Author's Note: Chapter is rated M for sexual content. Yeah, so, this is a really long chapter lol. I hope that doesn't bother any of you. Review, fav, and follow! Thanks for reading!

Chapter 11: A Small Piece

"You weren't wrong, Hosea! This place is perfect!" Dutch shouted as Hosea and the rest drove into camp.

"I hope so," Hosea replied as he climbed down from the wagon.

Lilly jumped down and took a gander around. "Huh, this is pretty nice."

"Gentlemen, we have survived," Dutch said.

"For now," Hosea spurted out glumly as he headed over to the table Dutch was at.

"Now it is time to prosper!"

"Arthur and I were about to prosper in Blackwater. We were on to somethin' big, then Micah got you all excited about that ferry and here we are!"

As Lilly strolled over to the table, she removed her jacket and looked around for Micah. Where was that degenerate pig tit sucklin' piece of shite ball bag? As she scanned the area, Lilly saw her tent. Wait, was it bigger than before? And why was it so far away from the rest of the camp?

Dutch sighed in slight annoyance at Hosea. "We have all made mistakes over the years, Hosea." Dutch stood up. "Every last one of us. But I kept us together, kept us alive, kept the nooses of our neck," Dutch said a gradual rise of irritation in his voice. He turned and walked away but Hosea followed, as did Arthur and Lilly.

Hosea put on a hand on Dutch's shoulder. "I guess I'm just worried. I ain't got that long, Dutch. I want folks safe before I go."

Dutch stopped walking and stayed in front of Hosea. "Me too."

"And now we are stuck. East of the Grizzlies and out of money, and a long way from our dream of virgin land in the West."

"I know, my brother, but we are safe! We make a bit of money here, then we move again, head out around them, be west of Uncle Sam, in a few months buy some land!"

"I hope so," Hosea said while not sounding entirely convinced.

Dutch scoffed and walled backwards with his arms outstretched. "Would you just look around you." Dutch turned and walked. "This world has its consolations."

Lilly took a few steps forward. As she crossed her arms over her stomach, she smiled. It really was beautiful here.

"Gentlemen. I'm going to head into the local town and, you know...see if I can strike up some business," Lilly heard Herr Strauss say.

"By business, do ya mean takin' advantage of the poor and desolate?" Lilly asked angrily. She really didn't like the man. He was a loan shark. Lilly hated loan sharks.

"Lillian..." Dutch sighed. "Of course, Herr Strauss." After a few moments, Dutch sighed again. "Lilly, I know how you feel about that sort of thing, and I agree. I prefer bank robbery to usury, seems mpre dignified somehow."

"So why the hell do we keep him with us?"

"Well, he does bring in money."

"Speakin' of lowlifes, where is Micah? I have a few words tah exchange with that bastard."

"I sent him out scoutin' with Lenny. Heh. He's the one who spied on you two, hmm?"

"Yes. Well, the struttin' of peacock feathers will have tah wait then, Arthur."

Dutch and Hosea laughed. "What?" Dutch asked.

Arthur cleared his throat. "Just a thing we talked about earlier because Micah said-"

Lilly gazed out at the world before her. "It's not that bad of a view, ya know. It kinda reminds me of..." Lilly stopped herself to phrase her words properly. "Well, it's not as green as Ireland, but it'll do."

"Ireland looks like this?" Hosea asked.

"Somewhat. We had mountains and rivers just as well as America does. We had valleys and plains and..." Lilly took a few more steps forward. "...hills. Only thing Ireland has that America doesn't is castles. Castles and fairy mounds."

"Castles?" Dutch asked. "Fairy mounds?"

"Yes. There was a castle not that far from Bothar Nua. Achrann Castle. Beautiful place. The Nolans lived there."

"Wait, there are people in Ireland still livin' in castles?"

"Yep. The Nolans were...hmm, Sir Liam was the Earl of Galway. God, I remember explorin' every nook and cranny of that castle."

"Wait, you knew an Earl? How?"

"Me father and Sir Liam were childhood friends. And..." Lilly stopped herself. The topic of her biological family was a painful one. The three men behind her didn't even know how they died, save for Brian. She bowed her head and messed around with her fingertips. "Yes, Father was...friends with the Nolans."

Lilly felt hands on her shoulders. "I'm sorry, kid," Hosea said.

"For what? It's not yer fault they're dead."

"I know. I just feel bad because it's a really hard topic for you."

