AN: Holy shit this chapter is long. I've been working on it in the mornings before work, as well as a videogame I just started making :)

This chapter is over 6000 words! So please sit back and enjoy! Also please tell me what you think of adding the lyrics to the song each chapter is influenced by. I think it provides a better connection to the feeling I had while writing :)

Something Short Of Paradise

I'm giving up this restless life

I'm settling down to keep you company

Charlotte looked out at the side of the road, her vision blurred as the cart below her entered a bumpy trail. A pronghorn in the distance bolted at the very sight and sound of humanity, bouncing away with a handful of his friends, his tiny hooves brushing against the grass as the strong horses pulled the cart forward.

"I will be honest with you Arthur, I didn't think they'd last this long. Polar opposites those two." She muttered under her breath.

Arthur chuckled out, "Hey, this one hasn't kicked the bucket yet, so I'd say she's doing good."

"And Samuel is still clueless about Morgan." She said, twiddling her thumbs with anxiety. She loved seeing the boy, but Mary never seemed to get on with her.

"Least there's an excuse for them to not look alike."

"That boy looks more like you each day though, heaven forbid he ever looks in a mirror, you'd have even more trouble explaining that to him than to Samuel."

"He'll know one day. Let him move past childhood first, I'll make sure he's not in the dark forever."

"Arthur, you can't possibly be considering telling him."

"Well like you said, sooner or later he's gonna wonder why he's got blue eyes and brown hair when Mary's eyes are brown and Samuel is a dumbass."

"Arthur, Samuel is perfectly cordial with you."

"Wasn't always that way, he's just got a thing for you." He teased, knowing very well just how much Samuel was overcompensating for the sake of his status and image.

"I highly doubt that, you're just being paranoid."

"Can you blame me? 8 years ago I had to shoot your stalker in the head."

"I'd rather not remember that day. Anyway, time to put on your innocent face, we're here."

"Innocent face, I shaved didn't I?"

"You did, but you still refuse to cut that mop of yours."

"Heaven forbid I find that I actually like something about my body, Charlotte."

"And I like it too! But you could have trimmed it at least an inch. It gets so tangled at this length."

She reached out to run a hang through his locks, looking golden in the sunlight. He smirked at her and turned his face towards hers, her fingers traveling from glistening strands to the tender features on his face.

Over the years age has done her cruelly, and she found herself almost jealous that although time, sun, and a harsh life had not done Arthur any favors, he also hadn't changed a bit since she met him all those years ago.

Well, except his new affinity for long hair, that is. Charlotte was sure it was triggered by her expression of love for the Bible story of Sampson, the man with long, beautiful hair that gave him his immense strength, cut down by a seducer spy known as Delilah.

She had read the tale aloud a thousand times, trying to gain insight for how to incorporate it into her own work. Arthur overheard and was directly privy to it every time, seeing the passion on her face as she thought up a great line in relation to the story and quickly jotted it down, the way she described Sampson as Arthur sketched out the titular man for her, someone bold, brave, and full of Godly, sensual energy.

So, when it came time for a monthly haircut, Arthur passed it up. And he did so the next month, and the next month, and the next month.

His hair was a little longer than his shoulders now, and Charlotte had to admit it was an attractive feature.

Now two could play at the hair pulling game in bed.

Samuel erupted from the house and greeted the couple with a smile and shouted, "Welcome! Mary is putting on a pot of coffee as we speak!"

Morgan ran out as well, his small fingers clutching a jar with some sort of shiny creature inside, he held it up to them as they made their way off the carriage and exclaimed, "Uncle Arthur, look what I caught today!"

Arthur squatted to see closer into the jar. "Well looks like you got yourself a June bug there, Morgy!"

"Mom says I have to let it go."

"Well say goodbye to him then, he'll come see you again one day I'm sure."

Charlotte came round from the other side of the carriage, greeting Morgan with a head pat and nodding friendly to Samuel. "You're looking well. Recovered from that row with the buck?" She asked, referring to a hunting trip he and Arthur went on, making an attempt at providing for his new family without depending on his money.

