Where This Flower Blooms

by smeewrites

Effie Bartlett struggles to survive out in the Big Valley with her father, scambling to keep a roof over their heads as the West evolves with the new age. A fierce storm forces an outlaw to seek her help for shelter, and Effie's life is flung into chaos. (OC x Arthur Morgan) Rated M for graphic depictions of violence - the game itself is an 18 so read at your own discretion.

10. Chapter 10 - Good, Honest Snake Oil

Chapter 10 - Good, Honest Snake Oil

Effie hissed as the sewing needle stabbed her finger for the umpteenth time and scowled. Eleven days had passed since she and Arthur had returned from their jobs for Mister Strauss, and after a couple of days of them hanging around camp Miss Grimshaw had soon put them both to work to help with the chores, this morning she had thrust some torn clothes at Effie with some bits from her sewing kit, and she'd shown Arthur to some hay bales and sacks that required some heavy lifting. She finished tying off the thread and used her knife to cut the loose bit off, haphazardly folding it up and adding it to the pile she'd been working on, she picked up the last shirt and frowned.

"Hey Uncle!" She turned and yelled to the old man leaning up against the wagon by the wagon, Charles was busy working on fixing one of the back wheels that had become damaged beside him, and they both looked up as she approached holding the remnants of his shirt, "You really wanna waste my time tryin' to fix this shirt of yours?" She held up his shirt with an eyebrow raised, there was a huge, gaping tear that went across the back, it would take her ages to sew up.

Uncle blinked woozily up at her, he had been nursing that bottle of bourbon for the best part of the morning since, and had wandered around the camp for a bit before settling down against the wagon for a nice nap in the sun, "Well, sure, that there's one of my favourite shirts." He shrugged.

"No, I'm not gonna doin' this, half the clothes I spent all damn mornin' fixin' were yours. You barely leave camp, what are you doin' in them that tear 'em up so bad?" She frowned and shook her head.

"Stumbling through the woods mostly." Charles' deep voice mused as he went back to work on the wheel.

"Oh come on," Uncle groaned, but his eyes flashed with amusement; Effie had gotten to know the old man a lot better since Arthur had made the decision to keep them in camp for a while, and she'd had little qualm with the old drunk, he was annoying and a beggar, but had a good enough humour and was otherwise completely harmless, "I'm livin' out sleepin' rough in the dirt, I'm bound to get a little wear and tear out here."

"This is not what I call 'wear and tear'," She rolled her eyes and dropped the shirt on his lap, "You wanna keep your favourite shirt? Fix it yourself."

"What? That ain't fair!" The old man spluttered in protest.

Effie smirked, "Sure it is, I fixed all your other clothes this mornin', what have you done today?"

"Well, I was just enjoyin' a particularly delightful afternoon nap, till you had to come stompin' over here complainin' about doing some sewing. Ya ain't gonna make a good housewife if you moan every time you gotta do some basic stitchin', Miss Bartlett." He chuckled, his tone half-chiding.

She narrowed her eyes, "Well, guess it's just as well I don't plan on becomin' nobody's housewife." She scoffed and walked back over to the table where she'd left the pile of clothes, "You best start threadin' that needle there, Uncle." A small smile grew on her face as she heard the old man snickering behind her. She grabbed the pile of clothes and wandered around Dutch's tent to find Miss Grimshaw sat with Mary-Beth and Karen, they were all working on cleaning some cups, spoons and bowls on the table.

"Mornin' Effie." Karen greeted her cheerily as she scrubbed at a bowl.

"Mornin'," She returned and set the clothes next to Susan, "Here's those clothes you wanted fixin', Miss Grimshaw."

Susan dried her hands on a rag and started inspecting the clothes with her mouth set in a stern line, she nodded slowly as she finished working through the pile, "Good work, Miss Bartlett."

"Thank you," She nodded and jerked her thumb to where Uncle was sitting, "Uncle offered to fix his favourite shirt, he's workin' on it right now for ya."

Mary-Beth and Karen shared a knowing smirk whilst Miss Grimshaw's eyes narrowed, "Did he now?"

"Oh, sure," Effie nodded, "He's sat over there by Charles with it right now."

The women leaned in their seats to look across the camp to where she had pointed to, and Mary-Beth frowned, "He looks like he's passed out."

"Yup, that's ol' Uncle, alright. Guess that shirt ain't gettin' fixed." Karen shrugged as she returned to her chore.

"Oh, for goodness sake," Susan huffed and stood up, "Miss Bartlett, stay here and help these two, I'll go see to it that the ol' drunk gets onto fixin' that damn shirt."

Effie rolled her eyes and looked down at how much the girls had left to clean, "Fine." She sighed and took a seat at the table, scowling as she got her hands in the bucket and started helping Mary-Beth with scrubbing.

"Ladies." Arthur drawled as he walked past, a large sack heaved over his shoulder.

"Hey, Arthur." Mary-Beth greeted whilst Karen gave him a friendly nod. Effie glanced up at him as she worked the dirt out of a cup, his bright eyes finding her dark ones and she gave him a warm smile.

The outlaw dropped the sack off by Mister Pearson's wagon and approached the table, taking the empty seat and leaning back in his seat, Effie threw him a rag, "What's this for?"

"You can help Miss Jones with the dryin'." She shrugged and handed him the dripping cup.

Arthur looked down at the rag and then looked back up with wide eyes, "Dryin'?" He echoed.

"What? You think you're gonna just sit there while we work?" Effie shot him a wry smile and he sighed reluctantly but started working the cloth round the cup.

The four of them worked in a comfortable silence before Karen looked over at the gunslinger, "So, Arthur, you gonna take us girls out to town again anytime soon?"

"What? Valentine, with the four of you? Shit," Arthur looked around the table before he scoffed and shook his head, "I don't think I'm lookin' for that much trouble, Miss Jones."

Karen laughed, "Sure ya are, Arthur. And you're actin' like all that trouble that happened the last time we went was our fault."

"Well it sure weren't mine," He grumbled, "'Sides, I ain't lookin' for a hidin' from Miss Grimshaw for whisking you girls outta camp, what with all this work you girls gotta be doin'." He set the bowl he'd finished drying down on the table for emphasis and the girls glowered at him.

"You men are all the same, thinkin' we're just some damn housemaids or somethin'," Mary-Beth sighed, "Sometimes we wanna have a little fun, too."

"The problem is Miss Gaskill, is that when you girls get together your ideas of fun nearly always end up with me dodgin' some idiot's fists. Remember that bar fight Karen started in Blackwater?"

Mary-Beth and Karen started giggling, "Now that was a good night, remember Davey got behind the bar and made off with half the whiskey back to camp?" The blonde grinned and nudged the outlaw and he chuckled.

"Yeah, s'pose that was a good one," He nodded, "I still ain't takin' my chances, though."

"Aw, come on, Morgan, I swear you're almost as bad as Grimshaw these days." Karen rolled her eyes and Effie laughed.

"What's that s'posed to mean?" He frowned and looked around the girls at the table.

"It means you fret too much." Mary-Beth smiled and finished off the last cup and handed it to Karen.

"I don't fret." The outlaw muttered.

"I've been tellin' ya you worry too much, Arthur." Effie shrugged and gave him a teasing smile.

"Ain't no such thing," Arthur rolled his eyes and flicked the damp rag at her, "'Specially with 'chu, Miss Bartlett, if you had it your way you'd be causin' whole worlds of trouble."

Effie jerked out the way of the rag and put her hand in the bucket and flicked some water at him, eliciting a chorus of chuckles from the girls as he rubbed his face and scowled down at his wet shirt, he tossed the rag down on the table and grabbed the bucket, splashing water back at the her. She gasped at the cold water and narrowed her eyes and tipped the bucket forward, it tipped over and the water sloshed over the table and all over him, "Aw, Effie!" He groaned, completely sodden as water dripped off of him and the table.

"Run, girl!" Karen shoved her up, cackling away with Mary-Beth.

Effie grinned as she shot up from the table, Arthur set his hat on the table as he stood to face her, "You're dead! Come 'ere!" He rounded the table and she skirted out of reach of his hands and started running, laughing her head off.

He chased her round the tents near Pearson's wagon, Abigail had to snatch Jack up from where he was playing as they raced past, "Watch it! God damn pair of five year olds!" She yelled as they ran around the food wagon.

"Sorry, Abigail!" Effie yelled and glanced behind her, skidding to a stop when she saw the angry gunslinger was nowhere to be found, her heart drummed in her ears as she looked around for him.

"Gotcha!" Strong arms wrapped around her from behind and she shrieked as she was lifted.

"No! Let me go, Arthur!" She yelled as she squirmed in his grip, "You're soaking."

"Yeah, all thanks to you," He carried her to the barrel filled with water leaning against the back of the food wagon.

"Arthur. Arthur, what are you doin'?" She eyed the barrel of water and whipped her head around to see his wicked smirk, "No Arthur, put me down!" She yelled and struggled harder in his grip.

They reached the barrel and he shrugged, ignoring her wild thrashing, "Sure." He grunted slightly as lifted her higher and leaned and tipped her forward, dunking her head straight into it, he pulled her out after a few seconds and she coughed and spluttered.

"It's freezin'." She moaned and he laughed and set her back on the ground gently.

"Serves you right." He grinned as she shivered slightly in her wet clothes.

"Mister Morgan! Miss Bartlett!" Miss Grimshaw had a face of thunder as she stormed up to them, "Honestly, I leave you alone to do dishes, an' look at the pair of ya," She gestured to their sodden clothes as they both strained to hide their guilty grins, "Honest to God, Jack is better behaved than the two of you animals." She scolded.

"She started it, Miss Grimshaw." Arthur mumbled, pointing an accusing finger towards her and Effie rolled her eyes.

"I don't care who started it, Mister Morgan," Miss Grimshaw snapped, "Both of you get outta my sight, and if I so much as hear about either of you runnin' around in camp again like a couple of damn hooligans, you'll be sorry," She looked between the two of them sternly, "Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, ma'am." Effie nodded, still struggling to keep the grin off her face.

Susan huffed and walked away, "Honestly, bunch'a goddamn animals."

As soon as the older lady was out of earshot Arthur let out a chuckle and started wringing the front of his dark shirt out, "Well, that's one way to get outta camp chores, I guess."

"It's not like we ain't been doin' nothin' round here since we've been cooped up here," She wiped some water off her face and looked up at the outlaw, "Come on Arthur, it's been days since we last went out, how much longer do you want us to stay here for?"

Arthur's smile faded as he let go of the front of his shirt, "What? You ain't enjoyed bein' here or somethin'?"

Her brow furrowed, "No, but I've never been one to exactly stay still for too long, either. You told me that you wanted us to slow down and stay here until I felt ready to go back out, and I'm good, Arthur, I promise." She stared imploringly up at him as he narrowed his eyes.

"Okay, we can go out somewhere." He acquiesced reluctantly and she brightened.

"Great! So what are we gonna do, huntin' for Pearson? He reckons he can make some table covers if he got his hands on some decent pronghorn pelts."

Arthur pulled a face as he rubbed his jaw, "Huh, well I guess we can go out on the plains and go lookin' for some. But I was thinkin' we head over to Valentine."

"Valentine? What for?" Her eyes widened, "Did Dutch give you the go ahead to check out the doctor's office?"

"No no," Arthur shook his head and leaned back, his hands resting on his gun belt, "I spoke to Pearson earlier, too. He's got some supplies he needs pickin' up from town."

She tried to hide her disappointment, "Oh, so… we're goin' out of camp to do some shopping?"

"We can go out lookin' for some pronghorn afterwards," He shrugged, "But I promised Pearson I'd get it taken care of for him."

"Okay, sure," She relented with a nod, "When do you wanna leave?"

"We gotta take the wagon, Charles should be done fixin' that back wheel by now. Go on an' get ready, I'll meet you by the entrance."

---

Effie had grabbed her repeater from her Thoroughbred's saddle before they'd left, and busied herself by cleaning it carefully with some gun oil Javier had given her a few nights ago at the campfire, she took care with the scope, making sure she didn't accidentally smear the lens, whilst Arthur whistled to himself as he drove the wagon into Valentine. Up ahead there was a small crowd in the Auction Yard bidding on a flock of sheep that must have been brought in recently, and she wrinkled her nose at the acrid invasion of mud and manure on her senses as she slid her repeater back across her shoulders and tossed the empty gun oil and rag.