Lilly nodded and felt tears well up. Oh for fuck's sake. "I...I need to go lay down, I think. I'm very tired." Lilly marched in the direction of her tent.

"Lilly! Wait!" Arthur shouted. "Shit!"

She opened the flaps of her tent and froze. "What the fuck?" The tent was bigger. The bed was bigger with two pillows instead of one. There were two nightstands instead of one, and there were two blankets now. Lilly's clothes were hung up on one side of the tent but Arthur's was on the other side. Her chest was in there, but so was Arthur's. What the hell? Lilly turned her head and saw Arthur's shaving contraption just outside the tent. She turned and spotted Miss Grimshaw. "Miss Grimshaw, what have ya done with me tent?!" Lilly shouted so Susan could hear her. "Why is me bed bigger and...and..." Lilly stopped and glanced at Arthur with suspicion. He was walking to her slowly. "Arthur, is this yer doin'?"

Arthur grinned with a nod. "Mmhmm."

"Well...wait, where's yer ammo cart?"

Arthur pointed to his left and she looked. It was in a different location but it didn't look like his anymore. In fact, Charles was now sitting on the cot of it. Her eyes shifted back to Arthur who was now in front of her. "I uh," he cleared his throat. "I thought it would benefit us both if we combined livin' spaces."

Lilly's brow crinkled. She was shocked. "Ya...ya moved in? Why?"

"I told you. I'm quite serious about you and me. Charles is in charge of the ammo now."

"But...ya..." Lilly wasn't sure what to say. While the Irish woman felt she should be mad about Arthur being that presumptuous about invading her bedroom, Lilly realized she was feeling the exact opposite. Moved and awed by his gesture and his devotion to their relationship.

"Look, I know I should've asked you first but I wanted to surprise you. If you don't like it, I'll change it back. Might take me a bit, but-"

"No no. It's fine. I..." Lilly smiled gently at him then went back to fiddling with her nails with her head bowed. "I love it, Arthur."

He lifted her chin and looked at her. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I just...I guess I'm just tired."

Arthur rubbed her arms and smirked at her. "I suppose I did wear you out."

Lilly chuckled. "Yeah, ya bithiúnach. But aren't you tired?"

"Naw. I'm a man. Men don't get tired," he said sarcastically.

Lilly shoved his shoulder. "Yer an eejit."

Arthur cackled in response and gave her a light kiss. "Go and take a nap. Do you, uh...do you want your tea?"

"The chamomile? Yes, thank you."

Arthur stroked her hair. "Do you need me to stay?"

"No, I'll be fine." Lilly kissed his cheek. "Thank you."

She turned and went into the tent. Lilly sat down on the bed and looked around. There wasn't much for furniture other than the bed, but Arthur and her would probably fix that. So...her and Arthur. Living together. Well, technically they had for most of her life, but they were sharing a bed now. It didn't seem too fast at all, really. They knew each other inside and out. Well, she knew him inside and out. Arthur, like Da and Athair, knew her present but not her past. Well, if her and Arthur were going to be together, maybe it was time for Lilly to open up to him a little. Lilly tossed her hat and coat. She kicked her boots off and ran her fingers through her hair. Arthur came in.

"The tea's gonna be a bit, so-"

"I saw them die, Arthur..."

Arthur gave her a blank stare. "What?"

Lilly bowed her head and stared at the ground. "My family. I saw them die." Seconds went by and Arthur didn't say anything. "Look, I...I know I said you'd never know certain things about me. But...we're together now and I...I know everythin' about you, but ya don't know my past. Seems unfair."

Arthur knelt down in front of her and held her hands. "Alright. Tell me."

Lilly looked at his face. "Did ya ever hear about the Emerald Star? The ship that sank in the Atlantic back in 1882?"

"Yeah, I did. That was a big story. It was comin' to New York all the way from..." Arthur paused as his face showed his realization. "...Oh."

Lilly nodded. Tears threatened her once again. "I, uh...we were emigratin', and...uh..." she sniffled. "The god damn thing, it...somethin' exploded and it kept explodin'...

5-year-old Lilly was being carried by her big brother. Her mother was carrying little James, the baby. Her father was carrying little Janet, the 3-year-old. They were running along the deck of the Emerald Star within a panicked crowd. Explosions rocked the boat around and threatened to make people fall down. Lilly looked around and saw chaos that her young mind couldn't comprehend.

