Aiden sat in his seat in American History class and fidgeted with his pen impatiently. Wrong, wrong, wrong. So many of the presented essays on the Van Der Linde gang had been blatantly wrong. They were stupid and people's theories were absolutely ridiculous. Due to being born into the family he was, he kept himself educated on the gang through actual things passed down through his family as well as stories. Other people were wrong and it was ticking him off. Presently, Jessica Wilson was standing in the front of the class twirling her brown hair as she red her essay.

"... Me, personally? I don't believe that you can be any better of a person than the company you keep. So, in conclusion, I think that Celina Knoll was as messed up as the rest of the gang. Standing for such a ridiculous and unattainable thing as anarchy. I mean, think, if we think, the answer is clear. Everything that she had done during her life with the gang? A good person wouldn't have done such things. Killing as much law as she did. Being with the Van Der Linde gang was bad but her affiliations with the Williamson gang? That was like walking into a lions den for a woman and I think because of that... because she was willing to do what she did for Bill Williamson, let alone Dutch Van Der Linde while knowing what type of people they were? There was no way that she could have been a good person. I think personally, that the end for her was the only ending she could have had. Ultimately, it is what she deserved, and I am shocked that it didn't happen sooner. Much sooner. You can't run from the law forever."

Aiden was growing more and more livid by the second so much so that his face was turning red and his fingers were itching to grab the swiss army knife he constantly kept in the pocket of his jeans. He had spent forty minutes for the past two days listening to essays about the gang which for the most part, he did not agree with in the slightest. A good portion of the essays weren't about Celina nor Dutch, but the ones that were, the ones that were.. he felt as if his classmates were personally trying to taunt him by their choices of gang members. "Mr. Van Der Linde, you're up next."

Aiden stood to his feet slowly, grabbing his papers off his desk and starting up to the front of the room, leaning on the podium provided to them as he stared down at his essay, "Who am I writing this essay on, you ask?" He glanced up at the class and straightened his stance, "Who do you think?" He couldn't help it, his words were growing cold and bitter as he thought back to what everyone else had said before him. "This," He rolled up the sleeve of his flannel shirt and raised his arm to that everyone could see the watch that he wore, "This is my great-great uncle Arthur's watch. It's a watch that he had swiped off of a Lannahechee River boat back in 1899 after 'winning' at a poker match. A high stakes one he had no business being at. From what I was told, he had every intention of selling it but never got around to it. So, it's mine now." Aiden licked his lips, he wasn't reading off his essay, not at all anymore, "I have an old army knife that used to be my great-great uncle Bill Williamson's. Of course, not uncle by blood, but uncle by heart." He took a deep breath, "My point is that I have a lot of old artifacts from the Van Der Linde gang that has been passed down from generation to generation with stories behind them." He looked back at Mrs. Clouse to see that even she was giving him her interested and undivided attention.

Aiden folded up his essay and politely set it on her desk, "Today, I am not going to read my essay. I don't need it to tell you exactly what you need to know to change your- maybe change your simple minds about my family." He tapped on the podium, "You see, the Van Der Linde gang, only by blood am I related to Celina and Dutch. But in heart, the gang was a closer family than a lot of blood families back then and even today are. Today, I still consider the whole gang my family, and I always will. Always. That's how I was brought up, with stories and things of theirs just like you guys may have been brought up with stories and things of your relatives." Aiden locked gazes with several of his classmates who had in the last couple days almost literally made his blood boil, "My family is no less family to me than it is to you. I want you all to think about how you would feel if we stood up here picking apart your families instead of mine. How would you feel?" Aiden laughed sharply, without humor, "I can guarantee that no matter how much you look down on my family, a lot of your families history is not going to be pretty. Not from the 1800's or even possibly early 1900's. We're talking slave owners from the 1800's- people disgustingly racist and even worse! Your families, their not perfect either and who knows? Maybe some of your families were outlaws. Let me tell you this," He took a deep breath, "There were a lot worse people- a lot worse gangs than the Van Der Linde gang. History only has recorded what it wants you to know and a lot of it is going to be biased by the view of the law. Do you know how much good my family did for the less fortunate people back in their time? They were defenders, protectors. The freed slaves! The killed the truly immoral, wicked people of this earth that they could. My family may have been outlaws, thieves, killers... conman. They al killed but that wasn't to go to say who they were, just what they did. They lived by their own code of morals, not laws. I am here to tell you that they were not bad, not at heart. They did what they had to do when they had to do it to stand apart from a government they all truly believed to be corrupt."

