John woke up early in the morning and the sun hasn't rise yet. This is good because John has to be active and energetic enough to help Bonnie even more. He was still on the fence of hunting down, Bill, Javier, and Dutch as John himself, he is also the the last remaining members of the Van Der Linde Gang.
Speaking of which, the Van Der Linde Gang was most notorious outlaw gang of the wild west 12 years ago. Dutch was the leader of the gang and his closest feller Hosea, who's more of a wise feller of the gang. Dutch always listened and agreed everything Hosea says. He and Dutch were very close to each other like brothers, best of friends. They took in a teenage runaway, Arthur Morgan, who lost his real family and Dutch and Hosea took him under their wing when Arthur was fifteen. And they raised him and John for 20 years.
As the years passed, more gang members are recruited, and Dutch named the whole gang, Van Der Linde Gang with his own name but with the exception of his first name. The gang used to be more of a charity gang until they were formed into criminals, and into outlaws. Dutch was on a case by a late Pinkerton agent, agent Milton and agent Ross. Dutch met a feller at a bar named, Micah Belle, who spent barely a year being part of the gang, the rest including John himself, didn't trust him fully.
Things went downhill when Dutch accept Micah's suggestion to rob a ferry at Blackwater. But it only ended a disaster, causing what's never forgotten, The Blackwater Massacre. The whole gang have to fight against a hell a lot of army of lawmen and Pinkerton agents and fortunately prevailed and all got away. Arthur and Hosea didn't taken part in the heist and the massacre, instead, they run a scam at New Austin while the robbery happened. Despite not participate the heist Arthur and Hosea were also Wanted Dead or Alive as the whole gang. Likely because New Austin was near Blackwater and they were a part of the gang, so it makes sense for them to be wanted as well, especially how their scam scheme was exposed as well. So the gang fled but left with a few casualties, Davey, Malc and Jenny were killed, they left the money they robbed, John got shot but was able to survive and reunites with the gang.
As the gang slowly going back to its feet after fleeing from the law and Pinkerton agents, things went downhill again. One of their members of the gang, Sean got snipe, Hosea and Lenny got killed during the Saint Denis Robbery. The gang had to move 6 locations to set it up as camping sites because the Pinkerton agents kept on tracking them down, they crossed paths with their rival gang, the Ol' Driscolls. What's worse, few other members left the gang out of fear of Dutch's insanity, leaving Dutch, Javier, Bill, Micah, Joe, Cleet, Sadie, Charles, John and Arthur. At the end, Micah had manipulate Dutch and the rest to go against Arthur and John while Sadie and Charles left already, thus breaking the gang apart but Arthur passed away because of his TB.
And days after the Marston's capture by the agents, John knew this was his fault that all of this has happened. Arthur had always said to move on and don't take revenge because revenge is a fool's game. But John did the exact opposite and killed Micah, costing the chance that Arthur had given him to live a good life with his family. And now he is paying for it. He can already hearing Arthur's voice scolding him for this.
"I told you to move on but goddamit you didn't! You was a goddamn fool, Marston!"
Not wasting any more time looking back, John got dressed back into his usual clothing and went to Bonnie's ranch to see what she was up to and to see if there's more if he can help her to pay back that $15 dollars she wasted on John's health insurance. He went inside only to find Bonnie walking up the stairs but stopped when John entered.
"Oh, Mr. Milton," Bonnie greeted. "How are you doing today?" She asked.
"I'm well, Miss MacFarlane," John replied, closing the door behind him. "How are you?" He asked.
"Well, I'm fine," Bonnie told him. "Thank you. So, ah, how are your ribs?"
"Fine." He admitted. "A little sore, but apart from a couple of extra scars, it will be as nothing happened."
"Good," Bonnie nodded. "Come in, come in." And so John come forwards into her house as Bonnie step down the stairs. "You know, you never did tell me how you met that Bill Williamson, or what you wanted from him."
"No, miss," John told her. "I did not."
"Well, why not?" Bonnie asked. "If you don't mind me asking,"
Now that's a question that John doesn't want to answer, he already made it clear to move on. He'll only tell his past if he wanted to, but he'd rather not go into full detailed about it if he is going to tell about his past.
"I certainly don't mind you asking, if you don't mind me telling." John said. "See, it's a complicated and somewhat pathetic tale, and by telling you, not only would I be putting your life in danger, but, also threatening the lives of some people that I hold very dear."
"Well, I apologized if I seem to be prying," Bonnie said."
"And, I apologize for my reticence." John replied. "I hope you believe me when I say that it is simply out of respect for you."
"Of course, Mr. Milton," Bonnie says. "I understand that a city dweller such as yourself, likes to have some exotic secrets so us country folk are impressed."
"I'm not city man, miss," John revealed. Well it's true that he is much of an outlaw, cowboy of himself but he has never been a city man in all his life. He only visits cities for his own needs. He never visited any city often because it reminded him how much he doesn't like Saint Denis. The same city that got him arrested during the robbery 12 years ago and he would've been hanged to death if Arthur and Sadie didn't come rescue him.
