Celina glanced over her shoulder to where Bill rode a bit of a distance behind herself and Dutch before keeping her voice low to ensure only he could hear her, "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Am I sure what is a good idea?"

Celina licked her lips and shifted to a more comfortable position, "Riding into camp like this, Molly-"

Dutch shook his head and laughed, "I'll deal with Molly, unless you'd like to ride with Bill instead?"

She wasted no time in rejecting that suggestion, "No, I'm fine riding with you."

Dutch chuckled, "I really wish you would tell me who my rat is, miss."

She rolled her eyes at his use of the word 'miss' despite her insistence for him not to. She figured it would only be a matter of time before Molly expressed her jealousy towards Dutch's requests for her to be in his company. Truthfully, that was not conflict which Celina wanted to have.

Dutch slowed his horse to a trot as they neared camp, Bill right behind them. Dutch got down first and immediately turned around, lifting his hands up and around Celina's waist, carefully placing the short woman on the ground.

Celina felt as if her heart had almost entirely stopped at her close proximity to possibly the man most wanted by the law... or the man who would become one of the men militar wanted by the law anyway. He practically towered over her, his hot breath hitting her face and putting her stomach in knots. She knew what she wanted, she wanted to kiss him, feel his body pressed-

"Dutch!"

Celina almost groaned as she rolled her eyes and immediately stepped away from Dutch at the sound of Molly's voice. "Dutch! Come over here, I have a surprise for you."

Celina looked over at the Red-head who she knew in the end, stupidity would kill her. She was glaring at Celina from where she stood just outside Dutch's tent, waiting for him. It seemed the jealously was showing it's ugly head sooner than later.

Celina, despite herself, looked back up at Dutch, "Before you see what she's got going on, I also have something for you."

He looked surprised but interested all the same, "Oh, do you now?"

She nodded and reached into her pocket, pulling out a shiny new pipe and then into her other pocket, producing a small bag of tobacco. She smiled almost shyly when he took the things from her, dipping his head in appreciation with a genuine smile of his own, "I appreciate these," he studied the tobacco, "You got me the good stuff." He then made eye contact with her, "Thank you miss."

Celina smiled, feeling a blush heat her cheeks and looked at the ground once again before back to Molly who was looking irritated and then back up at Dutch, "You should probably go and see what Molly wants."

He sighed heavily, his dark eyes searching hers, seeming as if he were looking for something, "I suppose I should before she throws a fit."

Celina forced a laugh and headed off in Strauss's direction when Dutch headed towards Molly to her disappointment, she just needed to assure herself that her anti-Teberculosis plan has worked.

"Strauss!" She called out as she approached him, causing him to look over at her with a small smile.

"Ah, miss Celina, what can I do for you?"

She shook her head and smiled back at him, "Nothing, was just wondering if you had managed to locate your book?"

Strauss sighed, almost making Celina feel bad, almost. After all, his loaning business was his career and she had thrown it out to die, for now at least, "No, it hasn't turned up dear. I'm going to have to start over from scratch, I'm afraid."

Celina tried to match his disappointment, hiding the fact that excitement was building within her that it seemed she had truly saved Arthur's life and possibly changed the fate of the gang for the better already. She treaded lightly, sitting down on the log beside the older man, "So you can't remember anything about anyone who owes you at all? We have nothing to go off of?"

He shook his head, making Celina's heart soar, "No, I'm afraid not. I never figured anything like this would happen. I simply recorded everything about those in my debt in that damn book."

Celina offered a small, sympathetic smile and patted his shoulder reassuringly, "I'll keep an eye out for it for you. Hopefully it'll turn up sooner or later."

...

"Help me, help me!" The man tied to the tree on the outskirts of camp called out desperately, staring at Celina as she walked past him.

She shot him a look after seeing that Arthur was approaching, "Looks like it's too late to help you."

The man's eyes widened in fear as he watched Arthur come closer and closer. He continued to try and plead with Celina, "No, please, help me, speak to them for me!"

Arthur was the one who responded to him, "You've got some speaking to do of your own, about that old gang of yours."

The young man squirmed uncomfortably against the tree, "I said, I told you... I don't know nothing."

Arthur's tone was dry, "That's what I thought."

Everyone's attention turned to Dutch and Bill as they joined them, Celina's gaze lingering on Dutch just a moment too long causing her stomach to tie itself in knots again. Dutch glared at the boy, but addressed Arthur who looked like he was about to give the captive a good beating, "Hold your horses there, Arthur. It seems the cat has got our friends tongue. I was thinking here could have a word."

Bill stepped forward to glare menacingly at the young man, "You ready to talk, boy?"

"I- I told you mister... I told all of ya, I don't know nothing. They ain't no friends of mine. I've just ridden with them for a while."