"Deartháir mór, what's going on?" she asked. [Big brother]

"The ship is sinking, deirfiúr beag. [little sister] We're going to get on lifeboats," Brian explained. "Are ya scared, Lilly?"

"A little."

Lilly turned her head around as Brian got knocked about. Her mother was hindered as well but she managed to keep James in her arms. Lilly's father and Janet got through the crowd but he stopped when he realized his family wasn't with him."

Abigail! Brian! Lilly! Where are ya!?" he shouted as people knocked into him. But he was a sturdy man and could take the weight. "Abby!"

Abby raised her hand. "Jack! We're here!"

Lilly saw her father and waved. "Father! Over here!" Another explosion rocked the boat and Lilly saw a smoke stack dislodge from above. It creaked as it started to fall. "Daddy, look out!" But it was too late. As Jack acknowledged the impending doom, he got knocked down. Lilly cried out for him. "DADDY!!!"

Jack huddled over little Janet and the smoke stack fell on them. Lilly screamed at the top of her lungs as did Abigail. Brian grabbed his mother and held her. "Mother," he sobbed. "We have to go. Now!"

Brian was always so brave. Quick on his feet, sharp as a tack, and just like his father, he knew when to take charge. He directed his mother around the fallen stack. As the went around Lilly looked back and saw her sister's bloody leg. She started crying again. Lilly could hear her baby brother crying too. Her mother was crying. Even Brian was crying, but when he saw her looking he wiped his face. Lilly hugged him.

"I'm scared, Brian. I wanna go home."

"Well, Lilly, we got a new home in America waitin' for us. You'll be snug as a bug in a rug before ya know it. Now let's-" Another explosion shook the ground beneath them. The deck cracked open and Abigail fell through but quickly grabbed a piece of metal with one hand. She still had a hold of the baby. Brian put Lilly down and reached for his mother. "Mum, I can't...Lilly, come help me get James!"

Lilly scurried over and snuggled next to Brian. He lowered her down and Abigail kissed her cherk. "Come on, Lilly, you can do it. I know you can."

Lilly got ahold of James. "Mummy, I got him! Brian! Pull me up and get Mum!"

Brian did just that and set her down. He reached for his mother and grabbed one of her hands. "There! Other hand now, come on!"

Abigail let go of the metal pole she was hanging onto and grasped Brian's other hand. Lilly sighed in relief and rocked her crying brother. "It's alright, ya wee bairn. It's alright."

The deck cracked more and Brian groaned loudly as he tried to pull his mother up. "Mum! Use your feet to climb!"

Abigail tried to ground her feet on something but she couldn't find anything. Lilly started shouting at the crowd as Brian kept trying to pull his mother up. "Hey!!! Someone come help me brother! Please!" No one paid attention. They were all too busy running to free life boats. "Hey! My mother is down there! Someone help!"

One man did stop. He had a young boy with him, presumably his son. He and the boy ran over and tried to help Brian with Abigail, but the deck cracked and Brian lost his grip on her. "Mum!!!"

Lilly screamed as she watch her mother's body fall and hit things like ragdoll until eventually landing on something hard. Lilly could see the blood forming under her mother and she cried again. "Mummy..." Lilly sobbed.

The man and his son helped the grieving Brian up and he sighed. "I'm sorry, boy. So sorry, but you and your sister need to get outta here. Come on!"

The man ran with everyone along the deck. Lilly heard another explosion but it was on the other side of the ship. They finally found a free lifeboat and they all got on. "Sir, only women and children!"

The Irish man grabbed the boat man by the collar. "If ya think fer one bloomin' second I'm gonna leave me son alone in the world, ya better git yer noggin checked, boy!" The man backed off and the big Irish man got in the boat. "Now let's go!"

Lilly's hands trembled throughout the whole story and she couldn't bear to look at Arthur. "We got picked up by another ship. I can't remember the name, but then we got to New York and...Brian and James and I, we had nothin'. James died later from pneumonia, though...he was the only one I didn't see die."

"...What do you mean?"

Lilly laughed sadly as tears fell from her eyes. "...Brian was beaten within an inch of his life and shot in the head. Steven and Travis made me watch." Lilly covered her face and sobbed. "I'm sorry, but I can't say anymore just now." She hated crying but Lilly couldn't stop the tears from coming.

Arthur held her tightly in his arms. "Lilly, I...don't know what to say."

"There's nothin' to say about it, mo chuisle."