Aiden paused for a moment, shaking his head and running his hands through his thick black hair which he kept styled like Dutch, "My family was just as human back then as yours was. They just had different views on the world is all. People willing to lay their lives down for love and what they believed in? People who were ready to fight for what they stood for until their final breath? Those, to me are heroes." He took his watch up and held it up so everyone could get a better look at it, "This watch? The fact that Arthur never got around to cashing it in proves that it wasn't about money to the gang. This watch would have brought in quite a bit of money if that's all that mattered to them. Yet, he never got around to it, even after twenty- thirty years of having it. The knife that I have of Bill's? Well, I don't have it on me," That was a lie, "But would you know, it held extremely special value to my great-great grandma. You see, after the gang was separated, that's all Celina had of Bill. Could you imagine how she felt when she caught wind on the Williamson gang? What I've been told is that she held this knife and cried and cried and cried over what Bill had become. Those of you who believe she was in love with Bill, I think it's possible you're right or at least she realized that she was still in love with Bill too upon finding out about the Williamson gang... but when it came down to it, she was more in love with Dutch. That is proof enough that you can be in love with two people at one. I strongly believe it, and you can't tell me otherwise." He licked his lips, "Why else would she have left Dutch with her kids and trekked down to Fort Mercer alone? Why else would she enter the falls of that fort knowing very well that it was practically the equivalent of a lions den for a woman?"

He put the watch back on, "I suppose that is really all I have to say other than the fact that I do not believe any of these people were truly bad at heart. I mean, we will never know exactly what happened when Celina first stepped foot into Fort Mercer... we will never really know a lot of things. Some things just, over the years- over the decades I should say, were never told and I can't speak for all the gang members. I don't know a whole lot about all of them. I will not though, and I mean will not, go to the internet or books to solely determine how I think that the gang members were in person. Doing so would be biased and flawed. In conclusion, I think it is wrong for all of you to slap your beliefs upon their reputations as you never knew then and never will. I, I truly believe they stood for the only way of life they believed in, they fought for it, and they loved one another. The did what they had to do to protect each other." Aiden dipped his head at the class and made his way back to his seat, "Thank you."

...

Present Time

Celina rode Bullet at a canter alongside Arthur and Sadie upon leaving their homestead in search of Dutch. Celina couldn't help but feel paranoia to beginning to creep in, "You guys don't think he went and got himself captured by the law or bounty hunters, do you? Because I wouldn't think he would. He's smart, real smart for that. I wouldn't think that something like that would happen. And he never leaves without telling me first. Never, I don't, I don't understand."

Sadie looked over at her with a sympathetic look, "We'll find him sweetheart..." She was silent for a moment, a bit afraid to say what was on her mind, "You don't think that... not saying that he would be. But, you don't think that Dutch would ever be unfaithful to you? Do you?"

Celina drew in a deep breath at the thought, immediately growing mad at Dutch just at the thought although she shook her head, "No, I don't think he would do something like that. Ever since a few months before James was born he's been really good to me. Loyal. Committed. I don't think," She shook her head again, "No, that can't be it. He must've gotten himself into trouble somehow. I just hope he's ok..." The suggestion continued to bother her, "And if he is cheating on me, "I'll kill him, he's put me through enough in these past six or so years to go and cheat on me now."

Arthur glanced over his shoulder at her, "You wouldn't seriously kill him." He tried to sound sure of what he said but there remained at hint of uncertainty.

Celina raised her brows and shrugged, "You don't know that. I might." She wasn't blowing steam. She seriously thought that if Dutch had cheated on her, that may just be the end for him. She would only let his hypocrisy run so far and if it had led him to be unfaithful to her after so many years, she may just get mad enough to pull the trigger. As it was for sure, if he was doing what Sadie had suggested he might be doing, there was no way in heaven or hell that she would forgive him, not that time and not over something like that. He could kiss her goodbye forever after all the other things he had put her through. Still, thinking rationally, she didn't believe in her heart that Dutch would be disloyal to her. He wouldn't, would he?

They rode on some more, sometimes in silence and at times engaged in small conversation. The further they rode and the longer they looked, the more discouraged that Celina began feeling, was he hurt? Was he ok? Oh, if he was with another woman, if he had another woman she would kill him, she would do it. He sure better have a good excuse if something like that had happened, if he wanted to continue living the gift of life that was. Finally, she slowed Bullet to a halt and raised her hands in the air, "Where is that son of a bitch? I swear, this kind of stress that he puts me through. When we find him I'm not sure it I'm going to kiss him or slap him."