"Horseshit!" Bill bellowed, "You see, we heard that part, how about you tell the truth?!" He looked to Dutch, "Dutch, what do you want me to do?"

Dutch was growing increasingly agitated at the man's refusal to speak, "Hurt him! So the next time he opens his mouth it'll be to tell us what's going on..." He studied the captive for a moment, "Who am I kidding, one of O'Driscolls boys couldn't open his mouth, but he would tell a lie... screw it, let's just have some fun... geld him."

She had known that was coming, she had played the game and knew it. Still, the tone in Dutch's voice made shivers run down her spine, but oddly, turned her on and excited her. It was wrong, it was so wrong, she made eye contact with him, the look in his dark eyes making her struggle to swallow the lump in her throat.

Bill ran over to grab his weapon of choice, excitement making the large man act giddy. She rolled her eyes, finding it rather disturbing to see the thought about castrating someone make him so happy. The young man's eyes widened as he watched Bill run off, "Where's he going?"

Dutch laughed, acting as if he truly enjoyed this as well, "Oh, don't worry, they're only balls boy, just gonna cause you trouble. You know, in Imperial Rome, euenics were among the happiest and most loyal of courtiers."

"No, no, no, no, no... you're kidding me, right?!"

Dutch chuckled smugly, "Of course."

"You sick bastard!"

Dutch shrugged, and pulled the boy's pants down, making him jump back to the best of his ability, "Well, you are going to talk... the only question now is now, or after we get these little fellers off?"

Bill knelt in front of him with his pliars, making Celina close her eyes tightly, imagining how badly it would hurt should they actually punish him in this method.

He spoke then, to her relief, "Ok, ok, listen! I know where O'Driscoll's holed up, and you're right... He don't like you any more than you like him.. he's at Six Point cabin, I'll take you there, serious. I don't like him, I mean, I like him even less than I like you... no offense."

Dutch seemed pleased, "None taken."

Arthur nodded, "Ok then, partner, why don't you take a few of us up there? Now." He looked over at Dutch, "I've got this, Dutch, should be fun."

Dutch nodded his approval and at that, Arthur cut the captive loose, heading out of camp with him, Bill, and John who had been watching from a distance.

Finding herself standing relatively alone with Dutch as they watched the others leave, she looked back at him, "You were gonna take his balls, huh?"

Dutch chuckled, "It was never gonna come to that." He hesitated for a moment, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, "Why don't we head out for a bit?"

Celina was taken aback by that for a second, in 2018, that could possibly have been him subtly asking her on a date. She blinked before studying him for a second, knowing she really needed to say something before it got weird, "Go out, where?" She sighed and continued before he had the chance to speak, "Dutch, we really shouldn't, didn't you see the way Molly was looking at me? She-"

Dutch laughed, cutting her off, "If I'm being truthful, I'd say I think you're jealous."

Celina shook her head, attempting to deny what she herself knew was true, at least a bit true. "No, I'm not jealous, Dutch. It's just not right, you're with her so whatever this is," she gestured between the two of them, "Us spending time together when you're a taken man, she don't like it, and we need to respect that."

Dutch leaned against the tree which the captive had been tied to, a smug smile on his face, "Celina."

She took another deep breath, "What?"

"I'm only wanting your company in scouting a new location I'm thinking we could set up camp. I wanted you to come with me for a second opinion is all."

She bit down on her tongue, trying not to give in. Trying not to give into his eyes, his voice, his... his anything, "Take Molly." The words were forced, it was all she could do to get them out. She wanted to say more, she wanted to kiss him, wanted to kiss him so badly that every nerve in her body tingled at the thought.

"Molly and I are not exclusive, Celina." He sounded as if there were an edge coming into his tone. "I am free to do as I wish."

Celina raised a brow, "Does she know that?"

Dutch nodded, "She does."

"She acts like you're hers."

"She wants me to be. She loves me, I know she does but I ain't never committed to anything."

Celina shook her head, "Dutch-"

"Come with me."

Celina rolled her eyes, she still felt like it was wrong, to steal Dutch's time away from Molly. But really, if she knew they weren't exclusive, was it so wrong? If she wasn't ok with it, she could leave him. Or, if they weren't exclusive, who was to say that she didn't have someone else herself? Celina sighed, "I'm still not that good at shooting, I don't think I'm the one you'll want to cover you should something go wrong."

He twisted one of the rings on his fingers, a smile tracing his lips, "We'll head out now then."

She nodded, trying to fight the nervousness in her stomach as they made their way over to their horses. It didn't make much sense to her, why he chose her to go along with him with how much of a wanted man he was. She figured that he would need more backup in the case he found trouble while out.