"Arthur? Lilly?" Miss Grimshaw said outside the tent. "I have your tea, Lilly. Steeped for ten minutes with a spoonful of honey, as per usual."

"Don't let her see me like this, Arthur," Lilly whispered.

Arthur kissed the top of her head. "I won't." He got up and squeezed himself out of the flaps. "Ah, Miss Grimshaw. Thank you very much."

"My pleasure, Mr. Morgan. Is she okay?"

"Well, ahh," Lilly heard him grunt. "Not really. I'm gonna be retirin' with Lilly for the rest of the day. Would you let Dutch and Hosea know, please?"

"Of course, Mr. Morgan."

"Thanks."

Arthur came back in with Lilly's tea. He sat down next to her and Lilly took the cup from him. She stared into the liquid. "You don't have to do that, you know..."

"I know, but I want to."

"I...I don't know why I suddenly told you all that. I hope it wasn't too much."

Arthur sighed. "Not at all, Lilly."

Lilly blew on her cup and took a small sip. "Mmm, good stuff. Glad it got saved from Blackwater." Lilly looked around at the tent interior. "So, uh...ya got plans for decoratin'?"

"I dunno. I ain't one for decoratin' but I suppose it would be nice to have furniture in here."

Lilly took another sip. "We're gonna be needin' food. The camp, I mean."

"Charles is already out huntin'."

"Hmm."

"I did notice the wolves followed us here but they didn't come into camp."

"I don't think they're that brave yet. Bein' around people, I mean."

Arthur slipped off his winter coat and tossed it. "Ah, well, hopefully people won't have a problem with them."

"I'd hope not. They helped me take down a bear."

Arthur wheezed out a laugh. "You had so much blood on you I was scared it was yours, but there you were, standing triumphantly over the slain bear like a...like some ancient warrior."

A small giggle escaped Lilly's throat. "Oh hush. I got lucky."

"Oh really? What kind of lucky person talks shit to a fuckin' grizzly bear?"

"The kind who gets cornered by a fuckin' grizzly bear."

Arthur cackled. "What kind of shit were you talkin' anyway?"

Lilly smiled at him then took a drink of her tea. "Threatened to skin him alive, told him if he wanted to kill me he'd have to work for it, goaded to go after me twice because I didn't have all day, called him a big dumb twat, a fuck, a smelly bastard, and a snivelin' milksop. I did manage to stab his paw before the wolves came, though." Lilly took another drink.

Arthur laughed in amazement. "Lilly O'Callaghan. Bear killer."

Lilly smirked. "Flattery is beneath you."

"It ain't flattery if it's true."

Lilly finished off the rest of her tea. "Mmm. Good tea." Lilly already felt very drowsy. "Sometimes I wonder if you guys put somethin' in..." Lily dropped the cup and everything went dark.

Arthur caught Lilly as she went down. He picked her up and laid her down properly in the bed. God, he always felt horrible when sedating her but it was for the best. Her night terrors were awful. She hadn't had one since she was a teenager but Arthur was not going to risk Lilly breaking the streak. Any mention of her family or other things from her past almost always triggered one. What Lilly told him was so heartbreaking. Seeing almost her whole family die...Arthur saw his father die. It was not a pleasant memory. And for those bastards to make her watch Brian get beat up and shot, no wonder Lilly wanted to kill them so much. Some things from her childhood made sense now. Not all of it, but enough for Arthur to love her even more. Lilly was such a strong individual. She'd been through so much strife and pain at such a young age that it broke her and forged her anew and Arthur loved her for it.

Arthur loved her as his charge, then as his mentee, then he fell in love with a 17-year-old Lilly and it made him feel like a dirty old man, but the Irish lass was just so enchanting. Arthur hung up their jackets, picked up the cup, and put it on the nightstand before covering himself and Lilly up with blankets. He shoved his shoes off and spooned with her. Arthur kissed her neck.

"I love you, Lilly," he whispered.

Sean and 32-year-old Arthur were returning from a somewhat fancy deal in the local town when they were ambushed by O'Driscoll's in Wyoming. It was daytime. They were between a rock and a hard place, both literally and figuratively. They had a boulder on a cliff for cover but no clear exit. Arthur felt ridiculous shooting at people in a damn black suit and pomade in his short light brown hair. He felt like a nancy. Sean was in a gray suit also with pomade in his hair. No hats. Nonetheless, it was two against twenty six men, maybe more. It was a lot of god damn O'Driscolls. Arthur had exquisite aim but they were all too far for him to get clear shots. He and Sean only had their six shooters whereas their enemies had rifles and repeaters.