He ended up feeling it wasn't fair to attack the deer using a rifle, and despite Arthur's better judgement, he allowed Sam to tackle a buck nearly twice his size, mostly for the amusement of watching a full-grown man piss off a deer.

"Much better. No thanks to the man who didn't inform me just how strong a deer is." He glared at Arthur, who chuckled at the thought, then clasped his hands together, an excited look streaming across his features. "Now I am sure you both are curious as to why I requested your presence today."

Arthur lit a cigarette and puffed, gruffly exclaiming, "Not really."

"Always with the jokes, Mr. Balfour." Sam raised his eyebrows and huffed. "Well regardless, I'd rather you both come see for yourselves."

He opened the door and lead them inside, the first sight being Mary, holding two cups of coffee as she placed them on the table, a very swollen belly between her outstretched arms.

Arthur gave out a rough laugh, "Mary, you went and got yerself pregnant again?"

"I had help both times, believe it or not." Mary gave a knowing nod and locked eyes with him, never letting it be known just how responsible he was for the first time.

Samuel had honestly not sensed the tension between the two of them, not even once. He was far too busy making sure the house looked nice, making sure Morgan wasn't getting into trouble, and trying to impress Arthur with his tales of what happened on the way to work that day.

"You will not believe it Arthur, a bear came right for me yesterday, right for Lillie. Old girl kicked him right in the jaw she did, and we took off. It chased us all the way to Strawberry! God willed it that we would survive, two hunters had been on their way out, cocked their guns and blasted the beast just as we ran by them. Saved our lives! I offered them $100 for their bravery."

"$100? For shooting a bear? Where were you back when I was living on the run? I'd have made a fortune."

Sam considered that tale to be a winner, not like the usual story where Arthur would interrupt with constant "Mmhms" and the occasional "As they do."

"I just know that Mary would miss me dearly should the beast have slain me," he placed a hand on her lap, and she appeared anxious at the action, "wouldn't you dear?"

She nodded.

Charlotte sipped at her coffee and smiled in Mary's direction. "Well I think it's wonderful that you both are growing your family. My first husband and I had tried but, we ran into many issues."

"Say, where's Jamie at?" Arthur looked around, rudely changing the subject without meaning to.

Mary nodded in the direction of the barn. "He's doing the only thing you did while you were here years ago, smoking that green stuff in the barn."

Arthur's eyes widened and a smile found his face. "He's got more of it?"

"His friend Miguel got back from visiting his family in Mexico and brought Jamie a whole plant of it. It started dropping seeds and now there's several of them. We don't even take care of them, they just keep growing like some kind of massive weed."

Arthur turned to Charlotte. "Would you mind if I took one?"

"I don't want weeds in my garden, Arthur."

"Well, I won't keep it in the garden."

Mary interjected, hopeful that the issue would be resolved if he agreed to take the plants and Jamie would return to being a productive member of the family. "Please, if you want them, take them. Jamie won't let me uproot them, but he'll let you for sure."

Arthur rose from his seat and grabbed his hat from beside him on the couch. "I'll go say hi to the boy then, get a couple of those plants ready to go."

Samuel placed his coffee down and jumped up unbuttoning the top of his shirt in preparation for manual labor and said, "I'll join you then. Morgan, would you like to come along?"

The boy shook his head negative, and continued playing with his toy bricks, making a tiny house off in the corner.

The two men left the scene, the cool October morning breeze hitting them swiftly. Samuel shivered at the action, contemplating returning to the warm indoors, but pressed on, reaching out for Arthur's shoulder.

The man turned to face him, and Samuel recoiled, saying, "There is… something I need to tell you."

"Alright, go on."

"I don't think I can go through with things with Mary anymore."

"You're having a baby with her, already raising another, kinda late to back out now don'tcha think?"

"It's not that. I have, um…" Samuel held his arms and sighed, "I don't think I'm capable of loving women. Not the way she obviously needs me to."

"Loved her enough to get her pregnant."

Sam shook his head and retorted, "That's not my baby. I know it's not."

"What? You think she dug up her ex's grave just to have another kid?" Arthur couldn't help but snicker at the thought.