Nonetheless, she mounted her horse. Now, she and Dutch, although they had shared a bunk bed in their own cabin during the first few nights she had been in the group (Which she was sure Molly had been beside herself about), hadn't actually had 'time alone' during their hours awake at least. It would be interesting, Celina figured... to say the least.

"The place really isn't too far out, just further East a bit, just want to check it out and see if it would suit us any better."

She laughed, still not getting the bigger picture, "I still don't know why you invited me to go with you out of everyone else."

Dutch shook his head and urged his white horse forward, Celina following behind him on Arthur's old one, having near a million thoughts racing through her mind. He was the one to break the thickening silence as they turned onto the trail, "How's that horse treating ya?"

She shrugged, patting the horses neck affectionately as it trotted along, "Hasn't caused me any problems so far."

Dutch glanced over his shoulder at her, "He's old."

"Is he?"

He laughed whole-heartedly, "Arthur has had him for a long- and I mean long time. To be honest, I'm surprised the horse hasn't met his death by now, been with us for at least fifteen years I wanna say. Arthur got him young. Caught him straight from his herd and broke him."

Celina's eyes widened, impressed, "And he's letting me ride him?"

Dutch hesitated for a moment, she could almost see him stiffen at her question. Or was that her imagination? He finally answered her question, "Yea, well. I suppose he trusts you not to get a bullet put in him. He was due for a new horse, too."

Celina smiled misceviously as she kept her blue gaze focused on his back. Was he... jealous? After all, he had accused her of being jealous of Molly. At the same time, Celina thought that Dutch would be happy Arthur was still working on teaching her to shoot now and then. Of course, she hoped that she wouldn't ever be put in a situation like that. Not being put in that position though and keeping the company she did, just didn't seem to go hand-in-hand.

Her thoughts drifted back to her life in 2018 when silence fell between the two of them. Her friends... was there any way she would ever get back to them? The thought kept crossing her mind, did 2018 exist anywhere at this point? If so, did she even really want to go back to it, or would she be happy to potentially live out the rest of her days in the Van Der Linde gang? She had to admit, the idea of fighting for freedom with the gang was exciting. If they should achieve it, what would it be like to bask in it with them?

"We're here," Dutch trotted his horse forward a bit more before hopping down from it, Celina doing the same and walking into the clearing with him.

She commented upon looking out at the scenery before them, "It's beautiful."

Dutch nodded, looking down at her, it was clear that he wasn't talking about the land they were to be looking at- but her, "It absolutely is."

Celina looked up at him nervously, feeling the unmistakable feeling of butterflies in her stomach. Suddenly, she felt as though she were in high school, about to have her first kiss, "Dutch-"

Dutch stepped forward slowly, coming to stand right in front of her, he looked down at her with intensity in his eyes. His own eyes were filled with need, desire so strong it practically made his hands shake. One thing for sure, they were sweating. She moved to take a step back but he reached out swiftly, grabbing her arm and pulling into him.

Celina couldn't stop the gasp that escaped her lips as she was forcefully pulled towards him. She couldn't even pull her gaze away from his, anticipating his next move, her skin feeling fiery from the heat of his hand on her arm. The look between the two of them held the very intensity to make her forget to breathe for a second, her heart feeling as if it were frozen with time.

Then it happened, Dutch's lips came crashing down on hers, demandingly, hungrily, in such a primal manner that had her lifting her right hand to weave her fingers through his thick, wavy black hair as she kissed him back just as intensely as he kissed her.

His tongue invaded her mouth, wrestling for dominance with hers, both of them moaning in with pleasure at the sensational feeling. She was guided back until her back was against a tree, Dutch then lifting her legs and taking the hint, she wrapped them around his waist, crying out in pleasure as he ground his hips against hers.

"Dutch!" She couldn't help it, she wanted him, needed him as he continued to rub against her, soaking her to the point she thought he'd be able to feel her wetness through his own pants. He trailed kisses down her neck then, making her tip back her head in pleasure, yelping in ecstasy as he suddenly nipped at her throat.

"D-Dutch, p-please, I-"

Dutch pulled back and smiled charmingly before trailing his hands over her breasts, not breaking eye contact with her, his dark eyes being the most beautiful things she had ever seen. After a moment, his mouth crashed back into hers.

...

A/N: Thank you guys for reading! And this is a longer chapter tonight, hope you liked. Sorry Arthur x Celina supporters! Not saying it's not gonna happen for sure but not in this chapter.

Anyway, what did you guys think? I'm not going to ever actually write the smut but I wanted to establish where Celina and Dutch's relationship is so... :)

But please, thoughts/comments/questions, ALWAYS appreciated. I will try to respond to everyone who leaves a question for me :)

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