"We really shoulda grabbed our other guns, Arthur," Sean stated.

"No shit!" Arthur snapped.

Sean peeked over. "I don't think we got long before they get closer."

"Well, then I can shoot them better."

Sean was still peeking but then his signature giggle erupted from his mouth. "Well well, here comes the cavalry."

"What?" Arthur dared a glance over the boulder and saw Lilly riding in on Holly with her bow. "Huh, Lilly to the rescue," Arthur chortled with amusement. "Well, hopefully she won't get shot."

A bullet hit the boulder and the boys sunk down. Sean laughed. "Oh, she'll be fine. Lilly's a hard lass to kill."

"Haha, no kiddin'." Arthur looked from behind the boulder with just one and saw Lilly shooting down men three at a time. "I will never understand how she manages that move."

"The three arrow one?"

"Yeah."

"Girl's got skills."

"ALRIGHT, THAT'S IT!" They both heard Lilly's voice boom.

Sean and Arthur laughed as they sat next to each other. "Oh shit, they're in fer it now," Sean giggled.

"YA STUPID O'DRISCOLL TWATS! STOP SHOOTIN' AT ME AND LISTEN!"

All shooting ceased and the men leaned around to see what was going on. Lilly was surrounded by eighteen men now. Various others lay across the field with arrows in their chests. "What is she doin'?" Arthur asked with concern.

"Hmm. I think she's goin' to challenge 'em to a melee fight."

"ALL of 'em? But there's eighteen men!"

"Huh. You've never seen her in a fight?"

"In saloons, sure, but this?" Arthur hissed. "She's gonna get herself killed!"

Sean laughed loudly. "Unlikely. Just watch, Englishman. Yer in fer a bloody treat!"

Sean and Arthur both looked over as Lilly set down her weapons and got into some sort of...was she about to box with one of them? Arthur saw the man swing at her but she ducked, then shot back up and jabbed him in the face. The fight continued and Lilly was winning for sure. She used punches and kicks to attack her opponent who was clearly on the defensive.

"I didn't know she could do that," Arthur whispered. He was impressed to say the least. She was so graceful with her movements and there was something about her now that Arthur never noticed before. The way her braid flew along as she fought, the way her hips moved, how wonderful her ass looked. Wait, what? Why would he think that?

"Oh fer fuck's sake. Lilly!" Sean shouted. "Quit playin' with the bastard and take him out already!"

The man looked behind him up at the cliff, but when he focused back on the girl Lilly did something Arthur couldn't see but the man immediately slumped to the ground. Lilly waved up at Sean.

"Hello, deartháir! I didn't know ya wanted a show!" [brother]

"Please! Arthur's here too and he ain't never seen ya fight! Well, not like this!"

"Oh! Hi Arthur!" The O'Driscolls went to charge her. "HOLD YER GOD DAMN HORSES!" she shouted. "I'M HAVIN' A DISCUSSION!"

Arthur wheezed out a laugh. The kid was hilarious. "God, the man that marries her better be god damn deaf or a god damn dragon if she shouts at him like that!"

Sean squinted his eyes at Arthur. "Wait, what man?"

"Oh, nobody. I don't think she got her sights on anyone right now, but in the future, well..."

Sean giggled into a fit. "Oh boyo, both of yas got no clue!"

"What are you talkin' about?"

"Deartháir! Arthur! Do ya two want a show er not!?" Lilly shouted.

"Yes deirfiúr, please!" [sister] Sean cackled in delight. "Oh, yer gonna love it, Arthur."

Arthur shook his head in amusement. He watched Lilly address all the O'Driscolls. "Well!" she shouted so her two friends could hear her. "Since yer first buddy was an easy one, how about ya all take me on? Charge me all at once and see how well ya do!"

Arthur's face went pale. "Is she serious?! Lilly!"

Sean patted his shoulder. "She is gonna be fine, trust me."

Lilly stood in the middle with her fighting stance. Arthur put a palm to his nose and mouth. He trusted them both but he was still on edge. However, his doubts quickly disappeared when the men ran at her and...Lilly was taking them down one at a time. What in the hell? With kicks and punches, jabs and roundhouse kicks, and even a sweep to a man's legs, she made short work of her mission. She even managed to break a man's neck by jerking his head around. The last few men pulled out knives. Arthur became more confident as he watched. Knives were Lilly's specialty. They went at it but Lilly dodged and ducked. Arthur distinctly heard her laughing with glee. Arthur rested his chin in his palm as he laud on his belly. He was thoroughly enjoying this, and an entertained grin formed on his face. He was entertained, but he was also transfixed and captivated by her. It was like watching some powerful warrior from way before their time.