"No. She's been with another man and, if we're being entirely honest with ourselves, so have I. I know this began as a marriage of convenience but, people are already starting to talk, and it seems pointless to keep lying."

Arthur's eyes widened, he sighed in secondhand melancholy. "Well, have you been honest with each other about it?"

"No. I saw the letters she writes him, some long gone lover. She never sends them because I'm sure she's guilty but, she made it obvious, she's in love with him. I'm sure the child is his, I can't even make love to her. She is a beautiful woman, but I can't find it in myself to see her the way I see…" Sam looked into Arthur's eyes with a longing glance, of which Arthur did not seem to pick up on. Either way, he'd have to admit that he was wrong about Sam.

"The way you see what, men?"

"Yes. I mean, particular men. I don't understand it myself, all I know is, life is so short, and I don't want to be the man I'm trying to be."

"Well, I might not know where you're coming from exactly but, I do know that feeling."

"And what did you do to change it?"

He died, that's what he did. He insisted to himself that had he not faced death, he would have never left that life. He would have died from a bullet to the brain, and he was sure that he wouldn't have been offered the chance at a new life had that been the case.

Still, he felt the need to give Sam some hope in his predicament. "I became the man I wanted to be," He shifted towards his right, "minus an arm."

The two were interrupted by the sound of gunshots. Turning towards the road, they witnessed a man on horseback, shooting behind himself at an unknown pursuer, his black filly clipping along like a flash, outrunning another man by mere gallops.

Samuel's eyes widened. "What do you think he did to deserve such a pursuit?"

"Probably robbed someone, it happens." The scene was over before it even began, but just as Arthur had turned back to face Sam, a familiar voice rang out.

"I sure hope you don't think I'm afraid to kill you, you bastard! I ain't who you think I am!"

The voice, gruff, wheezy, sharp.

"John?" Arthur took a moment to verify it. He knew that voice anywhere, it was unmistakable.

He ran for Lillie, unhitched her from her post and mounted her as quickly as he could. With lightning to her hooves, she took off running, Arthur realizing as he caught sight of the two men that he had no gun to use on John's attacker.

Still, he kicked his heels in and pushed the white mare to her limit, gaining on the slightly slower brown stallion, who's rider was still raining fire from his gun towards John.

The pursuer turned around to see Arthur gaining on him. "Who the fuck are you? One of his cohorts?"

"Consider me an old friend." Arthur shouted, the voice making its way to John's ears, causing him to turn around, eyes wide with surprise.

He swore it was a ghost as the older man ran up beside the pursuer, leaned over with as much balance as he could muster, and socked the man in the face, nearly collapsing from his horse as the other man recovered and hit him back with his pistol.

John pulled hard on the reins and turned around, heading back towards the feud, and shot the man directly between the eyes, blood splattering to Lillie's white coat.

The brown horse took off running, and Arthur pulled back on his girl, facing John, their eyes meeting for the first time in years.

"I don't believe it." John shook his head, an elated smile coming over him.

"Believe it." Arthur rode Lillie up beside him, motioning for them to walk up ahead and not linger near the dead body on the ground behind them.

John shook his head, his eyes locking to Arthur as disbelief overcame him. "How did you get out of there? You have a grave and everything near that mountain."

"I know, I thank Charles for that." Arthur rubbed his sore jaw, he'd be feeling that for a while. "I got a new chance at life. I got me a woman, a home, a family of sorts."

"You had kids?" John looked at him with sincerity. "You were always a good father, you know?"

Arthur shook his head. "I ain't. I'm a father but, I'm not no pa to my boy."

"What do you mean?"

"Mary had gone and, well. We were together a couple times, she got pregnant and didn't tell me until the baby was born. I tried to be his father, do the right thing. But he already had someone in that role. Mary always replaced me quickly, you know?"

"Well, that's," he looked down contemplatively, "that's awful."

"And my girl," he smiled to think of her that way, even years later, "she's barren. But that's alright. We come see Mary and my boy every couple months, it's about a days journey from our home. We have a good life together."

"You know, I finally put that ring on Abigail's finger."

"Made her an honest woman, right?"

"Officially. How was it for you? Marriage and all."

