Cassidy was trained to be a cold-hearted bitch by Colm. He never loved her like fathers are supposed to love their daughters, that was made clear from a young age. She was practically a female version of him, besides for being an extreme smart-mouth and a suppressed optimist. Despite all her snide comments, she was a person with a steadily positive attitude that didn't falter in a bad situation. Even while she was tied up in the back of a creaky wagon with her father's worst enemies surrounding her, she appreciated how the spring sun felt against her skin after escaping that awful blizzard. Her cold hands were coming back to life and she could finally see all of her surroundings. And she wasn't dead, that's something to be happy about in her opinion.

"Are you… smiling?" Kieran asked her after staring at the floor for the past hour. He never saw the bright side of things.

She raised an eyebrow at his nosiness. "Are you as stupid as you look?"

No response from him, just the hurt look of a child who can't say a thing without being scolded.

"You sure talk like an O'Driscoll," Hosea said from up front. They'd only just met, Cassidy found him to be irritating. He came off as a know-it-all who should be retired by now.

"You sure talk like an old man who can't keep his thoughts to himself," she snapped back.

Arthur grumbled a complaint. He comforted himself with the image of pushing Cassidy off the wagon and into the mud. "Shut up back there!"

As always, Cassidy jumped at the chance to insult him. "Sorry, I'll quiet down... must be hard to navigate them roads when you're about as smart as a donkey."

He had enough at that exact moment. She was a wasp who followed him wherever he went, preparing for a sting. He stopped the horses, causing the two other wagons behind them to stop.

"What's going on up there?!" Pearson asked impatiently. Everyone had their eyes on Arthur.

He spun around suddenly, grabbing Cassidy by her hair hard enough to make her wince. He tied a piece of cloth around her face, covering her mouth so it would muffle her speech. He pinched her cheek, drawing a bit of blood from her soft flesh. "Don't make me hurt you, girl."

She huffed against the cloth, staring back at him until he continued driving. If she didn't hate Arthur before, she sure did now.

"Well, that worked," Hosea said with a short snicker.

Micah rode up beside their wagon, wondering what caused the delay. "That girl giving you trouble?"

"What do you think, cowpoke?" Arthur was tired of talking now.

"She can ride with me if she keeps acting up…." Micah added. Cassidy shifted her gaze towards him, their eyes meeting. He smiled, not a kind smile, it was the smile of a man who knows what he wants. There was something she liked about him, he was not in the slightest way a handsome person. Cassidy never cared about looks anyhow, it was his naturally mean spirit that interested her. She could tell from their limited interactions that he was just like her, looking out for himself above all else.

"That ain't necessary, Micah," Arthur said, ending their exchange.

Micah let them be after sneaking one last look at Cassidy. He was trying to be subtle, but everyone noticed his leering.

All four of them stayed quiet for a while until Hosea broke the silent spell. He twisted half his body backwards, examining Cassidy. "You ready to behave yourself?"

She nodded since she hated being silenced like this, it was degrading. Hosea untied the cloth, still facing her afterwards.

"How old are you?" he asked her. Arthur listened in, Hosea had a way of getting answers from people without acting tough.

"Twenty-four."

Hosea paused, careful of how he was wording his next question. "What were you doing with them O'Driscolls?"

She scowled at his investigation into who she was. "Surviving,' she said bluntly.

He took that as a sign that he wasn't getting anything else out of her for the time being. Hosea and Arthur shared lighthearted conversation for the remainder of their ride. Cassidy didn't care enough to listen, she focused on the sounds of nature. Birds chirping, trees moving with the breeze and water flowing downstream. She only felt this safe in her own head, when no one was bothering her.

They arrived at a vast area on a cliff hidden by forestry, their new and improved campsite. Cassidy observed how efficient everyone was when they worked together. It would've taken the O'Driscolls ten times longer to get this done. Kieran and she were tied to separate trees, far enough from each other so they couldn't talk without someone noticing. Everyone was occupied when a blonde woman with a resentful frown approached Cassidy.

"Your boys killed my husband," she said shakily.

Cassidy hesitated, she knew this woman's face from the farmhouse they robbed. She hadn't been there herself, she only scouted the place and told some boys to check it out. A widow stood before her and still she didn't really care.

"I guess you should've locked your door tighter." Cassidy's tone was emotionless and unnerving.

In one harsh motion, the widow kicked her with what felt like all her strength. She curled up her body, absorbing the pain with a groan. The crazed widow was about to charge again until a pretty lady with black hair pulled her away.

"Sadie, come with me… she ain't worth it," she said, guiding her to a tent.

"I'll kill every last one of them," Sadie said while sobbing.

Once Cassidy had recovered from the blow, Arthur of all people appeared with a drink in his hand. "Drink this unless you're in the mood to die of thirst," he said.