"Right, here we are," Arthur murmured and slowed the wagon next to the stables, he grabbed his satchel and rummaged through as Effie stood and hopped down, her boots squelched into the mud road. She eyed the people leaning against the porch of the big hotel opposite them, watching a clearly drunken man pull a woman through the door and made a face. "Here, Effie, take these and head to the post office. Ask if there's anythin' for a Hoagy Macintosh, or a Tacitus Kilgore, okay?" The outlaw passed her some envelopes and she nodded, "I'm gonna get started at the general store for Pearson, do you need anythin' else while we're here?"

"Tacitus Kilgore?" She snorted.

Arthur rolled his eyes, "Don't ask."

"I need to stop off at the gunsmith," She gestured to the building at the end of the main road, opposite the sheriff's office, "Stock up on some bullets, and I wanna get that rifle I picked up from our visit to my daddy looked at, see if anythin' needs adjustin' to it." She reached behind and felt for the butt of the rifle on her back.

"Sure, okay. Well, don't go wanderin' off, I'll meet you back here," He glanced around at the townsfolk and travellers milling about, "Stay outta trouble, don't go talkin' to noone."

"Arthur," She shot him a look, "I'll be fine, between the post office and the gunsmith, how much trouble you think's gonna happen?"

"With you? There ain't no tellin'," He scoffed and she smiled, "Alright, get goin'."

She flicked through the envelopes as she made her way down the street, wondering to herself whose handwriting was whose. There was a man on the ground leaning against the house opposite Keane's saloon where she and Dutch had met Trelawny, he was pleading to anyone that passed by for a handout. Some men drinking outside the saloon called out to her, one of them whistled and hollered. She kept her head down as she passed, making her way down to the post office at the station.

The station was surprisingly quiet as she walked up the steps and pushed open the doors, a couple of men sat on the bench seats turned as she walked in, one of them looked her up and down curiously as she made her way up to the ticket box.

"Well, I'll be, what's a lady doin' dressed like that?" She heard one of them say behind her, "I'm tellin' ya Frank, the world sure is changin'."

"Good day, Miss," The station clerk greeted her politely as he approached the window, his gaze flickered to the guns on her back, "What can I do for you?"

"Can I send these off, please?" She passed him the collection of envelopes under the glass, "And is there anythin' here for a Mister Hoagy Macintosh at all?"

"Mm, I ain't seen anythin' come in for a Mister Macintosh," The clerk shook his head as he checked the envelopes.

She leaned her elbows on the counter, "How 'bout a Mister Kilgore? Tacitus Kilgore."

The clerk pursed his lips and checked some of his boxes, "I think I did see somethin' come in a few days ago, hold on, lemme check."

She sighed and looked out the window, an oil wagon was driving up the road towards the east, the side had clear letters printed on it; Cornwall Kerosene & Tar and she guessed it must have been headed for that massive refinery she and Arthur had passed by a couple of times in the Heartlands.

"'Scuse me, Miss?" She turned to the two men sitting on the bench seat, "I gotta ask, you a bounty hunter or somethin'?"

She frowned, "Bounty hunter? Nah, not me, Mister."

"Well then why're you dressed like that?" The older gentleman leaned forward in his seat.

"I'm a…" She paused for a moment, "A traveller, I guess."

"Huh. An' you never considered travellin' in a nice dress?" His friend stroked the impressive greying goatee on his chin.

"A dress?" She echoed and furrowed her brows as she looked down at her trousers, "Somethin' wrong with what I'm wearin' now, Mister?"

"Well, if you ask me, I think it's mighty unbecoming, a nice young lady like yourself dressed like a damn cowboy. Your parents ain't worried you're never gonna find a husband, travellin' about lookin' like that?"

Effie resisted the urge to roll her eyes and turned back to the window as the station clerk came back with some mail, "Here, this is all we've got for Mister Kilgore."

"Thanks, Mister." She nodded and started towards the door, putting the mail in her satchel safely.

"Honestly, women goin' round in trousers like that," One of the men scoffed behind her as she passed, "Girl like that is just askin' for trouble if you ask me, lookin' like a damn gunslinger."

"So what if I am?" She sighed and turned from the door, "What business is it of yours, Mister?"

The men turned in their seats, the station clerk eyed her warily from the slats in the ticket box.

"Well, it's ain't right, for one thing, Miss. It ain't the natural order of things, a young lady like you should be settled down, probably lookin' after a kid or two." The man with the goatee puffed his chest, "If ya ask me-"

"Well, that's just the thing," Effie crossed her arms, "I didn't ask you. If I were you, I'd be keepin' your opinions to yourself. Never know, one day you might just upset the wrong lady dressed like me."

The men gaped at her, "Well I never."

"Well, now you have, so," She shrugged and turned back to the door, "Good day, gentlemen." She tipped her hat and stepped back outside, huffing as she stalked down the steps and back towards the town.

It wasn't unusual for a man to comment on her attire, she'd always dressed this way, even back when she lived in Strawberry. Although her hunter status back where she lived caused less of a commentary, and Valentine got a lot more travellers from cities and industrialised states, so it was to be expected. But it still left a sour taste in her mouth.

Her shoulder suddenly collided with someone and she stumbled back in surprise, "Hey, watch where you're goin'." She frowned.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I was miles away," Effie looked up at the lady, she was older than her, but very pretty; her eyes dark like hers, and her hair was dark like hers too, but up in an elegant bun and pinned back. She was dressed in an expensive looking dress, her hands clutched at the skirts nervously and Effie winced when she saw the mud that had been kicked up on her when they'd collided.

"No, it's okay, I'm sorry too, I wasn't thinkin' much either." She murmured, eyeing the expensive jewellery on her hands and round her neck. The lady was watching her carefully too, her eyes drifted to the pistol and knife at her gun belt, "Can I help you with anythin' lady?"

"No no, it's just - I ain't seen a lady so equipped before." The woman shook her head.

"Huh, well it's a big bad world out there, can't be too careful, Ma'am," She shrugged, "Anyway, I should be gettin' on."

The lady blinked and nodded, "Right, take care, Miss."

"Sure, you too."

She rounded the corner and took the steps up to the gunsmith two at a time, the clerk eyed her carefully as she stepped through, "Well, good mornin', m'lady, what can I do you for?"

"I need to restock on some things, what 'chu got?" She asked as she leaned on the counter, glancing at the wares on display.

"Here, take a look," He slid his catalogue over to her and she nodded and flipped it open, "Say, that's a nice repeater you got there. Carbine?"

She smiled and shook her head as she pulled the rifle from her shoulder, "Lancaster. I was actually wonderin' if you could take a look at this one for me, too." She placed the rifle on the desk and the clerk narrowed his eyes as he examined it carefully.

"Dark walnut varnish, little bit chipped in places, probably from all the use it's had," He murmured and checked the barrel, "The rifling could use a touch up, I can do that for you, no problem, these are some nice inlays. Nouveau?"

"Uh-huh," She nodded.

"Very nice. And this engraving here, what's JB?" He looked up as his fingers brushed over the lettering.

"Oh, that's my father's name, this was his." She shrugged, "I'm thinkin' about gettin' that removed, actually."

"Well, I can certainly look into that, give me a few minutes with my tools, I can see about gettin' this gun sorted."

---

"Right, that should be everythin' off that list you gave me, Mister, I got the lad out there loadin' it up on your wagon for ya." The shopkeeper jerked his thumb to the kid out the back carrying some crates and sacks to the wagon outside.

Arthur nodded and touched the brim of his hat, "Thanks."

"You need anythin' else?" The clerk crossed his arms and nodded to the catalogue on the counter top.

"Actually, yeah, you got much in the way of coats for a lady?" He asked as he thumbed through the book.

"Sure, they're towards the back there, anythin' in particular you're lookin' for?"

"Well, she used to wear an old scout jacket, guess I'm lookin' for somethin' like that." He murmured, thinking back to the worn coat Effie was wearing when they'd first met out in the rain, he flipped the page and paused as he read over the different styles.

"Here," The clerk came back with a few coats, "Here's what I got in that style at the moment, all of 'em got a merino sheep trim on the inside, so they'll be plenty warm, an' it's mighty durable. I got it in buckskin, charcoal or this nice green here."

Arthur paused and grabbed the buckskin, but he shook his head as soon as he held it up, "Not this one, the lady I'm buyin' for ain't gonna fit in somethin' this big."

"Well, how's about this green one?" The man asked as he took back the buckskin one.

The outlaw winced as he recognised the colour; it was the same shade as what the O'Driscoll's wore, "Nah, that's not for her, either, lemme see the charcoal."

"Sure," The shopkeeper held up the last coat, it was about the right size for Miss Bartlett, and a nice smokey dark grey, the white trim made it look a lot darker, "Whaddaya think, Mister? Think she'll like it?"

"Yeah, that's the one," Arthur nodded, "And hey, you got any shirts in small sizes back there for her?"

"I can take a look, what colours?"

He shrugged and looked down at his own dark shirt, "Black." He decided, and reached into his satchel for some handbills.

"I can wrap them up for ya, if you want, Mister." The clerk offered as he put the coat and shirt on the counter top.

"Why not?" The outlaw shrugged, a smile creeping on his face as he imagined her opening it up on the way back to camp, he barely registered the door opening behind him.

"That'll be an additional twenty–eight dollars, Mister." The clerk nodded as he finished wrapping the clothes in some old newspapers and twine.

"Thanks," He counted the bills and handed them over, then he reached for the wrapped package. A small hand on his arm made him turn, and his breath hitched in his throat as his eyes met hers. "Mary." He breathed.

"Hello, Arthur." Mary Linton stood before him, dressed in an elegant gown, looking as beautiful to him as she ever did, her eyes held that same despondent look that made his stomach curl.

"What're you doin' here?" He finally managed.

She frowned, "I heard you and your friends was around, you didn't get my letter?"

"Oh," He looked down and sighed, "Yeah, I got it, I ain't read it yet, though."

"Oh." Mary looked away, wringing her hands nervously.

He swallowed, steeling himself, "Where's what's his name?"

"Died." She murmured.

The outlaw nodded slowly, "Sorry to hear that." He said quietly; some long forgotten part of him, buried deep within his heart fluttered slightly, but he gritted his teeth and shoved it back down.

"Happened a long time ago," Mary glanced up at him, "Pneumonia."

"Bad business," He held her gaze for a long moment, and in that moment that fleeting ember of heartache burned in his chest.

"Looks like that kid's almost done loading your wagon, Mister," The shopkeeper said as he came back, the tension between the outlaw and the woman before him suddenly snapped away, "Ah, is this the lady? He's bought you a lovely coat there, Ma'am." He nodded to the wrapped package and Mary eyed it with a forlorn curiosity.

"Oh, no, this ain't the lady," Arthur snatched the package up, "Look, Mary, I…" He glanced at her and sighed, "I'm sorry I ain't read your letter yet, I've been real busy."

"Yeah, I know, it's just good to see you, Arthur. It's been such a long time." She said quietly.

"That is has," He nodded and looked down at the package in his hands, "It's good to see you too, I'm sorry about your husband." He started towards the door.

"Arthur, wait!" A hand went to his shoulder and his jaw clenched, "I was hopin' to see you, I need your help."

"My help? Mary…" He felt her hand tugging him back to him, and that little part of him wanted nothing more to allow her to turn him back and face her, but that was just history now, a mistake he'd long since allowed himself to lay awake wondering about; a pretty dream that he used to think they both shared, but he'd suffered the heartache long enough now to know it wasn't anything more.

"Please, Arthur," He refused to turn back and look at her face, he could picture the expression clear in his mind with her pleading tone, "I'm staying at Chadwick Farm, just north of town."

"Mary… I ain't sure I can come see you. That part of me… of us? It's long over." He reached for the door handle to escape, suddenly feeling the need for fresh air.

"I - I understand… Does she make you happy?" His hand froze and he finally turned to face her, she looked down at the package in his grip with a sad compunction.

"She makes me feel a lotta things," His confession was barely above a whisper, "I've gotta go, Mary."