Arthur raised a brow. "Oh, you know, me and the government don't get along so good. We're more common law, she don't wanna go through all that again anyways. First husband died, that kinda thing."

"I would have been happy to keep it that way too but, well, it made her happy."

"Have you seen the others at all?"

John swallowed hard, he was expecting some disappointment for what he was about to say, "I saw Micah, and Dutch."

"Did you now? What are those two rat bastards up to?"

"Well, I killed Micah."

Arthur raised his eyebrows, blue eyes catching a tinge of fear. "Not avenging me, I hope."

"Revenge is a fool's game!"

"I had to, Arthur. You're my brother, and what he did to you… what I thought he did…"

"I wish you would have left him to me."

"Well, in a way I thought I was." John laughed. "Figured you could kick his ass in hell."

"I'm afraid hell ain't real," Arthur tugged on the reins, stopping his horse in front of the entrance to the homestead, "but if you catch any rats wearing a hat and a red blazer, send 'em my way."

"Will do."

"Wanna come have a smoke? Jamie's got some interesting tobacco. Makes you feel like, well, it's been 8 years since I had it last but it's pretty powerful stuff. We're pretty sure it's not tobacco though."

"Sure." The pair rode to the barn, the scent ruminating from every entrance point. Smoke leaked from the cracked door, an almost eerie sight to behold if you didn't have prior knowledge of who was inside.

Arthur dismounted Lillie, John following suit. He knocked on the barn door, "Jamie?"

A sudden snore was heard. Arthur walked in, witnessing the boy spread out on a hay barrel, his eyes closed in dream, his mouth slightly open as a large lit blunt hung loosely from his hands, barely a third of the way done.

"Jesus, Jamie, falling asleep with a lit cigarette in a barn is not a game smart men play." He grabbed the fat cig and took a long hit off it, filling his lungs with the smoke of a plant he didn't fully understand. John looked over at him, perplexed. He never saw a rolled cigarette that size, nor did this smell like tobacco to him.

Arthur offered it to him, coughing in the other direction as he did so. John reached out to the almost cigar looking object, about as thick as his finger in the middle.

He took a hit, the smoke hitting him almost immediately.

Arthur found a comfy spot of hay to sit on, collapsing into it, letting the relaxation take over his body. "It hits ya different. Clears your head."

John began coughing before he could even exhale, the feeling that came after nearly brought him to his knees, "Damn, what the hell is this?" He sat down next to Arthur, passing the roll back to him. He blinked and nearly gasped at how long it felt, his eyes felt closed for a full minute, the silence between them was deafening even though it only lasted a couple seconds.

"So can I tell you the story of how I became immortal?"

John couldn't help but snort at that comment, he replied, "Immortal?"

"Yep, immortal. I'd tell ya to shoot me to prove it but, Charlotte sewed this shirt for me and I promised her I'd avoid getting blood on it."

John looked over, a tiny blood splatter near the buttons, surely from when he blew out that guys brains earlier. "Looks like you already broke that promise. What happened to the arm by the way?"

"It relates." He took another hit and passed it back to John. "So, there I was, dying, when God basically tells me that I have another chance if I want it. But the sneaky bastard went and made me immortal. Had to go find my body but it was already attacked by wolves. Lost an arm."

John raised an eyebrow and shook his head in disbelief, he had seen some crazy shit in his life, but the dead rising to live again? A fairytale, surely.

"I didn't tell you, haven't told nobody yet," John began, he took another hit and hacked his lungs out again before pausing and continuing, "Abigail is pregnant."

Arthur smiled, he'd pat him on the back if he were sitting to his left, "and so the family grows. Mary's pregnant again too but, well, this one ain't mine of course."

"I'm happy. Not so scared this time around. Being a dad ain't all that bad."

"I'm proud of you. No running away this time."

"You know, I had a lot of fear during life with the gang. Fear of dying, fear of my friends dying, fear of losing Abigail or my son, or even my son not being mine. It was rough."

"You feared Jack wasn't yours?"

"Of course. You know her line of work, or, past line. I had no fucking idea what was happening in my life, and suddenly the woman I love claims she's pregnant with my kid and that she's giving up being a working girl to care for him. But I loved her, I trusted her when she said that baby was mine. But fear don't care about trust."