She eagerly took a sip of his coffee, somewhat relieving her parched throat. "I'd say thank you but I probably wouldn't mean it."

He held back a grin, that's a line he had used on several occasions. "You gonna use that big mouth of yours to say something useful yet?"

She glared at him, her eyes sparkling in the sun. "No."

"I guess I'll try you again in a few days, you'll be starving by then…"

Two days later…

The hunger was agony now. Cassidy was genuinely finding the sight of live chickens appetizing at this point. Her stomach ached for food and her mind felt just as empty. She couldn't focus on her thoughts, all she felt was the craving. Maybe Dutch was right, starving was more effective than physical torture. Yet she and Kieran still hadn't revealed anything besides minor details about themselves. Dutch was growing bored of this waiting game, he wanted action and more than anything he wanted to take Colm down.

It was a sunny afternoon when Arthur approached Kieran, Cassidy watched diligently. She'd kill Kieran herself if he said anything.

"You got some speaking to do… about that old gang of yours," Arthur said as he came to a stop.

Kieran went into full panic mode right away. "I don't know nothing! Please…. I'm so damn hungry."

Arthur pressed his lips into a tight line, he didn't understand why anyone would protect Colm unless they were afraid of him. "That's what I thought."

"Whoa hold your horses there, it seems the cat has got our friend's tongue. I was thinking Mr. Williamson here could have a word," Dutch announced with a lively attitude, his hands waving around in amusement. Cassidy became more alert; the situation was about to escalate which meant she was next.

"You ready to talk boy?" Bill asked aggressively, spitting as he spoke.

Kieran avoided looking them in the eye, he was quick to answer, too quick. He made a bad liar. "I told you all, I don't know nothing. I hate Colm as much as you do, ain't got a reason to lie!'

"Horseshit! Tell us the truth!" Bill said before turning to Dutch. "What do you want me to do?"

"Hurt him so the next time he opens his mouth it's to tell us what's going on!" He stopped, leaning in closer to Kieran. "Ah, who am I kidding? This one ain't talking. Screw it, let's just have some fun. Geld him."

Bill ran off to get the pliers, making an excited holler as he hurried. Dutch dropped Kieran's pants to the ground, laughing as he continued to mock him. Cassidy couldn't stop herself from chuckling at Kieran's hysterical cries. She figured they were trying to scare the boy, and it was working. Kieran was begging for mercy. Bill brought down the pliers near his crotch, snipping right in front of him.

"You sick bastards, what you want from me?!" Kieran yelled out, trying to back up even though there was nowhere to go.

"Well, you are going to talk. The only question is now or after we get these little fellers off?" Dutch said with a sick smile on his face.

Cassidy wasn't laughing anymore, she saw the look in Kieran's eye. He was about to open his mouth.

"Okay! Okay! Listen, I know where Colm is hiding… and he don't like you neither. He's at Six Point Cabin, I can take you there," Kieran said.

Bill was about to back off until Dutch motioned for him to stay where he is. "What about the girl?" He nodded towards Cassidy.

Kieran glanced at her, his eyes wide with fear. There was no solution here, he'd piss someone off either way. He figured staying on Dutch's good side was a safer bet. "Uh, what about her?" he asked, playing stupid. Cassidy nervously bit the inside of her cheek, this fool was about to get her killed or worse.

"Who is she?" Dutch asked calmly. This wasn't vital information, he just wanted to know.

"No one, just some girl we picked up a few months back," Kieran answered.

Dutch signalled for Bill to get closer, the cold metal touching his skin now. Kieran let out a whimper before revealing the truth. "Wait! She…. she's an O'Driscoll."

"You think I'm playing around here?" Dutch asked quietly.

"No! I-I mean a real O'Driscoll. Cassidy O'Driscoll, Colm's daughter."

Cassidy squeezed her eyes shut. She was officially screwed.

Dutch laughed in disbelief. "Colm don't have a daughter."

"He does, she's it. Only us O'Driscolls know about her," Kieran responded.

A tense silence settled in the air as they stared at Cassidy, who was burning her eyes into Kieran. She couldn't wait to get her hands on him now.

"So you're telling me Colm has got a secret daughter who's sitting right over there?" Dutch pointed at her, this seemed impossible to him. It was an opportunity for revenge served on a silver platter.

Kieran nodded. "Yeah… she's in charge when he's gone. We're talking high up on the ladder."

Dutch took his time walking towards Cassidy, crossing his arms when he reached her. "That true?"

Cassidy deliberately blinked, looking up at him with her usual confidence. "True or not, it's been said and you can believe what you will. It's not like I can prove it either way."

Dutch smirked, noting how she had Colm's eyes and the same dark brown hair that he used to have. He turned away on the heel of his boot. "Arthur, you take our friend and some boys to Six Point Cabin… I need some time to think."