"Okay," She bit her lip, her expression twisted with dismay, "I know I'm askin' a lot, and I don't deserve to, but please, try and visit me, Arthur. I really do need your help, and I don't know who else to ask."

Effie counted the boxes of cartridges in her hands as she put them in her satchel, she gave the gunsmith a parting smile as she closed the door and headed out down the street towards the general store, there was a young lad lifting some sacks onto the wagon, but the outlaw was nowhere to be found. "Hey kid, y'know where my friend is?" She asked the young man as she approached.

"My boss says he's just inside, should be comin' out soon." The kid answered as he threw one of the sacks on the bed of the wagon.

"Here, I can finish these last two, thanks though." She fished out a bill and passed it to him with a nod.

"Thanks, Miss, you have a good day now." The lad walked off round the back of the store and Effie busied herself with the last sacks, heaving them up into the wagon with a grunt. With the wagon loaded she leaned back against it and pulled out a cigarette, lighting a match off the wagon and took a deep inhale as she waited for Arthur.

"Hey, I've seen ya a couple of times round here, what 'chu up to, sweetheart?" One of the men she'd seen outside Keane's saloon wandered over, his eyes glassy and whiskey on his breath.

"Just waitin' for someone." She replied shortly.

The man put his arm against the wagon as he leaned in front of her, "Waitin'? Out here, all by yourself?"

She shifted back from him, "That's what's goin' on."

"Why don't we wait for your friend over at the Saints?" He pointed to the hotel across the road and looked her up and down with a smirk, "Get somethin' else goin' on there, huh?"

"No. I think it's best you moved on, Mister." She bristled and threw her cigarette, her hand dropped down to the pistol on her belt.

"Oh come on, beautiful," The drunk purred as he sidled closer, "I'll be gentle, promise."

He leaned down and her guns on her back clacked as she pressed back into the wagon, her hand at her pistol hesitated for a moment as she gritted her teeth. Then she felt his hot breath on her cheek and she balled it into a fist and jerked it up, catching the man on the underside of his jaw and he fell back, "Get the fuck away from me, bastard," She seethed as the drunk rubbed his jaw and grunted painfully.

"Ah, you fuckin'," The man opened and closed his mouth, testing his jaw as he staggered to his feet, "Bitch."

"Try touch me again and see what else I can do." She pulled her pistol out and trained it on his chest, taking deep breaths as the adrenaline sung in her veins.

The drunk raised his hands and staggered back on unsure feet, the whiskey flush in his cheeks paled as he met her icy gaze and she pulled the hammer back, "Jesus! Okay lady, I'm goin'."

"Best you do, asshole, I ain't worried 'bout puttin' you down like a lame workhorse right here in the street." Effie bit out and he turned and hurried off, she took a moment until her breaths slowed before she lowered the pistol slowly, watching it shake in her grip. The general store door swung open and the drunk ran straight into Arthur.

"What's your problem?" The outlaw glared as the man steadied himself on the porch railings.

"Sorry, friend, it's just," He pointed to where Effie was stood, "That girl back there, she's crazy."

"What?" Arthur frowned, following the man's trembling glance back at her as she holstered the pistol.

"Pulled a gun on me. I swear Mister, should be against the law for women to carry a weapon." He shook his head fearfully.

"Get outta here," Arthur scoffed and shoved the man off the porch, then he made his way down the steps towards her, "Everythin' okay?" He stopped and peered down at her, his blue eyes wide as they searched for injuries. The gunslinger's brow furrowed when he saw her right hand, still red and throbbing from the punch she'd thrown, "Your hand," He murmured, taking her hand in his, she blinked at how warm he was compared to her. His thumb stroked the raw knuckles lightly, "You hit him?"

"Fine," She shrugged, pulling her hand back gently, unsure whether the buzzing in it was the adrenaline or the aftermath of the punch, "Fella was drunk, thought I'd wanna join him in the hotel with him, didn't like it when I said no."

The outlaw glowered and glanced back at the man making his way up the street, "Son of a bitch," He growled and reached for his pistol.

Effie grabbed his arm, "Don't Arthur, he's not worth gettin' in trouble over. Look; that's the deputy stood just outside the Sheriff's. Let's just get outta here."

The gunslinger stayed still against her grip for a moment before he relented with a huff, "You're right, come on," He holstered his pistol and turned back to her slowly, "Here, this is for you." He pressed a wrapped package into her hands and she frowned.

"What is it?"

"Open it." He grinned and leaned back, pulling his cigarettes out of his jacket as he watched her expectantly.

She narrowed her eyes as she smiled back up at him and opened the package carefully, "You got me a new jacket?" She looked down at the coat in her arms, her eyes wide.

"Uh-huh, and there's a new shirt in there too, figured you could do with a new one." He shrugged as he mumbled behind his cigarette, Effie glanced up at him, pink creeping in her cheeks.

"Thank you, Arthur," She smiled wide, showing teeth.

"Well, it ain't nothin' really. I kept sayin' I'd get ya a new one," The outlaw mumbled, looking away as he flicked some ash off his smoke, "But I'm glad you like it."

Effie walked round to the bed of the wagon and placed the package down, then she reached around and pulled off her rifle and repeater and picked up the jacket and pulled it on, "It's perfect, Arthur," She nodded, "Don't you think?"

"Looks good," He nodded, "Hopefully the shirt I got fits you good too," He threw his cigarette down and glanced back at the general store, "Come on, let's get back to camp."

"Sure, you think we can still go out huntin' later? Get those pronghorn for Pearson?"

"Maybe," He murmured, still looking at the general store.

"Everythin' okay?" Her smile faded a little.

"Yeah, 'course," He shook his head and looked back at her, "Just thinkin' 'bout somethin'."

"You're always thinkin'," She chuckled, "What about?"

He sucked in a breath, "How you still managed to get into trouble by just standin' out here."

"I didn't get into trouble," She half-protested, smiling as she recognised his teasing tone, "That fella came over to me, ain't my fault he wanted to try and get familiar with my gun."

"Heh, that's one way of puttin' it." He chuckled as she pushed the package with the new shirt further into the wagon bed, for good measure she rolled one of the sacks over it to make sure it wouldn't fall out on the way back. She grabbed her repeater and slung it over her shoulder, then picked up her rifle.

"Take a look, I had the gunsmith work over the riflin' and the varnish," She passed the gun to him and walked back over to her side of the wagon and climbed up.

Arthur narrowed his eyes as he inspected the weapon, he raised it and checked the aim and nodded, "I get why you picked it up, this is a fine gun."

Effie nodded, "I'm thinkin' about havin' the engraving taken off, but the gunsmith said he'd have to hold onto the rifle for a couple of days and refit the stock to do it."

"What engraving?" The outlaw lowered the gun from his shoulder and studied the lettering, "Oh." He climbed up the wagon and passed her the rifle back as he sat beside her and grabbed the reins.

---

Effie leaned forward in her saddle as she raced over the great plains, her bow gripped in one hand as her other held the reins, ahead of her a herd of pronghorn bleated as they ran for their lives, some of them scattered away and Effie didn't change course, her eyes narrowed on the strong buck leading the fray. "Come on boy, faster!" She urged and kicked her heel against the horse, the stallion whinnied but his hoof beats thundered faster, she laughed, relishing at the speed they were going and prepared the bow with an arrow as her Thoroughbred closed the distance to the buck. She sat up straight and aimed, sucking in a breath as she closed her eye and aimed carefully, blanking out the noises around her as she focussed on the target ahead. She exhaled as she let the arrow loose, it hit the buck in the neck and he gave a pained cry as he jolted and went down, Effie grinned and pulled on her reins, "Easy boy, that's it." She crooned as the stallion huffed and slowed. She hooked her leg over and slid off the saddle, letting the Thoroughbred trot into a slower standstill up ahead in the bushes.

The buck raised his head weakly as she approached and pulled her hunting knife, the life slipping away from the animal quickly. She knelt down and deftly pushed the blade upwards in his lower chest, pausing as the animal let out one last cry and then silenced before she pulled the arrow out and stored it back in the makeshift leather quiver on back. She heard hoofbeats behind her as she finished shedding the pelt from the warm carcass and glanced up as she straightened, "Well, that's one way to hunt 'em, I guess." Arthur mused as he leaned forward on his saddle.

"Heh, I thought you'd prefer that way; you ain't gotta be worried about those heavy feet of yours if you're chasin' on horseback." She shot him a grin as she headed back to her horse, hearing him scoff behind her, "'Sides, I wanted to see how fast this big boy could go. Ain't he fast?" She patted the Thoroughbred's neck and reached into her satchel for an apple, he nickered and accepted the treat, bobbing his head as he munched the fruit in a few bites.

"He sure is, dunno if he's as fast as my girl, though." Arthur made a fuss of his own horse for emphasis.

"Come on," Effie smirked as she stowed the pelt on the back of the stallion and climbed up the saddle, "You wanna see who's faster? Let's race back."

The outlaw laughed, "You ever raced on horseback before, Miss Bartlett?"

"Well, no," She admitted, "But that also means I ain't ever lost, so."

He snickered at her air of confidence, "Well you best get ready to lose. You ready?" He grinned, the challenge flashing in his ocean gaze.

Effie nodded and leaned forward in her saddle, "One, two, three… go!"

They both shot off across the plains, both of them whooping and hollering like the pair of fools they were as they raced across the land. Rabbits and birds scattered as they thundered through, Effie gritted her teeth, not expecting Arthur's mare to keep up as well as she was. Perhaps she had maybe underestimated his mare a little…

"Come on, boy, show me what you got!" She yelled as she pushed her stallion further, grinning as he huffed and the muscles beneath her worked harder, the ground beneath them flashed by and she twisted in her saddle to see the outlaw's glaring determination as she went ahead, "Come on, cowboy, that all you got?" She couldn't resist goading, "Guess I'll be seein' you back at camp."

She laughed as she looked back ahead, giving her horse a pat on his neck as he kept the ferocious speed. She could see the forest where the camp was hidden beyond the train tracks, a loud whistle sounded and she glanced down the railway; a train was thundering down the tracks towards Valentine, the driver was leaning out the front and yelling at them, waving his arm.

"I'll save ya a seat at the campfire, Miss Bartlett." She snapped her head to see Arthur's smug grin as he spurred ahead.

"No!"

"Oh, yes!" He drawled and laughed as they headed down towards the tracks, practically on top of one another as they aimed for the crossing. Her heart pounded in her ears as the train didn't ease up, but she also didn't want to lose the race; and if she didn't cross before the train then that would be it.

The whistle sounded again and she tensed in her saddle and kicked her feet, "Keep goin' boy, we've got this." She murmured, ignoring the train in her peripheral as they came up to the tracks, she held her breath as they both shot across and down the road, Arthur whooped as he came down the hill first and pulled on his reins.

"Yes! Easy girl, you're okay," He grinned and patted her neck as Effie slowed up, not a half second behind him, "Who's my girl, huh? You did so good." He looked up at her, the smug grin still on his features.

"Yeah, yeah, you won, well done, Arthur," She tsked as she calmed her stallion, "You got lucky."

His laughter boomed around the clearing, "Lucky? Nah, I'm just better than ya, Miss Bartlett."

"Whatever," She rolled her eyes, fighting the smile on her mouth at how childish he was acting, "Just wait until next time we race."

"What, and beat you again? Sure," Arthur nodded as they made their way through the undergrowth towards camp.

A large figure stepped out from the trees, a gun raised, "Who goes there?"

"We're comin' in!" The outlaw called out as the figure stepped forward, Bill scrunched his face up as he approached, his nose still bruised from Effie's punch over his last hunting attempt.

"Look who it is." Bill sneered.

"Mister Williamson." She greeted warily as they passed.

"Miss Bartlett." He returned in a flat tone as he let them through.

"Huh, glad to see we could still be friends." She gave Arthur a wry smile as they halted by the hitching posts.

The outlaw huffed a laugh as he dismounted, "Ah, I wouldn't worry too much, after what you did to his nose in front of everybody he'll probably just leave ya alone."

"Suits me," She shrugged as she hopped down beside him and grabbed the pelt, "Here, give me yours and I'll take the pelts to Pearson."