"That it doesn't."

"I didn't think I wanted this life, simple shit. Growing food, breeding livestock, taking care of things and making them grow, it's entirely different from the life I knew. But I love it. I love it and I wouldn't trade it for anything."

"Don't then. Don't trade it. Don't even try."

"Still though, Arthur, they know my face." He sighed, clasping his palms together, "a past like ours ain't something you just walk away from. I still get chased around when I go out, no matter how much I try to change the way I look. Abigail hates it when I fight back but she don't realize it's my life or theirs."

"Could always pack up and hightail it to Tahiti." The pair laughed in unison, Arthur took another hit from the roll and chuckled out the smoke, opening his eyes only to glance at the man next to him, strikingly new features to his appearance, a full beard and short cut hair assisting his attempt to blend in, but menacing eyes can never be covered.

John's soft expression melted to internal turmoil. "I don't think I have much longer to live, Arthur."

"What? You sick?"

"No, no. I think they're gonna get me, Arthur. Had I torn off this skin sooner, maybe I'd have had the chance. But they know me now, they know where I live, and they're gonna get me."

Arthur looked at him, a sadness rushing over him as he realized his friend was probably right. The world believed Arthur Morgan to be dead, this new man only killed to protect, and the only thing he stole since that day was the heart of his beloved Charlotte.

Well, that and Jamie's blunt.

But John had no such out, and staging one would be almost impossible. It would depend on uprooting his entire life, again. Getting both Abigail and Jack in on it, and probably Uncle too. Everything would have to go perfectly, the Pinkertons and the government would need to believe 100% that John was dead before they would let up.

He'd have to lie low, for years possibly. And Arthur's supposed death only concentrated their efforts on the remaining gang members, namely John.

Even John being next to Arthur now probably put them both in danger. If it ever got out that Arthur was indeed alive, then Charlotte would be in danger too. As well as Mary, and Morgan.

"Maybe you should, well…" Arthur was kidding himself, he had no good advice for John. He barely even knew what life was anymore. So far his new life consisted mostly of chores, hunting and fishing, and spending time with Charlotte. And while he enjoyed this new life of his, he knew what was coming in the future.

They would all be gone one day, and he'd watch them all die. And he would be alone, again, with no one. Forever.

"No matter what happens in the future, be it a week, a month, a year, more than that. Mortality in itself is the meaning of life. And what we do with our mortality, who we help, the stories we tell, that's the part of us that lives on forever." Arthur concluded, kicking himself mentally for how ridiculous that sounded.

"When did you get so sentimental, Arthur?"

"Probably around the time that I died."

"So, you truly believe you died and came back as an immortal?"

"Hey, all I'm saying is one moment I was dying, and the next I was chasing Charles around trying to get my body back."

John reached for the blunt, nearly at the end of its life as he sucked in the smoke from the remaining embers. "A claim like that you've gotta prove, Arthur."

"Doesn't the fact that I haven't aged in 8 years prove anything to you?"

"Proves nothing, you're what, in your 40s now? Even Dutch looks the same. Hell, I look the same under all of this." He motioned towards his beard.

"Ain't nothing getting past you, is it?"

"Well let's say you are immortal, is it a curse or a blessing?"

Arthur contemplated the question for a moment, "Both, I'd say. It's a blessing to finally live the life I wanted but, it's a curse to know it's all gonna go away one day. Charlotte is gonna die one day. I'll kiss her one last time, hold her one last time, she'll be gone and then all I'll have is my son. But he'll die too, he'll probably die never knowing I'm his dad because I'm too cowardly to tell him."

"So, you'd say the longer a life is doesn't really make it better to live, right?"

"Absolutely. Would you rather live 1000 years of misery, or 20 years of happiness?"

"I just want enough time to watch my son grow up. Grow old with Abigail. But I don't think I'll live to see a single gray hair on either of us."

"But you're happy now."

"Of course."

"Well, that's all that matters."

"If you say so, all knowing Arthur."

The two were interrupted by a racking on the door.

Mary's voice rang out in anger, "Arthur! Get out here right now!"