"Amazin'," Arthur laughed in delight. "Absolutely amazin'. Why haven't I seen her do this before?" Arthur asked.

"Oh, you know how private she is about her past," Sean replied while adjusting his suit jacket. "She learned all this in Saint Denis."

Arthur's head snapped towards Sean. "Wait, she told you about that? About her past?"

Sean paused for a moment. Arthur swore he saw a glimmer in Sean's eyes that meant, "oh shit", but it dissipated just as fast. "Well, where else would she learn it? Certainly not in Ireland. Probably not in New York, but Saint Denis? Lots of weird shit to learn there, and since you never knew about it, well...it's all elementary, my dear Englishman," Sean giggled.

Arthur stared at him suspiciously. "I see..." Arthur said, not entirely convinced.

He went back to studying Lilly who was down to one man. He noticed her shoulder was bleeding. Or was that someone elses blood? And then it was all over as Lilly knocked the man to his knee by kicking the side of his other knee. Lilly stabbed the side of his neck and pulled it out as she backed away. The man covered his wound but fell on his chest. Lilly sheathed her knives and waved at Sean and Arthur but then she grabbed her shoulder. "Ack, balls!" she shouted. "That shite stings!"

"Huh. Well, she did take on a lot of men," Sean said with a sigh. "Well, let's loot and get her home." Arthur and Sean made their way down from the cliff and walked to Lilly. "Jesus, girl, are ya gettin' sloppy in yer old age?" Sean laughed.

"Ha ha fuckin' ha, Sean," Lilly snarled playfully. "I didn't see you try and take on eighteen men on yer own."

"Fair point, sister. Now, let's loot."

Lilly grinned and looked at Arthur. She tilted her head to one side. "Well, both of yas look smart today, but you Arthur...well," she giggled. "Such a handsome fellow."

Arthur smirked almost bashfully. "Shut up." They all called for their horses and they went riding off after all the looting of corpses was done. Arthur noticed Lilly's shoulder was bothering her as they rode on but as they were passing a lake he decided to speak up. "Hey, you okay?"

"I'll be fine when we get back to camp."

Arthur made them both stop. "Nope. Come on, let's see that shoulder." Lilly sighed and got off her horse. They walked to the shore in the forest and Lilly plopped down on a log, then she started unbuttoning the top of her shirt a little before exposing the slice in her shoulder. "Huh. Not too shabby, kid. You'll just have another scar." Arthur looked at her other shoulder. She had blood there too and he pulled the shirt down over that shoulder. She had a small slash there as well. It wasn't so bad, though. "Jesus, Lilly. You're lucky you weren't hacked to..."

Arthur's eyes drifted to her chest. Lilly was holding her shirt up but the top of her breasts were showing. Lilly's forearm pressing to her bosom made her cleavage hard not to look at. Oh shit. Arthur cleared his throat and grabbed medical supplies from his satchel.

"Is somethin' wrong, Arthur?" Lilly asked.

"No. Just...uh...I'll clean you up."

"Deirfiúr? Bhí an fear Sasanach ag stánadh ar do bhrollach," Sean said. [Sister? The Englishman was staring at your chest.]

"Thug mé faoi deara," Lilly replied. "Ní dhearna sé é sin riamh roimhe. Feiceann an Sasanach mé anois mar bhean." [I noticed. He never did that before. The Englishman now sees me as a woman.]

Arthur huffed. He hated it when those two talked Irish in front of him. "Look, I'm pretty sure you're talkin' about me and you know how I feel about that."

Lilly laughed. "That's a little conceited of you, Arthur. What makes you think we're talkin' about you?"

"You keep sayin' 'Sasanach'. I've heard it enough to know it means anyone who ain't Irish."

Lilly and Sean gaped at each other, then laughed. "Tá an fear Sasanach cliste. Cheap mé a mhalairt i gcónaí," Sean giggled. [The Englishman is smart. I always thought otherwise.]