"Well," Arthur started, pointing ahead and slightly to the right, "You're going to have to decide fast, because there he is."

Celina looked in the direction that Arthur was pointing to see Dutch riding towards them on The Count and she stared across the distance at the man who she was truly surprised hadn't proposed to her yet, "We'll see what he has to say for himself."

Dutch called out to the three of them upon recognizing them, "What are the three of you doing out here?"

"We could ask the same of you," Arthur called back with his gaze fixed on Dutch as well.

The leader waited to speak until he was close enough to them that he didn't have to yell which only took a minute, "I told you that I was going out, Arthur. I was scouting out a job."

Celina sighed, this happened from time to time, Dutch would get bored with the life they had and feel like they had to do a job or two periodically, "What is it this time, Dutch? We just robbed a house last month and brought in a good amount."

"Exactly," Dutch nodded, "Last month. Winter's coming up here soon so we need to make sure we have enough money to get through it. We aren't going to be selling crops in the winter. You know that. And it's a bank, a small bank in a small town, real clean, real easy."

Celina shook her head, "We don't need money, Dutch. We have plenty and we're not going to have to buy food. We never do. We'll be fine."

"Not in the case there is an emergency and we need it." Dutch rationalized his urge to steal, "What are we going to do if we find ourselves on the road again and not with enough money to make it by? We won't be able to score enough without getting caught to relocate."

Arthur interrupted the two of them, "We go through this every winter, Dutch and every winter we are fine. We've been quiet for over six years. No law's on our tails, no law is actively looking for us. We are ok and it will stay that way as long as we remain quiet. If we try to go in for a heist and it goes wrong, that is all that we need to have the law realize we're alive and well and then just like that they will be on our tail again."

Sadie gestured to Arthur, "Thank you, Arthur."

Celina looked at Arthur as well, "Yes, thank you, very much." Se then looked at Dutch who didn't look happy, "Please, Dutch. Would you just forget about the bank, forget about any further heist, please?" Her voice was almost a whine, "We don't need the money and it's not worth the risk."

He stared at her with an unreadable look, "We always need the money."

He was beginning to make Celina mad, "You are a did, Dutch. A father, we have a wonderful home and our family is safe and thriving. Please now, lets not risk that." She sighed, "I know that you miss the heists that are bigger than the odd house or two, but we cannot do it. We just cannot afford it. I thought that you wanted this life with all of us."

"I do." Dutch clarified, an edge to his tone, "Trust me, I do. I just think that it would be better if we made sure we're financially stable. Without Strauss we haven't had a legal source of steady income for years and, well, it ain't like we can go out and get jobs. It's not like we would do such a thing anyway, being under the law my ass."

She rolled her eyes and spun Bullet around back in the direction they had come from, "I am beginning to regret even being worried about you." She looked over her shoulder at Dutch who even looked less pleased, he hated to essentially be told 'no' especially since he was the leader, "People back home are worrying about you, that includes James."

Dutch took a deep breath and glanced back in the direction that he had just arrived from, back in the direction of the bank and shook his own head. It was if he couldn't help it, he was itching to hit that bank and bad. After over twenty years of living a life that fully supported that kind of behavior, it was a real struggle for him to keep himself away from that lifestyle. Celina helped keep him grounded to what really mattered, the family, their home and their safety. It was just that, the thrill of the heist, he hadn't had it in a while and hadn't had enough of it in even longer. It were almost as if that bank were screaming his name.

...

The following weeks had gone smoothly, nothing too eventful or exciting happening within the gang or even outside of it for what they knew. Dutch had seemed to drop the idea of the bank until he hadn't. When was the point that he had developed the unhidden desire to hit the bank again? Now.

"There's a bank, I scouted it out a couple weeks back and still, the town which is just a little to the west of Blackwater is quiet. Real quiet." Dutch looked at all of them, "I have reason to believe that we can hit that bank without issue and then we'll be set for the winter."

Celina closed her eyes as Dutch spoke not just to her, but Sean, Lenny, Arthur and Javier, "Dutch, we are fine."

"But are we really though?" Sean asked, clearly the bank heist suggestion having caught his intrest, "I mean, can't hurt to have the extra money, could it?"

Celina groaned and tugged on her hair stressfully, "We don't need the money! We need the safety of the government not knowing we're alive, let alone in the area." She shook her head and pointed at Dutch, Sean, Lenny and Javier, "If you four want to risk your safety, our safety for money we don't need, then go ahead and rob that bank." She set her jaw and looked Dutch directly in the eyes, "I am done arguing with you what you take your gang out to do." She raised her hands, "So if you really can't make yourself happy without robbing that damn bank, then do it."

