
"Tilly, my dear, it's so good to see you." Hosea says as they reach them. He slides out of the saddle and pulls her into a hug. Arthur catches a glimpse of Tilly going slightly teary-eyed and gripping Hosea back.
"I'm glad to see you." She answers, her voice holding steady and clear. Arthur looks over the riders then, exhaling with relief as he sees everyone accounted for and unharmed. Molly is with them too and Charles rides up to him, holding Storms reins.
"Thank you for looking after her." Arthur says as Charles dismounts. When Charles hands him the reins, he grips his hand and Arthur returns it, tilting a step closer to Charles. Something tight and tense along his shoulders unravels and suddenly he feels exhausted and sore. "You're alright?"
"Yeah." Charles's quiet, warm voice sounds comforting and Arthur notices the man's shoulders relaxing a bit as well. "We got Grimshaw too." He nods over to John's horse.
Arthur closes his eyes and Charles steps up beside him. Close enough that they can lean their shoulders together. Storm gently noses at the side of his face, almost nudging his hat off and Arthur reaches up with his free hand to gently cup her cheek. She settles with her impossibly soft nose pressed against his jaw, blowing warm breath against his neck. They're alright and they managed to save Tilly.
"Where is Javier?" Charles asks after a moment, just as everyone else is done with greeting and hugging Tilly. Karen has her hugged against her side, Molly beside them holding up a lantern as Karen eyes Tilly's bruise.
Charles lets go of his hand after a small, warm squeeze and they step closer to the group.
"Javier is in Fort Wallace." Arthur speaks up, raising his voice so everyone hears him. Around him, the others fall quiet. "And we'll get him out of there."
"Fort Wallace is incredibly hard to break into. I'd even say close to impossible." Hosea looks back at him a moment longer and Arthur can see that the man understands a lot of what goes unsaid. He'll try to explain about Dutch with Tilly's help later. And maybe, Dutch is going to show up and save Javier too, that possibility isn't entirely out of the window. Especially with how much Dutch hates being showed up by the Pinkertons. Or anyone, really. Hosea lifts his chin. "But we've always excelled at doing the impossible, haven't we."
Arthur only has to think about this miraculous second chance he got in order to agree. They'll do this. One way or another, they'll at least find a way to try.
At the same time though, the nervous tingle of his fear hasn't left him ever since he reached Van Horn with the boat. Whatever waits for them at Fort Wallace, it might actually be their hardest fight yet. Arthur just hopes they'll all make it out alive. They have to.