Arthur rolled his eyes but saw the look Lilly was giving Sean. Uh oh. She was mad. "Bí cúramach le do chuid focal, deartháir. Tá meas ar mo chaomhnóir ar chúis," Lilly said. She pulled out a throwing knife and it landed just in front of Sean's boot. "Labhair go dona mar gheall air arís agus beidh tú gortaithe. Tuigeann tú?" [Be careful with your words, brother. My guardian is respected for a reason. Speak badly about him again and you will be hurt. You understand?]

"Yes, deirfiúr. I apologize."

"Good."

Arthur wasn't exactly sure what transpired but Sean must have said something bad. He laughed. "Was Sean talkin' shit about me?"

"Yes," Lilly smiled and caressed Arthur's cheek. "Tá Arthur, d'intinn níos gile ná an ghrian." [Arthur, your mind is brighter than the sun.] Arthur felt a lump in his throat. The way Lilly stared at him, the way she touched him, her rosebud lips...it all made his cock get stiff. Lilly pulled back and glanced at Sean. "Feiceann sé bean anois. Sílim go n-imreoidh mé leis ar feadh tamaill." [He sees a woman now. I think I'll play with him for a while.]

Sean laughed. "Tú féin agus do dheasghnátha. Ar chóir dom dul?" [You and your rituals. Should I go?]

"Le do thoil téigh, mo dheartháir daor." [Please go, my dear brother.]

Sean sighed. "Well, I'm gonna go see about Karen." Arthur heard Sean walk off.

"Hey, wait," Arthur looked behind him. "What did I miss?"

"Not much, Englishman."

Lilly giggled with delight. "Oh, don't worry about him, Arthur. Now, aren't you goin' to see to my wounds?"

Arthur looked back at her and blinked a few times. "Yes, 'course." He doused some gauze with alcohol and started cleaning the first wound. It made Lilly hiss. "Sorry."

"It's fine. I don't mind pain much."

Arthur chuckled in amusement as he continued. He kept darting his eyes towards her cleavage although he tried not to. He did look at the rest of her exposed skin. She wasn't blotched with freckles all over the place, but she did have some dark ones placed randomly along her skin. It was as if she had the stars on her and if he connected the dots, Arthur could make out constellations. He was highly attracted to this feature, Arthur realized. God dammit. Arthur got new gauze and soaked it with bourbon before applying it to Lilly's other cut.

"I'll be gentle."

Lilly grabbed his wrist and he looked at her. Her eyes were sparkling with mischief. Uh oh. "What if I don't want you to be gentle? What if I want you to be rough?"

Holy shit. Lilly was flirting with him. Shit. When the hell did she decide to include him in her damn hunting game? He swallowed hard. No. No no no. This was not going to happen. "Lillian. You stop that right now, you hear me?" he said sternly. "I am not gonna be one of your damn...targets!"

"Why not?"

"Because you're too young!"

"But it's just a game, Arthur. I don't take it seriously, why should you?"

Arthur scoffed. "You really are a tart, ain't ya?"

"Have I ever pretended not to be?"

Arthur gaped at her. "You're proud of bein'...a loose woman?"

A cackle came out of her. "Loose? I'm a virgin, ya silly man. I never saw a man's dingle dangle!"

His jaw went slack. "Never?"

Lilly smirked at him devilishly. "Would you like to change that?"

Arthur's dick got hard again. Damn his hormonal reactions to her. Damn them to hell! "What?!"

"I said," she put her mouth close to his. "Would you like to change that?"

Arthur shot up. "You knock that shit off, Lillian! I mean it!"

Lilly stood and began stalking him like a predator. "Oh come on, don't tell me my maidenhood served on a silver platter isn't appealing to you."

Arthur backed up as she moved forward. Their blue eyes were locked on and he gulped from the seductive and playful look in her eyes. "It ain't!"

"Says the man with the bulge in his pants."

All the blood drained from his face when he looked down. "Fuck!" He turned around and reached in to adjust himself.

He felt Lilly's arms around him and he froze. "It's a perfectly natural reaction, Arthur. Why are you so ashamed?" Her hands slid down his chest to his lower abdomen. "What's wrong with a little harmless flirtin'?"

It wouldn't be harmless to him. If he gave in, Arthur knew he'd want her even more. And he really, really, REALLY wanted her now. "I'm a grown man. It's child's play."

An almost malicious laugh vibrated against his back as Lilly dug her face into it. "Oh, I think I know what the problem is."

"What?" Arthur snarled and turned around to glare at her. "What is the problem?!" Lilly giggled and started messing with his collar. Arthur could barely see her nipple pop out of her shirt. Holy fuck, no no no no no. He glared back into her eyes. "Well?"