Dutch stared back at her for a quiet moment, "We can really use that money. If something would happen that we would need to run we would need money. We need to be prepared."

One last time, Celina attempted to make her point known, "Dutch, no one is going to find us if we don't draw attention out this way. What's so hard to understand about that? If we do this, what we're going to be doing is attracting attention when we wouldn't have had that attention otherwise!" That was it, she couldn't stand around Dutch and watch him make the wrong decision and shew knew that starting a fight with him in front of the others it would be pointless.

So, she turned around and walked away, grabbing little James as he started to approach them and lifted him into her arms. He let out a little squeak of surprise, "Mom, you yelling at daddy?"

Celina walked back into she and Dutch's home with their son in her arms and sat him on the couch before crouching in front of him, "If something ever happens that our family ends up getting hurt or you are separated from us... if something... if something bad happens, you go into the bedroom and get in daddy's chest, ok?"

It was a talk that she probably should have had with James at some point in the near future although it didn't make her feel much better as it came out of her mouth. She was getting scared, a bank job? Dutch wanted to to a bank job? That thought alone made her worry. She knew how he was once he successfully pulled off a good heist, he wouldn't want to stop. He was too ambitious and addicted to the adrenaline rush it gave him.

She felt rather stupid for letting herself believe that Dutch Van Der Linde would be happy living the rest of his life quietly in retirement. She was scared, so scared that this bank robbery was going to be the beginning of the gang having to be on the run from the law once again. She loved the place they had now, for her, that was freedom. They had their son too of course, why would Dutch want to risk that? Only, Dutch didn't believe he was risking that. She feared with all of her heart that the bank heist would go badly, or something else would go badly. James needed to be prepared the best he could be in the case something would happen that the gang wasn't around to care for him.

James reached out and grabbed her hand gently with his small one, "Mommy, are you ok?"

Celina fought the tears pricking at the back of her eyes and nodded, trying to convince herself, "I'm ok, buddy."

"What's wrong?"

She reached up and cupped the back of his head, thinking just how much she adored the little boy who's paternity may forever be a mystery, "Nothing's wrong, baby. I'm just telling you what to do. If strange men come through here, you get in that chest and don't come out until they're gone. Ok?"

He nodded, wide brown eyes studying her face with an expression of worry. Celina looked over at the door when she heard it creak open to see Dutch walk inside, "It's just going to be Sean, Javier and I hitting that bank tonight. It'll be fine. In and out. There's no need to worry."

Celina hardly acknowledged that he had even walked through the door but instead remained crouched down bedside James, "You're a good son James, the best I could have." She smiled at the little boy and opened her arms to him, "Now come here, give mommy a hug."

James did so eagerly before falling back into the couch. Dutch walked up to them, spurs clinking as he did so, "James, bud. Your mommy and I are going to have a talk. Go to your room for a bit, ok?"

James hopped off the couch and hugged Dutch's leg, making him chuckle, "Ok daddy. But mommy better not be in trouble."

"Oh she's not," Dutch ruffled James' hair and then directed him off in the direction of his bedroom. After he left, Dutch turned his attention back to Celina, "Will you talk to me, please?"

Celina rolled her eyes and stood to her feet, coming up to just a tad above his chin, "What is there to talk about? I'm pretty sure we bith said all there was to say. You want to hit the bank, I don't. You're going to anyway, I'm worried. That's it. Cut and dry so go and rob that bank, as I said. God knows it's who you are. No matter how good life is, that's what you need to be happy. Fine. I get it."

Dutch stood there for a moment, obviously trying to think of what to say. Finally, he put his hands on her shoulders, "I wouldn't be making the decision to do this if I thought it was going to be dangerous for any of us. I'm doing it because I feel like it's the right choice. I've been making decisions for this gang for over twenty years and look how far it's got us."

Celina had to fight to keep from saying what was on her mind. Sure, Dutch had been managing the gang for over twenty years, but he had been doing so without Hosea for only a bit over a year now. Maybe... Maybe was just how Dutch was without Hosea to help make their calls...

...

A/N: There's the next chapter you guys, wanted to cover a little about the essay presentations going on in Aiden' class which did reveal a little more about the future. Any thoughts on any of this?

And also, Dutch is getting antsy to pull a heist... again. Stuff is going to start getting interesting!

Anyway, leave me and thoughts/predictions if you would as they always inspire me to write.

Hope you all enjoyed!

Disclaimer: I do not own Red Dead Redemption 1 or 2 or anything associated with it.