Arthur finally peeled his gaze from Cassidy. The Van der Linde and O'Driscoll feud just became a lot more complicated, he couldn't decide if this was a good or bad thing. "Sure, I'll see if I can dig up something on the girl while I'm there…" He cut Kieran loose, dragging him by his dirty shirt towards the horses.

Cassidy was left to anxiously await Dutch's decision on what to do with her. She tried to think of the best possible outcomes while watching clouds move through a perfectly blue sky.

…

The sun was setting by the time Cassidy woke up from an uncomfortable nap. She'd managed to catch some shuteye after listening to Hosea and Dutch argue in a nearby tent. From what she heard, it sounded like Dutch wanted to use her for revenge while Hosea was trying to talk him out of it. She couldn't imagine why Hosea felt the need to protect her, if the roles were reversed Colm wouldn't hesitate. He never did, every choice he made was based on impulse, a habit he passed on to his daughter.

Kieran had returned with Arthur within a few hours and wasn't tied to a tree anymore. Apparently he'd done something to make people hate him less, though trust was another story. He couldn't look at a gun without someone losing it at him. Cassidy resented him even more for his freedom. Rats in the O'Driscoll gang were hung, sometimes Colm would kill them slowly if he was in a bad mood.

Cassidy was fourteen when Colm made her watch a torture session for the first time. The man had told the law about some bank job beforehand, a few of their boys were killed. He only lasted a day before dying from blood loss. His screams haunted Cassidy for a while, eventually they became background noise.

The sound of someone approaching caught her attention. Micah took a knee in front of her, setting his white hat down on the ground. They exchanged a timid smile, which was out of character for both of them.

"I don't envy you," he said gently.

Cassidy stopped smiling, she preferred when people got straight to the point. "Why?"

"Colm don't seem like the fatherly type."

She weakly shrugged with her confined shoulders. "Being an outlaw and having a kind daddy don't mix all that well."

He chuckled, nodding agreeably. "You're right about that, O'Driscoll… Dutch sent me, says you're allowed to clean up if someone watches and you can eat something. I guess he thinks starving you is a waste."

She raised her eyebrows, feeling surprised by the humane treatment. Micah reached behind her back, untying the rope around her wrists. Her skin was stinging with relief. People in camp gave her all sorts of unpleasant looks as she was guided to the river. No one looked quite as pissed as Sadie did, her fists practically shaking with anger.

Micah gave Cassidy a bar of soap, a brush and a fresh set of clothes from her bag. She started undressing when he turned his back to her, giving her some privacy.

"You know I lived with twenty men before I came here, right?" she asked, stepping into the cool lake.

Micah took a quick peek when he thought it was safe, enjoying the sight of her curvy, toned figure. "So?" he asked directly.

She started scrubbing the dirt off till a new layer of skin was visible. "So I don't care who sees what."

Her honesty aroused Micah, he was used to constant rejection from women he called prudes. "You should take privacy where you can get it, O'Driscoll. There ain't much of it here neither." He usually would've jumped at the chance to sleep with a girl like her, but Dutch wouldn't be happy about that, and he was the boss.

Cassidy didn't respond, instead she dunked her head underwater to wash her greasy hair. Once she was done, she caught a glimpse of her reflection on the water. She thought that she hadn't looked this well in weeks, her skin was glowing and her lips were pink. After she was somewhat dry, she put on a pair of slim-fitting charcoal trousers, a white blouse and a cropped black blazer. Black and white were the O'Driscoll colours, she felt like herself again.

"Turn around if you must," she said to Micah, who was smoking a pipe.

He shifted himself to face her, blowing out smoke from his mouth. "I see the resemblance to Colm in that getup. Gotta say you're a bit easier on the eyes. Come on then."

They walked side by side, taking their time. Cassidy thought now might be a good time to see if Micah could be useful to her. "You got any clue what Dutch is planning on doing with me?"

He sighed since he was expecting that question. "Not sure… ain't gonna kill you if that's what you're asking. Not his style to murder folks like that." He thought to himself before continuing. "Look, if you play your cards right, you could run with us. We make a lot more cash than your boys."

She shot him a dismissive look. "Why would I wanna start at the bottom of the chain here when I'm on top somewhere else? Save your advice for that coward Kieran, I ain't interested."

"Just think about it, we could use someone like you around here," he said.

Their talk came to an end when they entered camp right by Arthur's tent, who was wiping his face with a wet cloth.

"I hope you ain't getting too comfortable here, O'Driscoll. You and I got some catching up to do tomorrow," Arthur said, blocking her path.

She scoffed at him. "I got nothing to tell you fools. Questioning me won't be anything but a waste of time."

Arthur stepped out of the way, motioning for her to keep on walking in a patronizing way. "Yeah? We'll see 'bout that."