"Sure, he should be finished with the stew, did you wanna eat somethin' together? Then I was thinkin' you can practise some writin' with me." He bored his gaze into hers as he pressed his pelt into her hands.

"Why not?" She gave him a small smile.

"Hey Arthur!" They both turned to Dutch waving from where he stood outside his tent, "Come over here a minute, would you?"

"I best go see what he wants," The outlaw murmured, and nodded to the gang leader as he approached, "I shouldn't be long, Effie."

"Okay," She shrugged and headed to Mister Pearson's wagon, the camp butcher was busy chopping something up with his knife, but he paused and looked up as Effie approached, "Hey Mister Pearson, got somethin' for ya."

"Ah, Miss Bartlett, put 'em over there, let's take a look." The older man wiped some sweat off his brow in the evening light and moved behind the table as she set the pelts down, "These are good, perfect for what I needed." He nodded approvingly as he checked the hides over, "Well done, Miss Bartlett."

"No problem," She shrugged, "Next time I go out huntin' I'll let you know, you can tell me what else you're lookin' for."

"Sounds good." The butcher nodded and straightened the pelt out as he looked for his tools to get to work.

"Well, well, you're back," She turned to the familiar Irish twang.

"Mister Maguire," She greeted with a polite nod and glanced at the half empty whiskey bottle in his hand, "Enjoyin' a nice drink, I see."

"Me an' Javier opened a new crate earlier after you an' Arthur got back from the supply run, care for some?" He waved the bottle to her with a mirthful grin.

"Sure," She shrugged and accepted the bottle, taking a long gulp and wincing slightly at the burn in the back of her throat, "Where've you been the last few days then, Irish? I ain't seen you since our game of dominoes."

"Ah, I was out scoutin' some homestead some fella told me about in the saloon a few nights back, looks like it might be a good take, just gotta wait for the couple that live there to go on their next trip to New York. Bloody high society types," He chuckled as she passed him the bottle back, "You wanna join us all round the fire for a drink?"

Effie nodded, "Sure, I just gotta wait for Arthur to finish up with Dutch, then I'll come find you."

Sean glanced at Dutch's tent, a knowing smile spread on his boyish features, "Ah, sure, forgot you two go hand in hand these days."

"We don't go hand in hand." She frowned.

"I ain't sayin' nothin' more, don't wanna get a shiner like Williamson," The Irishman held up his hands and she scoffed and shoved him lightly.

"Get outta here," She rolled her eyes, "I'll see you in a bit, Mister Maguire."

"Lookin' forward to it, darlin'." He tipped his hat as he walked away, flashing a toothy grin.

"They got Micah!" Someone yelled as they raced into camp on their horse, Effie frowned at the stranger's panic as he rushed to dismount, "Dutch!" He panted and she hurried over, meeting with the gang leader and Molly, with Arthur in tow.

"What's goin' on?" Dutch frowned at the newcomer, he was a young man with dark skin, dressed in a fading grey worsted coat and matching trousers, with a navy waistcoat over a white shirt, a bright orange neckerchief hung from his neck.

"It's Micah," The man huffed out between panicked breaths, "He's been arrested for murder," He gestured out to the woods, "W - we was in Strawberry, and, and-"

The gang leader held his hands out, "It's okay, son. Breathe."

The young man doubled over as he sucked in deep breaths, "They nearly lynched me," He muttered, "And they got Micah in the Sherrif's at Strawberry," He straightened up and glanced around the group of them, a sheen of sweat on his face and his eyes wide, "And there's talk of hangin' him."

Dutch leaned back and sighed, whilst Arthur scoffed beside the leader, "Here's hopin'." He nodded.

The leader shot the younger outlaw a look, "Arthur." He warned.

"What? The fool brought this on himself," He shrugged and turned to his leader, "You know my feelings about him, Dutch."

"You think I can't see past his bluster to the heart inside?" Dutch pointed to his chest for emphasis as he rounded on the younger gunslinger, "He is a fine man."

Beside him, Molly scoffed as she turned and headed back to the tent, seemingly uninterested in a conversation about this Micah fella, whilst the kid headed to the table by the entrance and leant heavily against it, trying to catch his breath whilst Arthur threw his hand up and turned away, frustrated, "No. I ain't savin' that fool."

"I can't go," Dutch glared, "My face will be all over West Elizabeth, I am asking," He emphasised, and Arthur turned back, "He would do it for you."

"I don't think he would, but," The outlaw clenched his jaw as he eyed the gang leader's authoritative gaze, "Fine. Alright." He muttered and turned back to the young newcomer, "You okay, Lenny?"

"Yeah," The kid, Lenny, nodded, his eyes wide, "'Course I'm okay."

"You don't seem okay." Arthur frowned.

"You take that kid into town," Dutch pointed to them beside her, "Valentine, not Strawberry. Get him drunk," He ordered as he headed back to his tent, "And Arthur, no crazy business." He added, his tone pointed.

The outlaw held his hands up, a guilty smirk lighting up his features in the evening light, "I've given that up."

"And you get Micah out of that jail."

Arthur sighed and dropped his head as Dutch disappeared into his tent, "Come on, son," He said to the young man, "Guess I'll just drop everythin'," He muttered and looked over to her, "Miss Bartlett, I gotta go and sort Mister Summers out, I'll have to catch up with 'chu later."

She nodded as Lenny eyed her curiously, "I understand, take care of yourselves." She turned towards the main campfire as they went towards their horses.

"We got a new girl? When did she turn up?" She heard Lenny ask as she headed towards the campfire where the rest of the group was sat. Some of them had turned to watch the commotion, but were returning to their drinking and amiable conversation as she neared.

---

Effie was sat cross legged on the floor next to Charles as he whittled with his knife, watching the other's sing along to another lewd song; their spirit and enthusiasm proved infectious, and Effie laughed and clapped along as the song came to a crescendo. Beside her Charles hummed lowly, sounding frustrated. "Everythin' okay?" She asked, frowning as he threw his knife to the floor.

"Fine, just need to sharpen my blade, it's not good for working the wood in the condition it's in now." His muscular shoulders heaved in a shrug.

"Here," Effie grabbed her knife and held it out to him, "I sharpened mine a couple of days ago, should be sharp enough." She moved her hand down to the blade and held the handle out for him.

The outlaw took the knife carefully and nodded his thanks to her before he studied it closely, "This is an unusual blade." He murmured observedly.

"Uh-huh, think they call it a talon, see the way it curves down?" She pointed to the knife in his hand, "I've had it for years, it makes guttin' easier than a straight blade."

Charles grunted in interest and held up his knife to compare, Effie took his knife and studied the handle with interest, "This is a beautiful carving."

"Thanks, I think it was a gift," The outlaw nodded, "Long ago, from my tribe… or, my mother's tribe, I guess. Not sure they ever really accepted my father and me."

Effie nodded slowly, "That must have been hard, growin' up like that."

"It was, but I don't like to talk about it all that much. Was a long time ago now, everything that happened was when I was just a kid. The US Army, the day they took my mother from us… my father was never the same, he never smiled afterwards, always drank." His baritone voice was quiet, and she handed his knife back with a sad smile.

"My daddy was like that, always drinkin' and gamblin'... It's weird isn't it? When you realise they've stopped bein' a parent," Effie scoffed and stared into the fire, "Or even tryin' to be a parent."

Charles hummed and tested her knife against the wood he was whittling, then he resumed his work, shaving the wood into a tip with slow, meticulous strokes. "Is that why you're like that?" He asked.

She glanced back at him, "Like what?"

"Just," He paused and shrugged, "I get the sense you're not afraid of anything."

"Heh, I don't think there's much point in bein' scared of anythin', Mister Smith," Effie looked back at the fire as she pulled out her cigarettes, "Fear makes you weak."

Charles was quiet as he resumed carving her knife down the wood as the group finished another song. Abigail was holding Jack's hand as she allowed him to say his goodbyes to the group before she ushered him off to bed, Tilly, Mary-Beth, Susan and Hosea were moving off to take a seat at the table by the entrance with a deck of cards and a bottle of whiskey.

Sean moved off the log seat to settle on the ground next to them, he grunted as he stretched his back, "Now what are you two whisperin' about over here?"

"We ain't whisperin' about nothin'," Effie shook her head as she struck a match off the side of her boot, "Me and Charles are just talkin'."

"Really, and here's me thinkin' you weren't much of a conversationalist, eh Mister Smith?" Sean grinned as he leaned back to look at his gangmate.

"Not to you." Charles shrugged, keeping his focus on his work as he finished sharpening the point.

"Aw, always so sour with me, ain't ya?" The Irishman rolled his eyes and took a swig from his bottle, "I was plannin' on askin' if you wanted to join me on a little visit to that homestead I got told about."

Effie eyed Mister Smith as she exhaled a plume of smoke, watching him amusedly as he looked ahead, weighing up the offer for a long moment before he sighed, "Are you coming to me because no one else will go with you?"

"What? No, 'course not!" Sean scoffed, "Honestly, you try an' be courteous to someone." He muttered and handed the bottle out to Effie, "How about you, Miss Bartlett, you fancy joinin' me on a little robbery job?"

"Me?" She frowned as she accepted the bottle and took a long drink.

"Why not? Figured after you got stuck doin' some of that Austrian's dirty little jobs debt collectin' you might fancy somethin' a little more fun," He offered a lopsided smile, "'Sides, you've been with us for long enough now, you've earned the right to ride out wit' Dutch's finest."

"Finest? You're the worst shot out of everybody here." Javier smirked at the Irishman as he joined the conversation, setting his guitar down carefully beside him.

"Ah you don't know what you're talkin' about there, Javier," Sean waved his hand dismissively, "We all have our different ways of gettin' jobs done, an' I still bring the money in for camp just as much as the rest of ya."

"You've barely left camp since we rescued you." Charles frowned and Effie snickered as she handed the bottle back.

"I had to recover, didn't I? After what those Skelding bastards put me through I needed a little well earned rest," He protested, "Anyway, you fancy goin' on the job with me, Miss?"

Effie pursed her lips behind her cigarette; she'd only done one homestead robbery so far, and whilst it had been a success, she wasn't sure it would have been if Arthur hadn't gone with her. She still sometimes thought about the moment they'd almost been caught by Bob Crawford Jr when they'd tried to sneak out, how he'd pressed her up against that dark narrow hallway and towered over her as he'd clamped his hand over her mouth. Although she teased him constantly about how much he worried about things, and her, she knew she could trust him more than anybody, he watched her back and she would watch his. With Sean, she wasn't sure; the Irishman was cheeky and friendly to her, and she knew he liked to drink and could make anything fun - but at the same time she wasn't sure what he was like out on jobs.

"What's the homestead like?" She finally asked as she blew some smoke.

"Pretty big, owned by some rich bastards. But I've been told they're hardly there, always goin' off on trips to Chicago and New York," Sean finished his bottle and threw it to the floor with a smirk, "They're goin' to be travellin' back to the city in a day or so, so the house'll be easy pickin's."

Effie nodded slowly, "And who gave you the tip?"

"Some fella I was sharin' a round wit in the saloon the other night, but he reckoned his lead was good." He clapped her on the shoulder, "Come on, Miss Bartlett, after what these boys have been tellin' me I wanna see how you handle yaself. Don't tell me you're scared." His tone turned playfully mocking.

Across the campfire, Javier snorted, "She's a right to be scared, the last thing I think I'd want is to find myself out on a job with just you watchin' my back."

Charles huffed out a chuckle as he passed Effie her knife back as Sean's smile faded at the chortling, "It's not that I'm scared, Mister Maguire, it's just," She paused and furrowed her brow, "I don't want to do a job that's gonna turn into more trouble than it's worth."

"Ah, you've been spendin' too much time with ol' Mister Morgan," The Irishman rolled his eyes dismissively, "You're startin' to sound just like 'im. Look lass - the way I see it," He shuffled closer to her so their shoulders were touching and he spread his hand out animatedly, "You can plan and plan for a job, but sometimes they don't just turn out how ya want. But wit a job like this one I've found? It's a huge house, an' unguarded. Ain't no one gonna be there 'cept you and me to take it for what it's worth. The most you gotta worry about is how much you can fit in ya pockets."