"Either you ain't that good at teasin' or you're scared." Lilly nuzzled his nose and pecked it. This made Arthur tremble briefly. "Or maybe it's both," she whispered before pulling back and locking her eyes on his. "Well?"

Lilly was challenging him. She was fucking challenging him. She was calling Arthur out, saying he was afraid or insecure. Oh hell no. All logic and reason went out the window. His cons for the situation no longer mattered as he considered the pros of it. And before he could stop himself, he pulled her closer to him aggressively and she gasped.

"You can't handle how good I am, O'Callaghan." He put his mouth close to hers. "Trust me. If you play this game with me, you will end up bein' my prey. And when that happens, you will..." he cocked his head to one side. "Beg me to fuck you so god damn hard that if I do, your whole body will break."

Arthur could feel her whole body shaking. Good god, that was fantastic. Maybe she'd finally shut up and stop teasing him and leave him alone. But instead of that, Lilly began to laugh hysterically.

"Holy shit, Arthur!" Lilly backed up, turned, and cackled almost maniacally.

Arthur's jaw went slack and his eyebrows raised. He was shocked. "Are you shittin' me?" Then again, why was he so surprised? This was Lilly O'Callaghan. A killer, a thief, a total tart, and she had a fearlessness that rivaled anyone he'd ever known. "Oh, that's funny to you, is it?"

Lilly faced him and shook her head. "No. That was fuckin' great!" She cackled again. "I'm impressed! Do it again!"

Fucking Christ. Arthur marched over to her but slowed down when he realized her breasts were almost out of her shirt. Arthur flashed his teeth at her. "You want more? I'll give you more, you little," he pushed up against her, grabbed her rump, and stared into her eyes. "Sex kitten. If I finally do take you, you'll be ruined for other men because no other man could come close to what I'd do to you." He smiled again and pecked her neck softly. Lilly shuddered against him. "That's if I decide to take you, and if you save your virginity for me, leave the silver platter at home because I'll break that shit too," Arthur purred into the crook of her neck.

Lilly was trembling and even gasped. "Ooooooo, boyo. Phew...I'm gettin' the vapors," she mocked a southern accent as she fanned herself. Obviously Lilly was kidding.

"Hmm." He chuckled in amusement. What a tough nut to crack. He lifted her up and she cackled. Arthur went to his knees, put Lilly on her back, and laid on top of her while locking eyes with her. "Lilly O'Callaghan, you're gonna regret and cherish today. I'll make sure of that...right...now..." Arthur untucked part of her shirt but kept her breast clothed. His hand went and caressed her inner thigh, just for a moment, and Lilly moaned. Oh God. Hearing that made him almost start grinding into her. "Ooh hoo hoo, did I hit a nerve?"

Lilly stared at him in shock and amazement. Her cheeks were red and her body was hot against his. Doing that to her was exhilarating. Still, he was a dirty old man. This had to be the only time. He would not do it again. But then she said something that shattered that plan to smithereens.

"Do ya know how long I been waitin' fer this, Arthur?"

"...What?"

"I do flirt, this is true, but the other boys and men ain't even prey. They're practice dummies." Lilly held his face. "I been fine tunin' my huntin' game so that one day, I could..." Lilly raised a leg and Arthur instinctively held it up. "Hunt you. And just now, you ruined me for other prey, Arthur. No other man could do what you just did to me."

Arthur's heart was pumping so hard it was pounding in his ears. Lilly was no longer the little girl who stole his money, his watch, and his heart ten years ago. She was no longer his charge to guard, his mentee to train, or his protégé to guide. Now she was the young woman he just fell in love with. Yet he could never have her. He'd never know the feeling of kissing her, being inside her, and holding her afterwards. This thought saddened him but now he had the hunting game to occupy his mind and heart with.

"Well then." He smiled down at her then blew softly on her ear. "Shall I continue, or do you yield?"

Lilly chuckled almost evily. "It's gonna take more than that to break me, Arthur Morgan. But uh...in all this hot and heavy flirtin', I forgot I had cuts on me shoulders."

Arthur laughed. "Me too. Alright, come on." He helped Lilly stand up with him. He watched her walk back to the log but his eyes immediately looked at her bottom. He jerked his head to one side and adjusted his belt before walking after her. "God, what a lovely round ass..." he whispered to himself.