"Barn door is open, Mary."

The woman calmly opened it, walking in alongside Charlotte. "What is this I'm hearing about," she paused when she saw John, her angry tone turning to that of surprise, "John? You're still alive?"

"For now." John tossed the remainder of the cigarette to the ground, squashing it under his boot.

"Um, Sam told me that you both had gone and gunned down a man near the property."

John raised his hand, "I did, he was chasing me, trying to rob me."

Mary crossed her arms. "Oh, I'm sure he was the one trying to rob you."

"It was far enough away, ain't nobody gonna know who did it." Arthur brushed it off. Charlotte, on the other hand, remained concerned.

Rubbing her hands together in anxiety, she said nervously, "I think we should leave, Arthur. You too sir, there's detectives and lawmen all over the area now."

"Detectives?" John asked. "Not Pinkertons, right?"

Charlotte shrugged, "I don't know, I just know the area is getting swarmed."

John shot to his feet. "It was nice catching up Arthur. If you're ever near a place called Beecher's Hope, come see us. Abigail would love to see you." He tried to keep his composure as he walked towards the door, looking outside as he thought up exactly how he was going to ride past the lawmen.

The sun was setting which provided some minor cover, but Charlotte was right. They were everywhere. He should have known they'd be on his ass not long after he killed him, that man was a bounty hunter sent on his tail. Moment he turned up dead, they knew exactly who was responsible. Whole thing was probably a trap to begin with.

"Fuck." John closed the door and looked around at Arthur and the women. He sighed, trying not to look desperate although he clearly was. "Do you all think that maybe you could help me get out of here?"

Arthur rose from his spot on the hay and walked towards the door, peeking out at the road. "Alright, here's what we're gonna do. Charlotte, I want you to get the cart ready to go. Mary, I need you to spare some blankets, clothes, anything that can make a human body look as inconspicuous as possible." He turned to John. "You and I are gonna swap shirts, on the chance they see a man walking out of here, it's best if you ain't wearing the same thing."

"What about Rachel? My horse?"

He huffed. "Charlotte, can you swap Ed with the black mare outside?"

"Of course."

"Alright everyone, let's save John's dumb ass."

John laid in the back of the cart, struggling with the blue button-up Arthur had loaned him, groaning in discomfort from having to hold his arm folded so as to not rip the stitching on the customized shirt.

Mary came round from the house, a couple blankets and an empty crate in hand as she shook her head in irritation. "I swear, Arthur, if you ruin my life again with your outlaw none sense, you'll never see Morgan again." She whispered to herself. "I'm pregnant for God's sake, and here I am, running around looking for old shit to disguise your friend with."

John poked his head up, and Mary tossed a blanket towards his face. "What is with you?"

"Arthur is trouble. And he always will be. That's what's wrong."

"I think you're just upset that he found someone new."

"I am not jealous of Mrs. Balfour!" She shouted, tossing the crate into the cart with a thud, just missing John's kneecap as he flinched. "I thought he was dead, I thought all of you were. I wasn't happy to believe it had ended that way, but at least my life was peaceful for a few months!"

"Ain't you all been friendly for eight years now though?"

"Those eight years have been…" she sighed, her temper coming to calm, "every time Arthur visits Morgan, every time he steps foot on my property, something happens. Whether it's Jamie ending up in jail after getting messed up with him, or Morgan going missing during a fishing trip, or the barn catching on fire for the third time, my husband getting hurt because he trusted Arthur when he shouldn't have, and now there's a dead body near my property and detectives are looking for you."

"If it makes you feel better, I'm sure they've taken the body away by now."

"It does not make me feel better. And where is Arthur? He said he and Charlotte would be right back."

"Maybe they're fucking behind the barn." John laid down and covered himself the best he could with the items given to him. He was sure this wouldn't work, but it was the best shot he had.

Arthur came round from the back, two of his precious plants in his hand as he walked up to the cart.

"Really!? You would rather go grab those stupid weeds then get your friend out of here?!" Mary shouted.

Arthur hushed her. "Keep it down, lawmen can hear too you know."