He dropped his hand and she gazed at the outlaw; his relaxed stature, his confident grin and his air of glee and found herself nodding, "Okay," She agreed as she discarded her cigarette, "Ya got yourself a partner, Mister Maguire, just let me know when you're gonna be ridin' out for it, and I'll join you."

Sean laughed and shot Javier and Charles a triumphant look, "Excellent, I'm lookin' forward to it already."

---

Pain. That was the first thing his head told him as Arthur slowly stirred into consciousness, a dull throb that radiated across his temple, his mouth unbearably dry, his throat burned; whether that was from all the whiskey or bile, he wasn't sure. "Arthur. You alive?" The outlaw wrinkled his nose at the sound of young Lenny's tired voice, the kid sounded almost as bad as he felt, "Arthur."

"Shut. Up," Arthur groaned as he braved cracking his eyes open, his hand shot up to cover them as the bright sunlight coming through the barred window of the cell assaulted his senses as he forced himself to sit up, "I wanna die." He moaned as his boots touched the floor from the cot he'd slept on, he frowned down at the floor and paused as he saw the shadow of bars, "Where are we?" He frowned, trying to swallow with his mouth feeling like parchment. He blinked slowly as his eyes adjusted to the light and sighed as he saw Lenny sat in a jail cell similar to his opposite him; it wasn't the first time a night out drinking with one of his gang mates had ended up with him in a cell, but the offensive hangover and lacking of the previous night's memories always made his stomach curl just that little bit more, adding to the overall death-like feeling of a night on far too much whiskey and beer. Lenny rubbed his eyes as he gave him a sheepish grin, "What did we do?"

"I don't know." The kid shrugged.

Arthur groaned again as another wave of nausea and uncertainty lulled over him, "Me neither," This was not how he'd intended last night to go at all; all it was meant to be was a quiet drink to calm poor Lenny down, he vaguely remembered how the night had started, just the two of them at the bar talking things out, but the rest was shrouded in a blacked out mystery, "Shit."

"You pair of degenerates," Arthur looked up towards the source of the scolding tone and eyed the deputy lounging at the desk in the Sheriff's office, Lenny groaned and lay back down on his cot with his arm draped over his stomach, and the outlaw forced himself to his feet, "There's a fine for drunken violence in this town. You're just lucky no one was killed."

"Hey, we didn't start a thing." Arthur tried.

The deputy laughed as he took his legs off the desk and sat up, "Yes you did."

"Well," The outlaw opened his mouth to argue but faltered and waved his hand with a guilty scoff as he sat back on the bed, his hand returning to his head to try and ease the throbbing pain, "I don't remember."

"Either of you fools got any money? It's ten dollars and you're free to walk." The deputy stood up from the desk with an air of nonchalance as he approached the cells.

"Sure." Lenny's tone was flat as he straightened up off the cot and dipped his hand into his blazer, Arthur suddenly noticed how much more filthy it was, completely riddled with whiskey and ash stains and streaks of mud.

The deputy nodded as he accepted the handbill from the young outlaw and grabbed the keys hanging from his gun belt, "Now, you two get outta here," He unlocked Lenny's cell then turned and gave Arthur a reprimanding glance as he twisted the key in the lock of his cell door, "And I don't wanna see the two of you around here no more."

The outlaw didn't bother replying as he forced himself back on his feet, fighting the wave of nausea as he headed out the office and to the fresh air outside. He squinted in the bright sunlight, partly relieved to see it was still morning; they hadn't wasted the day away in the cells at least. Lenny burst out the door behind him and lurched to the wooden railings and vomited into the street, Arthur groaned and shook his head as the kid doubled over, "Oh, Jesus." He muttered and turned away, worried the smell of bile would cause him to do the same.

After a moment he heard Lenny straighten with a grunt and he breathed heavily as he leant back against the wooden porch pillar, "So, that was a quiet drink?"

"First one was pretty quiet." Arthur shrugged as he turned back to his gang mate.

Lenny chuckled and hunched over to steady himself, "Yeah, the first one was pretty quiet."

"At least it took your mind off goddamn Micah."

"Well that's certainly true, but I gotta get outta here," The younger outlaw whistled for his horse and Arthur did the same; although the prospect of riding back wasn't exactly the most appealing thing in the world to him right this moment, "I'm gonna see what the new camp's like, say hi to that new girl you were tellin' me about last night."

"Effie," Arthur mumbled.

"That's right," Lenny grinned as he mounted his mare, "Y'know, I kinda feel like I already know her, the way you was talkin' about her so much."

"Shut up." He managed a half-scowl at the kid, but they both knew he didn't mean it much, his jaw clenched; hopefully he hadn't made a fool of himself to the kid about Miss Bartlett, who knows what he'd said about her to him after all that whiskey. Nothing that reflected his journal - or the things he was too scared to even put on paper, he hoped.

"So you comin' back with me?"

The outlaw considered the prospect of riding back against how awful he felt and pulled a face and shook his head, "I'm just gonna have a little sit down and," He groaned as he sank to the floor of the wooden porch, leaning up against the other wooden pillar with his head back, "Feel sorry for myself." He shut his eyes and listened to Lenny ride off, distracting himself from the debilitating hangover by wondering what he'd spoken about with the kid last night, "Oh, you moron, Morgan." He cursed himself miserably.

---

Effie smiled to herself as the arrow tore through the turkey's neck, silencing the bid with one last desperate squawk before it slumped to the floor. She hadn't gone far from camp, she'd taken her bow from her saddle and left her Thoroughbred to graze with the other horses to go for a nice morning walk. Arthur and the other gang member hadn't returned last night, and she was a little surprised to see his cot empty this morning and his mare not hitched. Susan and Abigail had rolled their eyes over the coffee the three of them had shared early this morning, and she figured it wasn't unusual for the men not to manage to make it back to camp until the next day after going out together.

She pulled the arrow out of the fallen bird carefully and picked it up by it's legs, walking back to where she'd left the other turkey she'd shot; these birds weren't the most intelligent, and whilst they usually made a fuss at a hunter's presence, if you were quiet and stayed still for long enough they often forgot about the danger and became easy prey. Easy prey or not, they normally had a good bit of meat on them, and two of them would be a nice contribution to Pearson's stew. She stooped to grab the second bird and began walking back towards Horseshoe Overlook, enjoying the warm sun on her back and the sounds of New Hanover wildlife.

Karen was standing guard among the undergrowth by the entrance to camp, and she greeted Effie with a wry smile as she approached, "Well, well, looks like the hunter's returned."

"Hey Karen," She returned the blonde's smile with one of her own, "Finally convinced Grimshaw to let you hold a gun around her, huh?"

Karen laughed, "Just about, watch duty can get a little borin' sometimes, but it sure beats washing clothes all damn day," Effie chuckled and Miss Jones jerked her head towards the entrance, "You missed Lenny comin' back, he looks like shit. Said he and Mister Morgan woke up in the Sheriff's cells, sounds like they did a little more than have a drink or two."

Effie looked over Karen's shoulder and spotted Lenny sitting at the table near the camp entrance with Hosea, he was staring miserably into a cup of coffee whilst Hosea read the newspaper. "You're right, he's sure lookin' sorry for himself," She chuckled and looked around the horses for Arthur's mare, ignoring the pang of disappointment when she couldn't see her or her rider, "I'm gonna drop these off to Mister Pearson, see if he needs help gettin' the meat."

Karen nodded, "Sure, try and look busy, with me out here keepin' watch Grimshaw'll be wonderin' if you can lend a hand to Tilly and Mary-Beth with washing clothes."

"Thanks, Karen," Effie grinned, spying Miss Grimshaw by the girls' tents, "I'll see ya later." She adjusted the birds in her grip as she entered the camp, greeting Hosea and Lenny with a nod, "Gentlemen."

"Ah, Miss Bartlett," Hosea lowered the paper and gave her a warm smile, "Figured you'd be doing more than a leisurely morning stroll when I saw you grab that bow of yours earlier. Lenny, this is the new addition to our little group," He glanced at the young outlaw, "Miss Bartlett, meet Mister Summers." Lenny raised his head, his eyes bloodshot and dark-ringed, but he gave a friendly smile all the same.

"Mister Summers, Karen was just tellin' me you got back earlier this mornin', hopefully you're feelin' okay after last night." She smiled.

Lenny laughed, "I'm not, but it's self-inflicted so can't complain. It's good to finally be back in camp though, Arthur's told me good things about you."

Effie tilted her head, "He has?"

"Well, they were good things from what I can remember," He grinned, "And Hosea might've mentioned a few things."

She pursed her lips and looked away as her cheeks flushed, "Miss Bartlett, why don't you come join us after you drop those off at Mister Pearson's wagon? We can spend some time working on your writing whilst it's quiet." The senior gunslinger suggested.

"Are you sure? I don't want to interrupt your reading, Mister Matthews."

"Nonsense, and Lenny here loves literacy, he might be able to help teach you," Hosea waved his hand, "Lenny, go get some things for Miss Bartlett to use whilst she drops those birds off to the pot."

"Oh, you don't have to, I can get them in a moment, you don't have to, Mister Summers." She offered, wincing slightly as she glanced at his hungover, dishevelled form.

"Nah, it's okay," Lenny pushed himself up from the table, "Some writing might help me take my mind off of last night."

Arthur rolled his neck slowly as he made his way through the undergrowth towards camp; he'd lingered in Valentine moping around for a while, then after a bath and a quick visit to the barber he'd mounted his mare and began a slow journey back to Horseshoe Overlook. The sun was high in the sky by the time he'd left town, and the punishing headache had eased into a dull ebbing pain behind his tired eyes.

"Look who's finally come back," Miss Jones grinned from her watch post as he approached through the trees, "How's the head?"

"Not as bad as it was," He sighed, "Did Lenny get back okay?"

"Yeah, he slunk in a few hours ago," She chuckled and fell into pace beside his mare as he made his way over to the hitching posts, "So what'd you boys do to get arrested?"

The outlaw scoffed as he jumped down, "Hell if I can remember. Y'know, I didn't even know you could get arrested for gettin' drunk."

Karen laughed, "Sure you didn't. I've known you long enough, Arthur, ya ain't foolin' nobody."

He shared her wry smile as he patted his mare, "Figured it was worth a try," He eyed Effie's huge Thoroughbred as he grazed with some of the other horses, "You know where Miss Bartlett is?"

"She's sat with Hosea an' Lenny over there," He followed her gesture and saw the three of them sat at the table near the entrance, Lenny was showing Effie something on a piece of paper whilst Hosea watched and a small smile tugged at his lips, "Y'know, you ain't foolin' nobody with that either." Karen smirked.

Arthur's smile faded as he glanced back at the blonde, "What 'chu talkin' 'bout?"

"Come on Arthur, I ain't stupid," Karen rolled her eyes and elbowed him playfully, "You've got a soft spot for that girl."

The outlaw shot her a glare and rolled his eyes as he brushed past her, ignoring her chortling as he approached the table. Lenny had passed the pencil back to Effie and she was focussed on the page in front of her, both the men looked up at him and he groaned inwardly at Hosea's teasing expression.

"Arthur, I was beginnin' to wonder if you'd gotten yourself into more trouble." The elder conman grinned.

"Mornin' folks," He sighed.

"It's afternoon now, actually," Lenny corrected, "What took you so long gettin' back?"

"Had to sort myself out, clean up a bit," He muttered as Effie looked up at him from her writing, the smile she gave him making her dark eyes bright and he returned it as he took a seat, "Miss Bartlett, how are you?"

"Feeln' better than you, I bet. Lenny and Hosea are just helpin' me with this." She gestured to the page she was working on.

"Huh, let's take a look," She slid the paper towards him and leaned back in her seat, grabbing a cigarette and lighting it as he studied the page.

Lenny stood up from the table and grabbed his empty tin cup, "I'm gonna get some more coffee, can I get you folks anythin'?"

Effie and Hosea shook their heads but Arthur looked up at the young gunslinger, "If there's enough coffee for a second cup I wouldn't say no, kid."

Lenny nodded and wandered off to where the camp's shared percolator was set up by the stew pot, and he turned his attention back to Effie's work. She was definitely improving, she'd written the alphabet out a few times, the same as what he always had her do first, her name was written out beneath, and he smiled when he saw she'd managed to write it in cursive on the last attempt. "This is good work, you're gettin' better," He glanced up at her from the page and she nodded as she exhaled some smoke.