"Yeah, but I saw you get on a train at Blackwater," Bonnie claimed. "You with those gentlemen in bowler hats,"
"But I'm still no city man," John claim again.
"But, I bet you can't ride, Mr. Milton." Bonnie pointed out.
"I hate to take money from a lady, miss," John told her. This woman pretty much reminded him of Sadie, since both can handle a gun, both are strong woman, and both are blonde as well. She also reminded him of Abigail since Bonnie seems to be around her age.
"Oh, you won't be. I'll race you right now," Bonnie announced.
A race? John thought. Now this will get fun. "If it makes you happy." John agreed.
"We'll see," Bonnie said John followed her to the door and outside to their horses.
Earlier, Bonnie had the idea of racing with John late in the morning, so she had the folks who work her to set up beacons of smoke to set it up as race tracks for the two around the ranch.
"Alright, I'll show how we ride round these parts." Bonnie told him as she and John went to their horses and mount on them. Afterwards, they went to the starting line where one folk had set it up for them.
"On the count of 3," Bonnie began. "3, 2, 1….Go!"
So then the race has begun! Bonnie had taken the lead first before John as John tries to keep up with her.
"I trust you're not gonna be a gentlemen on this one?" Bonnie asked as John slowly catching up with her and turned right.
"You don't know me at all, Miss. MacFarlane!" John told, taking the lead from Bonnie. "Let's pick up the pace!"
"Oh, just you wait till we're nearly to the finish line!" Bonnie told him smugly as they zoom through Hennigan's stead.
"How you're doing back there?" John asked, not looking back and keep on riding what Bonnie was hot on his tail to get the lead back.
"Oh I'm fine!" Bonnie replied. "I'll get ahead of you this time any minute now, Mr. Milton!"
They go passed by the train tracks and go around a hill by the right.
"Should I wait for you to catch up?" John asked, still riding.
"Oh, you'll be making a big mistake for waiting me," Bonnie answered.
Then they go a bit of left as they saw another beacon of smoke and passed it by.
"Would like me to slow down?"
"Speaking of slow, I'm slowly catching up with you, Mr. Milton!" Bonnie replied.
John looked back and saw Bonnie slowly gaining some ground on him, smirking, John quickly go a bit faster and passed by another beacon.
All this was too nostalgia for John, but he enjoyed. The memories of the time when he taught Jack on how to ride a horse was slowly coming back to him, and he was feeling it.
"Are you saving the best for last?" John asked as they zoom through some trees.
"I'm saving my energy when we're very close to the finish line!" Bonnie told him, still smirking.
"I bet you're starting to regret your brave words, Miss MacFarlane?"
"I don't regret nothin'!" Bonnie replied as they zoom over the bridge to the other side of the edge. And they went over the train tracks and turn right through some trees, and to the left and the right beside a hill. As promised, Bonnie took over the lead and was getting faster than ever and they were pretty close to the finishing line. So John made his horse fast enough and slowly catching up with Bonnie.
As they returned to MacFarlane's ranch, it was John or Bonnie, up ahead is the finish line and some other folks who decided to see who won the race, watching them getting close.
They can hear the folks' cheering for either of them and it becomes louder as they got closer and both were dangerously closer to the finish line and…..
.
.
.
.
.
.
John Marston has won. So then, after seeing who won, the other folks decided to get back to work as John and Bonnie stopped for their horses to catch their breath.
"That was fun," Bonnie admitted even that she just lost.
"Sure," John agreed and nodded.
"You know," Bonnie suggested. "You should go pay the Marshal a visit in Armadillo some time, I'm sure he could help you deal with that nice Mr. Williamson."
John thought about it for a moment. He had nearly died when confronting Bill and would've died already if it weren't for Bonnie. So of course, he could use some help to hunt down his former outlaw friends. Well the two agents don't seem much of a help since they're the ones who took his family and blackmailed John to kill or taken his old gang members. Getting help from the law should do him some favors, as long as he used his fake name, Jim Milton, public.
"Yeah, I might just do that." John agreed with her suggestion.
"You do whatever you think's best, Mr. Milton," Bonnie told him as they both dismount their horses. "You should get some rest before you do your thing, or at least help with some things."
"Sure," John nodded as Bonnie walked back to her ranch.
Now John had a lot of time to think about it, his past actions had come back to him, he almost died because of it, Bonnie saved him and he should repay her, and he's still on a mission to take out the last remaining members of the gang. John honestly doesn't want to kill them but after the blackmail, he didn't have any choice. He also has to kill someone who raised him and Arthur for many years. He had also hoped that other members who left before the gang fell apart around that time were still alive and enjoying themselves.
Without anymore thoughts, John decided to find somewhere to sit and relax for a while to get going.