Cassidy didn't sleep well that night. There was a chill in the air and some drunk old man wouldn't stop singing by the campfire. It wasn't just that, she was beginning to worry that Kieran had revealed more than just her identity.

The next morning…

"Get up," Arthur commanded while kicking Cassidy's leg.

She groggily greeted him with a glare. "I'd rather wake up in a burning house than see your face first thing in the morning," she mumbled.

A laugh came from nearby that belonged to a gunslinger with barely healed scratches on his face. Cassidy had heard the others call him John or Marston. "Don't give me that look, Arthur. You've said worse to me," John exclaimed jokingly.

"Get outta here and do something useful for once!" Arthur said as he waved him off.

Cassidy gave Arthur a smug look once he was gone. "Colm told me you folks don't torture people, that true?"

Arthur put his hands on his gun belt, leaning on his right leg. "We've got other ways of making fellers talk. You'll see soon enough."

She smiled daringly at him. "You must be used to people being afraid of you, huh? That tough big man act would scare me if I hadn't killed men like you before."

His patience was being tested once again by her never-ending threats and ridicule. Something had to be done if he was going to get answers from her.

"I've heard more than enough talk from you, O'Driscoll…" he said slowly. He cut her ropes loose, shoving her towards the edge of camp and a decent sized cliff.

Cassidy looked down, her eyes widening as reality set in. Was he about to hang her? It didn't seem likely, not after what Micah said. She realized that wasn't his plan when placed his lasso around her, securing it tightly underneath her arms. She wasn't expecting what came next.

"You've got thirty seconds," Arthur stated harshly.

"For wha-" she didn't have the chance to finish speaking before Arthur pushed her off the cliff, sending her flying down only to be painfully stopped midair by the rope he tied around her. Her heart was pounding uncontrollably as her legs dangled. "What the fuck are you doing you crazy bastard?! Pull me up!" she screamed up at Arthur, who was supporting her weight with ease.

"Thirty seconds for you to agree to start talking or I'll let go!" he shouted back.

She looked down at the distant ground, imagining what would happen if she were dropped. The fall wasn't long enough to kill her, though injury would be impossible to avoid. Most likely she'd end up with two broken legs, something she couldn't afford right now. Also, Cassidy was terrified of heights. It was hard to think straight from this position.

"Fine! I'll talk… just pull me up!" she yelled, sounding desperate. Arthur delayed bringing her back by a few seconds just to mess with her. She exhaled once he started pulling her up.

She fell back onto the grass once she reached the top, nearly hyperventilating to recover from panic. Her fears were something she never shared, she felt embarrassed by her own vulnerability. When she managed to sit up, Arthur was pointing his revolver at her.

"You lie to me or go back on your word and I'll make you wish that I had dropped you, you hear me woman?" he asked, his voice rumbling like thunder.

She swallowed her pride at that moment, there was nowhere to hide now. Colm never said what he'd do if she betrayed him, still, she knew that it wouldn't be pretty. "I get it, ask away."

Arthur put away his gun, keeping his feet firmly planted in place. "We're gonna play a game, I ask you a question and you say yes or no, I'll start with an easy one… are you Colm's daughter?"

She took a quick glance at camp, everyone was staring. Dutch was watching from close by with a blank expression. "Yes," she said.

"Are you in charge of the O'Driscoll Boys when he's not around?" he asked calmly now.

"Yes." She paused when Arthur nodded at her, urging for an explanation. "I keep them from burning down camp or falling asleep on watch duty. Sometimes I'll scout for robberies or whatever lead I can find. Colm don't listen to my advice most of the time."

"Does Colm care about you at all?" Dutch asked, moving closer to join the interrogation.

Cassidy lowered her head, feeling uncomfortable with having her whole life on display. "I don't really know how to answer that, I serve a purpose I suppose. He's been training me to take over once he's gone. He says his life would mean nothing if someone ain't there to keep his gang alive."

Dutch and Arthur share an uneasy look, this meant she could pose a real threat to them if she were released or escaped.

"Is that what you want, to be the next Colm O'Driscoll?" Arthur questioned, emphasizing her surname with disgust.

"Do I even have that choice? Did any of you decide to be outlaws?" she responded, regaining her attitude.

Arthur squatted so he could see her reaction to the final question. "You know where Colm hides his money, don't you?"

A/N: Anyone else find Cassidy super entertaining when she's all psycho? Lol writing her dialogue is probably the most fun I have while writing this story. Anyways, thanks for the comments and feedback! I love hearing from you guys. BTW, Arthur will NOT get TB in this… also thinking about cutting out the whole downfall of the gang, I honestly want to change things up so the main conflict is between them and the O'Driscolls, any thoughts on that?

Also, I will be making Arthur the main love interest in this, though that will be progressing slowly for obvious reasons.

Disclaimer: I do not own RDR.