"I still hate it," She grinned, her cheeks tinged pink at his praise, "But I guess I'm startin' to hate it less."

"Could've fooled me," He shot Hosea a smirk, "At least she can write as good as Jack now."

Hosea chuckled and Effie rolled her eyes as she took the paper back from the outlaw, "Here Effie, finish copying out those words Lenny showed you how to write, then we can put it away for today." The senior gunslinger offered her the pencil and she nodded and finished her cigarette before she took it.

Lenny returned with the coffee and Arthur nodded his thanks and took a grateful sip from the cup and sighed as he leaned back in his chair, "So how're you feelin', kid?"

"Better than this mornin' that's for sure," Lenny smirked, "I still can't remember much of last night, though."

"Heh, me either."

"Oh, John was asking after you both earlier when you weren't here, I think he's finally got a plan worked out for that job he's been working on," Hosea said, "He was worried you'd both left camp for a few days again, but I told him you'd go see him when you both came back."

Effie nodded but kept her focus on the page, "Thanks Hosea."

"You weren't here earlier, Effie?" Arthur frowned.

"I went for a walk this mornin'," She shrugged as she finished writing and put the pencil down with a half-relieved sigh, "Even managed to shoot some turkeys and bring 'em back for the pot."

He swallowed, trying to quell the worry blossoming in him as he imagined her out on the road by herself - especially with all the O'Driscoll's scouring the area looking for her, "By yourself?" He hadn't meant for his tone to sound as clipped as it did, and Effie narrowed her dark eyes at him.

"Well, yeah. But I didn't go far, I didn't even bother ridin' out. Just went down the valley and by the river."

Hosea cleared his throat, "We would've sent someone out if she didn't come back, Arthur." He shot the outlaw a pointed look.

"I know, I just," He paused, trying to pick the right words, "It ain't exactly safe out there. It's better if you take someone out with you to watch your back."

Miss Bartlett tilted her head, "I don't think I need anybody to watch my back if I want to go for a walk, Arthur."

"I ain't sayin' that, but-"

"But what? Even if I did want to go for a ride somewhere by myself, I'm allowed to, I can take care of myself, you know."

He winced at her tone, "No, I know. Hell, I've seen what you can do," He looked away as he finished his coffee, "I just don't wanna hear about you gettin' into any trouble."

"Arthur," She waited until he looked back at her, "I don't wanna be gettin' into any trouble either, but I'm not gonna be confined in camp and have to ride out with someone every time I wanna go somewhere."

He held her gaze evenly, his jaw tightened as he tried to quell his temper at her stubbornness, his ebbing hangover and the little sleep he'd had making his inner battle all that harder. Sure, the dangers of the world were always gonna be out there, and the odds of anything happening to Effie were remarkably slim, despite her slight frame. But her willfulness and that dark malevolence he'd seen within her would have her throwing herself headfirst into any kind of danger, and he honestly didn't know what he'd do if anything else happened to her.

"I think what Arthur is trying to say is that he doesn't want to see anything else happen to you, Miss Bartlett," Hosea leaned forward, "None of us do, we all care about you here. I think, with everything going on, it's best that any of us leave camp with someone to look out for each other. Because that's what we do, it's why we never send just one person out alone on jobs, we don't like to be careless with family." He gently rested his hand on hers and she glanced at the senior gang member for a long moment before she finally nodded.

"Speakin' of jobs, let's go see what Marston's finally figured out." Arthur tipped the rest of his coffee out onto the grass and stood up from the table.

"Sure," Effie didn't look up at him and instead busied herself with folding the piece of paper she'd been working on and stowing it in her satchel, "Thank you both for takin' the time to sit with me this morning." She gave Lenny and Hosea a grateful nod as she stood up.

"Anytime, Miss Bartlett." Hosea smiled and his gaze flickered to Arthur when she looked away.

"Ain't a problem, Miss, I'll catch up with you later, maybe you can show me how to craft those arrows you were tellin' me about," Lenny said and she smiled before she walked off to where John was sat at the edge of camp, "She's pretty feisty, huh?" He said when she was out of earshot.

"Certainly a spirited one." Hosea murmured.

Arthur scoffed, "She's stubborn as hell."

The senior gunslinger grinned, "That too. But she's shaping up to be a valuable member of our little group, certainly knows how to get under your skin, I see."

The outlaw grunted, "Thanks for talkin' some sense into her, Hosea."

Hosea shrugged, "I know you were trying to mean well, but try to see it from her view; imagine if someone told you not to take a short walk out of camp alone."

Arthur scowled, "It ain't the same."

"For her it is, son," The conman picked up his newspaper and opened it, "You know better than anyone here who she was before those O'Driscoll's took her, try and remember how she lived before all that, and how much has changed for her."

"But she's not the same girl she was when we first met," He shook his head, "She's changed, Hosea, and things are different for her now, sure, but that don't mean I want her doin' anythin' foolish because she ain't careful."

"Hey Arthur, you comin' or what?" Effie called from where she was sat with John.

"I'll catch up with you both later," He murmured and wandered over to join them both. John was holding open a map and tracing a point with his finger as Effie looked over his shoulder in interest, "Alright Marston," He said as he settled beside them, "You've had all this time to put this thing together, what'chu got for us?"

"Uncle told me somethin' about a train." John looked up from the map with a glint in his eye.

Arthur sighed; he knew that look all too well, "What'd he say?"

John's brow furrowed slightly but he raised his chin, "Mary-Beth overheard somethin' about a train full of wealthy folk rollin' down through Scarlett Meadows, just south of the state border."

"Yes." The outlaw nodded, vaguely remembering Miss Gaskill excitedly telling him and Uncle about it when they'd taken their first trip into Valentine all those weeks ago.

"You need help with it?"

"I ain't even sure about doin' it." Arthur held up his hands; whilst train robberies nearly always promised a hefty payload, they were always a nightmare of a job, and if it wasn't pulled off it risked a whole world of trouble with the law that the gang didn't need so soon after what happened in Blackwater.

"Come on," John pressed, "At night, not too guarded - it's perfect."

"I ain't thought it through," Arthur shook his head and tapped the map where the tracks led through Scarlett Meadows, "You know, stoppin' a train? Pain in the ass."

"Sure," The younger man nodded, "But what if we could force a train to stop? We could get a wagon full of somethin' flammable. Oil," He glanced between Arthur and Effie, "Put it on the tracks. They see it, an' they know they either have to stop or die."

"Huh," Effie murmured, "And there ain't no train driver that wants to be cooked alive."

The outlaw eyed them both and glanced down at the map, "That is… kinda brilliant," He admitted and John grinned proudly, "Uh, for you. And that is a real idea - I think that's the first time you've ever had one of them!" He chuckled and hit John on the arm.

Marston caught Effie's smirk and his grin faded, "Shut up." He muttered.

Arthur chuckled harder, "You might be the first bastard to ever have half his brains eaten by a wolf an' end up more intelligent."

The younger outlaw rolled his eyes, "So, we doin' it?"

He nodded slowly as he considered the plan, "We're gonna need ammunition, guns, look real frightenin'," He glanced at Effie, "And some dynamite to open up the train."

John looked away for a moment, "I'll get the supplies, I gotta head into town for Abigail anyway - don't even ask." He rolled his eyes and turned to head through camp, "The two of you can go find us an oil wagon."

"That huge refinery past Twin Stack Pass," Effie glanced at Arthur as they fell into step beside John, "I saw a wagon head up that way when I was in the post office."

"Yeah, we can head over there and take a look, see if we can intercept one out on the road, or sneak in and steal one." Arthur rubbed the stubble on his jaw.

"There's an old rundown shack just over the border north of a place called Dewberry Creek. Once you both get the wagon, drive it down and leave it somewhere hidden near there." John tipped his hat to them and headed to his horse, a towering Hungarian Half-Bred by the name of Old Boy.

Effie and Arthur watched him ride off and stood in a stiff silence that felt horribly foreign to the outlaw for a moment, he cleared his throat and took off his hat to brush some lint off the brim and she turned to him, "You got a haircut."

"Huh? Oh. Yeah." He ran a hand through his hair, slightly abashed.

"It looks nice," She smiled slowly and he put his hat on, pulling the brim low in an effort to his the colour seeping in his cheeks, "How was last night in town with Lenny?"

The outlaw huffed, "Fun, I think. We both got arrested, woke up in the Sheriff's cells."

Her dark eyes widened, "What did you do?"

"Hell if I know, I can't remember much," He opened his satchel and pulled out a poster, "I picked this up before I left town, you ever done any bounty huntin' before?"

He passed her the poster and watched her lips move as she read the page;

WANTED

FOR CAPTURE ALIVE

BENEDICT ALLBRIGHT

$50 DOLLAR REWARD

FOR THE UNLAWFUL PASTIME OF

SELLING HARMFUL SUBSTANCES AS MEDICINE

THOUGHT TO HAVE REMAINED IN

THE VICINITY OF VALENTINE

"Bounty huntin'," She murmured and lowered the page, "Says here he's wanted alive."

"Yeah, but that ain't normally too much of a problem, and if it's just him out there on his own it should be light work. We can split the reward," He looked away nervously, "If you wanted to come with me, that is." He mumbled.

"'Course I'll go with you, Arthur, sounds like it might be interestin'." She handed him the poster back and pulled a packet of cigarettes and her matchbox from her satchel, she pulled one out for herself and offered the packet to him as she fiddled with a match.

Arthur took the packet with a nod and put one between his lips and waited for her to light her to finish with the lit match, "So did I miss anythin' last night while I was out with Lenny?"

"Nah, I sat and had a drink with Charles, Javier and Sean. Talked about this and that," She shrugged and took a long drag on her cigarette, "Javier said he's gonna show me how to quickdraw soon."

"Huh," Arthur nodded and his eyes fell on Mister Escuella across camp, he was perched on a crate sharpening his knife. As if sensing his gaze; the Mexican glanced up, his eyes shifted to Miss Bartlett, and he grinned and tipped his bowler hat to him, "Come on, let's get out for a bit."

"Sure," Effie shrugged as she finished her cigarette, missing the silent exchange between the two men, "Where do you wanna go?"

Arthur led the way to the hitching posts and rubbed the back of neck as he thought for a moment, "That poster says Mister Allbright is somewhere near Valentine, some farmer told me he saw somebody fittin' his description campin' out in the gorge by Cumberland Forest. We can ride out that way and go from there, I guess."

"Okay," Miss Bartlett nodded and headed for her Thoroughbred. Keiran was busying himself with grinding some herbs behind some hay bales, and he straightened as Effie approached her horse and she jumped, "Jesus!"

"Sorry, sorry!" Keiran held his hands up, his eyes wide, "Didn't mean to make ya jump, Miss."

Effie took a deep breath as she took a long look at the gentleman before her; she had asked Arthur about him whilst they'd been in camp for the last two weeks, but he'd managed to keep them from officially meeting, and the details about the former camp prisoner vague and unassuming, "No, it's okay," She shook her head as she calmed her stallion, "Just didn't expect anybody to be crouched behind there is all."

"I'm sorry, Miss, I'll try not to do it again." Kieran bowed his head meekly and she frowned.

"No, I didn't mean it like that, I know you're sorry."

"He - he's some horse you got there, I don't think I've ever seen such a big Thoroughbred before," Keiran nodded to her horse as he settled.

Effie smiled, "He is, isn't he?"

"What's his name?"

"I ain't got one for him yet," She shrugged, "I'm waitin' to find somethin' that suits him."

Keiran stuck his hand out nervously, "I'm Keiran. Duffy."

She took his hand carefully, "Effie Bartlett. Y'know, I was wonderin' why you never join us in the evenin's at the fire."

"Oh," Keiran glanced at Arthur warily, "S-some of the others ain't warm to my company, I'm afraid Miss."

Arthur cleared his throat, "Yeah, he's not overly liked," He said quickly, "Come on, Effie," He mounted his mare and directed her towards the undergrowth, "Kieran." He gave the greasy gentleman a brisk nod as he passed.

Miss Bartlett had her brow furrowed as she climbed up on her saddle, "That was a little rude."