Charlotte jumped up into the cart, holding an uncontrollable giggle to herself as she grabbed the reins and turned around, checking to see that John was properly hidden.

Mary saw that look in her eyes, her red, droopy eyes and carefree features in a time of immense stress. She turned to Arthur, the same stupid look on his face as he plucked a bud off the plant and tossed it to John. "There's your gift." He said, hiding a smile.

"You've both been smoking that stuff!" Mary shouted.

John raised an arm from the pile, "I have been too."

"You all need to get out of here before there's a shootout."

Arthur came round the side. "Leaving so quickly will be suspicious. Not to mention, I haven't even said goodbye to Morgan yet."

"Well make it quick."

Arthur walked back inside the house, the clacking of his heels dissipating as he left the three to themselves. Mary sighed in frustration; she couldn't believe the irresponsibility of this lot. Charlotte was a giggling mess, John was completely unfazed by the fact that his very presence threatened everyone's lives, and Arthur seemed to be doing anything but getting out of there as fast as possible.

She leaned on the side of the cart, breaking the silence with, "So, are you still with Abigail?"

"Of course. Only woman to ever put up with me."

"A feat no other woman could master, I'm sure."

Charlotte turned around again, resting her arms on the back of the seat. "Be honest with me, Mary, do you hate me?"

Mary locked eyes with her, a sorrowed glance encasing her face. "I don't hate you, I have no reason to hate you."

"Good. Because I don't hate you either." She turned back around, facing the road, three lawmen on horseback walking within her vision. Her heart jumped, perhaps they should be getting a move on.

"He's long gone by now, surely. Outlaws don't stick around." One of them said, his voice carrying just within reach of the others.

Arthur walked out of the house, his eyes catching a glimpse of the three men. He hurried to the cart and looked at John and Mary.

"A fair day to you, Mary." He tipped his hat as Charlotte whipped the reins. "I'll be back for Ed in a day or two."

"I'll be expecting the chaos with your arrival this time." Mary quipped. The cart lurched forward, and Charlotte kept the pace steady, her heart racing as she found herself behind the lawmen, a little ways away but enough for them to hear anything she and Arthur said.

"Well, that was an uneventful visit."

"Right. Can't believe Morgan is gonna have a half-brother." Arthur tucked his hair into the sides of his hat, attempting to disguise his appearance further if needed.

"Why does Mary hate me so much?"

"What do you mean?"

"Every time I'm around her she just looks at me with so much disdain."

"Well, I don't wanna say it's because of me, but…" he placed his hand on Charlotte's lap, his thumb sensually running circles on the cloth above her skin.

Charlotte smiled at him, the action distracting her from the fact that the cart was gaining speed with the lawmen. Two of the three turned around, seeing the cart and directing their horses off to the side. One of them looked behind and was visibly suspicious.

"Afternoon to ya." Arthur said.

"And a good day to you. Would you have happened to see a man on a black horse back there at any chance?" One of the men on the side asked.

"Well, what kind of man? Light skin? Dark skin? Particular hair color?"

The suspicious man piped up, "He's of thin build, light skinned, short black hair with a thick beard riding a black horse." He looked Rachel up and down, suspicions growing ever more, "much like your mare here."

"Well, I guess I got a good reference point. I'll let y'all know if I see him, but I'm not from around here, so…"

"Oh really? What are you in the area for?"

"My wife and I aren't well off people, good friend of ours gave us some new clothes for the winter coming ahead."

Arthur was sure they bought it. He was a charismatic liar, had to be.

"Of course, well you two have a good day. I do apologize for the interrogation."

The suspicious man finally turned off to the side of the road to join his peers, allowing the cart to pass through at a normal pace.

"That was quite possibly the scariest thing I've ever seen you do, Arthur."

"What? Lie?"

"Effortlessly lie. You don't even sound that convincing when you tell that immortality story."

"It ain't no story, it's the truth."

"See? Not nearly as convincing as us being poor!" She laughed, and Arthur realized that she was still quite intoxicated.

John piped up from under the clothes and blankets, a single hand banging on the side of the cart just to get the attention of the couple, "Is the coast clear? I think Mary tossed a piss rag in here out of spite."