"Oh believe me, ol' Kieran ain't worth much of your manners - or anybody's, for that matter." He muttered and turned to look at her as she joined him on her horse, "Now let's get goin', we'll go through Valentine and head north, make our way up to the gorge that way."

---

Effie tipped her hat to the two travellers who'd moved off the road to let her and Arthur pass through on the narrow path first, and smiled when she heard the outlaw resume his idly humming after they passed. "So you done much bounty huntin' before, Arthur?" She asked as she leant forward in her saddle to admire an eagle soaring overhead, marvelling at its great wingspan as it slowed to perch on a cliff face ahead of them.

"Ah, I've been known to do a little bit here and there over the years," He shrugged, "It can be good money, sure, but normally it's me bein' the bounty, not the hunter." He chuckled, "The thing with bounty hunters, they always turn up at the worst time. A couple of years ago I was just out on my own doin' some explorin', I came across this wagon that must have recently been hit by some other outlaws. Everyone was dead, the driver, the passengers, even the horses. But there was a lockbox that must have been forgotten about, and I saw it, just layin' there in the road, an' I figured why not? So I stop to go see what's inside it," He scoffed and shook his head, "I'm tellin' ya, I ain't ever had so much trouble bustin' a lock open in my life," Effie laughed and he glanced at her, a wry smile on his features, "So I'm crouched there, hittin' the damn thing with a rifle over and over, and then I suddenly hear a pistol hammer," He shook his head, still smiling, "Turns out these two bounty hunters had been trailin' me for a couple of days, and decided to catch up with me at that moment. Now, I knew the local law had put a poster up on me, but it was a pretty low bounty, and I'd travelled pretty far out at the point so I didn't think anybody would bother goin' after me for it."

"How much was your bounty?" She asked as a pair of rabbits skittered out onto the path from the long grass, they serpentined up the path together until they disappeared back into the undergrowth.

"Uh, I ain't sure, I think I must've been about your age, I tended to have bounties sort of everywhere I went. Can't tell you how many times Dutch and Hosea had to come get me outta a cell," There was a fork in the road and he led the way down a winding path that led to the bank of the Dakota River, "But yeah, almost got myself killed for an old lockbox on the side of the road. All it had in it was a couple of tonics, too, ain't no wonder whoever robbed the stagecoach left it behind."

Effie smiled, amused by the outlaw's stories as their horses reached the water's edge and looked up and down it, "So Allbright's meant to be hidin' out somewhere round here?"

"That's what I heard," Arthur murmured, "You see any signs of smoke or anythin'?"

She hummed and looked down at the ground, "There's some tracks going up the gorge that way, but that could be someone just passin' through," She clicked her tongue and followed the tracks up the path as she leaned down to get a better look, "They're faded, maybe a couple days old at least," She pulled on the reins and halted her stallion as the dirt gave way to the carved out cliff off the gorge, "The tracks head this way, do you wanna try and follow 'em?"

Arthur turned in his saddle to look down the river, the path ended here with the river weaving its way through the cliffs, and there wasn't any signs of a campsite down that way, "It's all we got for now, lead the way."

Effie kept her horse's pace slow and leisurely as they followed the slope of the cliff, they continued for a little while until they were quite high up, and the Dakota River rushed down below. She recognised the familiar scent of burning logs and glanced at the outlaw, "Someone's got a campfire nearby," She murmured and he nodded.

They followed the winding cliff until they came to an ageing man sitting near a small fire, his horse stood dutifully near him, both man and steed looked exhausted and withdrawn. Despite the dust and the wear and tear of travelling, he was well dressed in a tailored cobalt suit with a faded orange paisley waistcoat, with a matching bow tie and a top hat. They both stopped and Arthur checked his pistol before he jumped down, his hand reached into his saddle bag and he pulled out his lasso, "Remember, we need to bring him back to Valentine alive," He said as she dismounted beside him.

Effie frowned at the man sat by the fire, "He doesn't look like he'd put up much of a fight."

"Yeah, but that don't mean he'll come quietly," He cautioned as he hung the spool of rope off his gunbelt, "Follow my lead on this one, okay?" She met his piercing blue gaze and nodded, and he gave her a wry smile, "Alright, let's do this." The outlaw rolled his shoulders as he strode over to the man and cleared his throat as they both approached, "Are you Benedict Allbright?"

The man scrambled to his feet and stepped back warily, blinking behind his glasses at them, "No, sir."

His boot hit a crate and some bottles rattled, Effie narrowed her eyes as she looked the man up and down; he didn't look to be armed, definitely not a threat to them. Arthur grunted and rubbed his jaw, "Huh, you kinda look like him. And I was told he'd be up here."

"No," The old man shook his head, eyeing the guns they were both carrying, "Not me."

"It's because," Arthur took a step closer and shot her a glance, "I wanna buy some medicine. And I heard… I heard good things," He feigned a sigh, "I'll pay. In gold. I-If you could help me find him. It's just," He paused and gave the man an imploring stare, "The lady, she's gettin' real sick."

The man's gaze flickered to her and she widened her eyes and coughed dramatically into her hand, "Oh-hoh! Well, if that's the case, if the young lay there's sick I'd be happy to help," He threw his arms up jubilantly and turned to the case of bottles he'd knocked with his boot, "I'm a healer, you know? A medical man. And this here?" He snatched one of the tonic bottles and headed over to Arthur, "The finest medicine in the state." He nodded and offered the outlaw the bottle with a chuckle. The outlaw laughed along with Allbright for a moment and tossed the bottle over the canyon, the con man's mouth dropped open as he stared after the bottle, "Wha-?"

Benedict Allbright turned back to both their guns pointed at his chest, "Games over, Mister. Put your hands up, we're takin' you in."

"Taking me in?" Allbright echoed, his gaze flickered up the path of the gorge as he licked his lips nervously, "What for?"

Arthur shrugged and circled around the campfire to block off his exit, "Apparently that stuff you're pushin' is killin' folk and there's a price on your head," Allbright made another confused noise of protest, "I don't know, it ain't our business."

"Come on partner, that's crap," The conman spluttered, "I'm a healer, I've got an aura," He turned to Effie and went to step towards her, but she raised the gun and gestured with the barrel to keep him where he was cornered at the ledge, "I speak to spirits - I'm a scientist." He insisted, his animated tone becoming strained as it flecked with desperation, "Now, folks get real angry for no good reason, and this? This is a mistake."

"Keep your hands up, Mister," She ordered, her eyes catching the glint of a holster at his hip hidden underneath his blazer, with his hands raised near his head, she stepped forward and snatched the revolver and tossed it into the canyon.

"This is ridiculous," Allbright huffed and took the advantage of stepping forward when Effie took a step back, "Are you even sick, woman?"

She raised an eyebrow, "Do I look sick, Mister?"

His eyes darkened with the realisation that he'd been duped, "I have to insist," He took another step forward, his voice gritted as he loomed over her, "That this is a mistake."

Arthur stalked forward, his gaze hard and his teeth bared menacingly and Allbright faltered and backed off of her, "Don't be a fool." The outlaw warned in a low tone, Effie could practically feel the air charging with his sudden rage and promise of violence. The bounty swallowed and edged back further, only for his foot to slip off the edge and he dropped. Arthur snatched the back of his collar of Allbright's blazer, the conman cried out as his body jolted into the rocky cliff face, his top hat fell into the surging river below. Arthur grunted as he was pulled to the floor with the man's weight, his grip still wound tight into the jacket as his teeth gritted, "Hold on." He said as he strained to heave the man back up as he kicked uselessly.

Effie crouched beside him and leaned over to grab Allbright's left arm, "I'm slippin'!" The bounty cried as rocks and rubble fell all around him, "Shit!"

"Hold still!" She snapped as they hauled him back up onto the ledge. Once Allbright was clear and on the ground again they both fell back, Arthur doubled over after the sudden exertion and Effie breathed deeply as the bounty rolled over until he was safe next to the dying campfire.

"Haha! Oh," He suddenly laughed in disbelief as he got to his feet, she backed up a little behind him to cover the potential escape route as her eyes flickered to Arthur, her grip tightened on her pistol, "You both saved me." He grinned, his arms spread wide, his fists clenched tightly.

The outlaw straightened and raised his gun back up, "Now come on, buddy, let's make this easy."

Allbright's face fell, his mouth slack, "You're taking me in?"

Arthur rolled his eyes as he stepped closer, "It's just for questioning."

The bounty took a big step back as the outlaw advanced, "But you both just saved my life." It wasn't until he got a few feet from Effie did she raise the gun and aim it at the back of the crooked doctor's head, he stilled when she pulled the hammer back.

The outlaw grinned smugly as they both faced him off and gestured to the cliff, "Ain't we had enough drama."

Allbright looked between them both and swallowed nervously, "I - I'd be better off jumping." He suddenly skirted round the campfire and Effie sidestepped with him.

"Easy there, Mister," She warned, "Don't do anythin' hasty now."

"Hasty," Allbright echoed as dipped his head to look at her over his spectacles, his clenched fist wavered from his chest and she narrowed her eyes, "Seems like I only got one move left." He muttered and glanced at the outlaw behind her, his features suddenly hard with determination as he shuffled back a few steps towards the ledge, Effie lurched forward and he waited until she was close when he suddenly shot his fist out at her; the ash from the campfire hit her face and she cried out as the dirt and dust clouded her vision, coughing as she inhaled bits of debris, her pistol snatched from her distracted grip.

Allbright locked his arm around her throat and pulled her back against him, she stumbled with him, eyes streaming as her vision tried to clear itself, "Bastard!" She wheezed as she swung her elbow out wildly as she struggled in the bounty's grip, jabbing into his soft stomach viciously. Allbright grunted at the blow and swung out with the butt of her gun, she just about made out the move and jerked against him instinctively to dodge the incoming blow and he hauled her back with him as he tried to regain his balance as she wriggled in his grip.

"Stop!" Arthur roared and the bounty halted over the edge of the cliff, "Now, now Allbright, they expressly told me not to kill you." He said slowly; the light, airy tone he'd had was long gone, and had been replaced with a biting edge.

Allbright scoffed, "This is about you?"

"You've just done the one thing that'll make me pull this trigger and not think twice about it," The outlaw tilted his head so his hat dipped low, hiding his face in shadow, "Now, let go of the girl and come away from the edge."

The arm around her throat tightened, "Or what?" Arthur stepped forward and Allbright turned the gun on Effie, "You can't shoot me - woah!" His warning cry had the outlaw still in his tracks.

"Please," He said as he slowly holstered his pistol, his eyes wide, "Let her go, you don't have to jump."

Effie's hand drifted down the knife on her belt carefully as Allbright twisted behind her to look at the river below, "I'll take my chances," He said firmly, "I'm a strong swimmer - not sure about the young lady here, though."

"Oh yeah?" Effie lashed her hand back to the assailant behind her, the knife jabbed the bounty in the leg and he cried out, she thrashed and tried to prise herself from under his arm as he moaned down at the knife handle embedded into his leg.

"You fucking bitch!" He hissed and dragged her backwards as Arthur reached for her, he shoved her back and suddenly the world was falling.

"No!" The outlaw's cry echoed around the creek as she fell towards the surging river below, barely having time to take a breath as she crashed into the water.

The Dakota River was oddly murky and dark, and a lot more fast-moving than it looked from thirty feet above. Beneath the water everything felt muted, but she heard another crash and could just about make out Allbright's portly figure in the depths a short way ahead from her, she kicked and kicked to make her way back up the surface, gasping for breath as she finally broke through the depths. She coughed as she kicked and flailed to keep her head above the water, the current of the river was unforgiving and it swept her down the river at a rapid speed, it was all she could do to make sure it didn't take her under again.

"Effie!" She turned her head to the sound of Arthur's yell, she squinted in the bright sunlight to see him thundering down the slope of the gorge to the bank, the lasso ready in in his hand.

Behind her, Allbright broke to the surface with a splutter, "Ah, my leg! Help me!" He cried as his head bobbed under the water again.

"Arthur! Get the -," The murky waters claimed her once again and she kicked to get back to the surface, "Get the fuckin' bounty!" She hacked.

"I gotta cross! Can you swim?" He shouted as the river rushed them both ahead.

"What the - of course I can swim, you idiot!" She cried back and turned herself to the rapids ahead, twisting to avoid being crushed into a large boulder sticking out in the middle of the river, "Can you swim," She muttered, reaching out to try and snag at some reeds, a branch, anything that could get her back to shore, "Shit." She growled as the current swept her further downstream, she winced as she heard the sound of crashing water up ahead; that couldn't be good.

Behind her she could hear Allbright hollering and moaning, "Oh shit, my leg!"

"Grab onto somethin', swim to the bank!" The outlaw yelled to the crook as he struggled to keep afloat.

"Arthur the rapids! Try and get him before that!" She warned over her shoulder as she braced for the falls that the current was dragging her towards.

"Oh shit! Hold your breath!" Was all she heard before she raced towards them, she fought against the current to try and steer out of the way of the rocks, missing all of them but the last two, the water flung her against the last one and the breath was flung out of her as she felt herself falling over falls. She hit the water again and blinked, her limbs not responding to her as her body racked with pain and exhaustion, the current had stilled considerably in the body of water she'd been carried to, and a large salmon zipped up to her curiously, flitting away when her arms finally listened to her screaming brain. Her head broke free of the surface with a gasp, her vision was blurred as she looked around, the river had widened considerably where she was, and the tugging gravity of the rapids wasn't there to fight against her as she kicked towards the bank. She could hear Allbright's garbled cry behind her as he inevitably went over the falls, but she didn't bother looking back for him, she kept her jaw clenched as she fought her limbs to keep swimming until she got to the water's edge, ignoring the pain in her side where she'd been thrown into the rocks.

Hoofbeats drummed towards her as she dragged herself up the bank, footsteps neared and she felt his hand at her shoulder, gently pushing her on her back, she squinted at the invasion of bright sunlight until the outlaw loomed over her, his features etched in concern, "Effie, are you okay? Anythin' broken?"

"Uh-huh, all good," She rasped and raised her head off the ground to look up at him, "Think I preferred the barrel dunkin' at camp to that, though."

His expression softened at her comment and he smiled, "Least you won't have to worry about washin' them clothes now, though."

She grinned tiredly as he helped her to her feet, "Are you two just gonna let me drown? Help me!" Allbright cried from the water.

Effie wringed the water out of her hair and whistled for her horse as she heard the whooshing sound of a rope being thrown, "Heh, fish on the line." Somehow, she found the strength to roll her eyes at the smirk in Arthur's voice as he snagged Allbright in the water and pulled on the rope to get him to shore.

Allbright groaned as he finally hit solid ground on the bank, Effie's pistol was still tight in his grip and she stepped over to him as he coughed water onto the dirt. She pressed the heel of her boot cruelly into his hand to make the crook release the gun, he yelped and dropped the gun as Arthur bent to drag him up the bank and hogtie him tightly.

"Ah, be careful!" Allbright hissed, "My leg."

"I'll be takin' that back, too." Effie spied the handle of the knife still lodged deep into Allbright's thigh and ripped it out, ignoring the bounty's pained moans as she wiped the blade clean on the grass and straightened up.

"Who made you God, friend?" The crook twisted to glare up at Arthur as he finished trying off the rope, "Who made you judge?"

"Actually," The outlaw shrugged conversationally, "We're only in it for the money."

"Arrgh, that's even worse!" He moaned again.

Effie finished checking the pistol over and holstered it when she was satisfied it was okay with a chuckle, "I'm sure it does seem that way."

"Wha- are you two even proper bounty hunters?" Benedict spluttered.

Arthur and Effie shared a wry look before they both looked back down at him, "No."

"Alright," Arthur grabbed the crook and hauled him over his shoulder, "Let's take you in."

---

Effie leaned back against the beams of the porch outside the Sheriff's office, waiting for Arthur to drop off Benedict Allbright and collect the reward, she smoked a cigarette as she watched the townsfolk idly as they bustled about, across the street there was a young boy selling newspapers. She glanced back and spied the outlaw through the window talking to the Sheriff inside before she headed over to the boy, "I'll take one, kid." She dug into her satchel and pulled out some loose coins.

"Thank ya, Miss." The young lad handed her the paper and she folded it over to fit it in her satchel.

"Excuse me, Miss?" Effie turned and looked up, raising her brows as she came face to face with the lady she'd bumped into the last time she was in Valentine. She was dressed as elegantly as she had the last time, her dark hair pinned up behind her ears with some expensive jewelled pins, matching earrings sparkled prettily in the sunlight and a pretty gem hung from her slender neck.

Effie rubbed some dried dirt from the river off her cheek as she nodded to her, "Oh, hello there, Ma'am."

The woman gave a hesitant smile, "I was hopin' I'd run into you again. I was wonderin' if you knew somebody I've been lookin' for," The lady's dark eyes shifted to the boy stood behind them and she cleared her throat and walked a little bit away to get out of his earshot.

Effie followed the lady slowly, "You're lookin' for someone?"

"Yes, I don't usually approach people lookin' like yourself, but I suspect from the way you look you know him too," The woman looked around and leaned closer, "I'm lookin' for a man named Arthur Morgan."

Effie narrowed her eyes a fraction; she had no clue who this well dressed woman was, and Arthur's bounty poster had been around for some time now. And if these last couple of months had taught her anything, it was that she couldn't trust anyone - even if she was just a high society lady.

"Look, Ma'am," She began as she finished her cigarette.

"Oh, it's Mary, Mary Linton," The lady blinked and paused before she stuck out her hand.

Effie eyed the rings on her soft, delicate fingers but didn't make a move to touch it, "Okay, Miss Linton, look; I don't know you. I'm just somebody passin' through town, and I ain't from these parts, an' I never heard of a fella named Morgan."

The hand gripped her arm, "Please," Mary looked at her with wide eyes, "It's really important that I find him, if you know somethin' I need you to tell me."

Effie snatched her arm away, "I told you, I don't know him."

The lady's eyes dropped for a moment before she raised her chin, "I was there when he bought you that coat you're wearin', from the store down there," Effie's eyes widened and Mary gave a small smile; knowing she'd given herself away, "Please, when you next see him, tell him I asked for him. I need his help." Mary gave her a pleading look before she walked away into town, Effie watched her leave with her brow furrowed, she waited until Mary disappeared into the general store down the street before she crossed the road to wait for Arthur, dodging out the way of a wagon as it came down the road.

"Hey, get out the damn street, girl!" The driver snapped and she glared at him.

"How 'bout you watch where ya goin', drivin' a wagon through town like that." She scoffed back, folding her arms as he carried on, shaking his head.

"I leave you for all of five minutes, an' you're pickin' fights with half the town," She turned to the deep voice behind her, "Here, not bad for an easy bounty." Arthur grinned as he counted out some bills from the stack and held it out to her.

"Heh, wouldn't call almost drownin' an easy bounty." She smiled as she tucked the bills into her satchel.

The outlaw leaned back, his hands going to his gunbelt, "Your clothes dried off yet?"

Effie shrugged as she looked down the street to where she'd last seen Miss Linton, "Almost. Hey, do you know many high society folk?"

Arthur chuckled, "Only high society folk I tend to know are the ones I rob. Why?"

"I bumped into somebody," She glanced back up at him, "A lady, said she was lookin' for you."

She didn't miss the way the outlaw's blue gaze flashed, "You did, did you?"

She nodded, "A Miss Mary Linton."

Arthur froze, his lips drew into a thin line and his jaw tightened and Effie frowned.

"Are you okay?"

The outlaw didn't move for a long time, eventually he nodded, "Uh-huh. Fine. What did she say to you?" He turned and headed towards the hitching post where they'd tied their horses, Effie trailed behind him.

"Not much; just that she's lookin' for you, said she needs your help," She hesitated as she climbed the saddle and patted her Thoroughbred's neck, "Who is she, Arthur?"

Arthur didn't respond as he led the way down the muddy road towards the train station and out of town, "She's…" He trailed off, and she shifted in her saddle as she watched how tense he'd become, "She's a, um, she's someone I know from a long time ago." He scratched the back of his neck as he encouraged his mare into a light gallop once they were clear of the train tracks.

"Oh." Effie murmured as she had her stallion keep the same pace beside him, they fell into a heavy silence as they followed the path back to camp, she had no clue who this Mary lady was; but knew the outlaw well enough by now to know when he wasn't going to open up about something.

The pair of them remained in silence on the ride all the way back to camp, she swallowed as they cut through the undergrowth, feeling Arthur's mood roll of him in waves, but she couldn't get a read on him properly, he was tense, sure. But other than that, he kept himself shrouded from her, it wasn't until they slowed by the hitching posts that she cleared her throat to brave breaking the quiet between them, "I picked up a newspaper in town for Hosea, I'm gonna go drop it off to him." He didn't meet her eyes as she leaned forward and lowered herself to the ground.

"Ah, there ya are, lass. I was wonderin' where you'd got to," She turned to Sean striding over, his thumbs tucked into his belt loops and wearing a jaunty smile, "That homestead'll be empty later tonight, I reckon, so be ready to ride out."

She returned the Irishman's smile and nodded whilst Arthur scuffled to dismount behind her, "What?"

"I got a cushty little homestead job all worked out," Sean puffed out his chest and jerked a thumb to her, "Got Miss Bartlett comin' out wit me later for it."

Arthur loomed over the younger outlaw and then turned to look at her, "I agreed to ride out with him last night."

"Who else is goin'?" The gunslinger crossed his arms.

Sean frowned, "No one, it's just gonna be me an' her."

Arthur tilted his head and looked from the Irishman to her, she held his tempestuous gaze for a long moment before he shook his head, "No, Effie ain't robbed enough to be goin' out with you yet, what if somethin' happens?"

The younger outlaw waved his hand dismissively and Arthur bristled beside her, "I been out scoutin' the house twice, Morgan, it's an easy target - the entire family has left to travel to some big city, she won't even need to pull a gun."

"Arthur," Effie pressed quietly, "It's gonna be fine, that house is gonna be empty. We'll be in an' outta there," His icy gaze dragged away from Sean's to hers, "What, you don't trust me or somethin'?"

Arthur shook his head, "It ain't that I don't trust ya, it's just…" He paused and trailed off.

"Look, I'll have her back to ya by tomorrow mornin', then you can go back to keepin' her all to yaself," Sean rolled his eyes, "But I already talked to Dutch, he's fine wit me takin' her out on a little light robbery."

The gunslinger's jaw clenched, "Fine, but you best make sure you keep her safe, Mister Macguire," His tone was rigid, "And you," He turned to look down at her, her heart started hammering in her chest under his scrutinous gaze, "You be careful, don't go runnin' head first into any danger." Effie searched his gaze and opened her mouth to respond, but he was already turning back to Sean, "When are you plannin' on ridin' out?"

Sean shrugged coolly, "Figured we'd leave at nightfall, less likely to meet anyone out on the road that way."

Arthur nodded slowly, "Good. Come on, Effie. I wanna make sure you have somethin' to eat before you leave camp." He muttered and headed off towards Pearson's stew pot.

The Irishman rubbed the back of his neck and flicked his greasy red mop out of his face, his expression uncharacteristically stony, "Jesus, he's gettin' more miserable by the feckin' day," He breathed and managed a half smile at her, "I'll come find ya later, lass."

She turned and headed to catch up with Arthur, he pointed to the table near Pearson's wagon where Hosea was sat reading, "Go take a seat, I'll bring you some food and we can eat there."

Effie sighed inwardly; whatever mood he was in when they left Valentine, Sean had just made it worse, and she didn't know if she had it in her to argue about her freedom to leave camp again. Hosea looked up from his novel as she trudged over, "Evening, Miss Bartlett. How are things?"

"Fine, I picked this up for you from Valentine." She pulled the folded newspaper from her satchel and held it out to him.

Hosea's eyebrows raised and he smiled warmly as he took it, "Well, ain't that fine? Thank you, Miss Bartlett, that's damned decent of ya."

"Least I could do, what with you helpin' me with writin' and everything.'" She shrugged as she took a seat at the table and pulled out her cigarettes and put one between her teeth.

Hosea poured over the front page of the newspaper in interest whilst Effie busied herself with finding her matches, she struck one off the table and raised it to her mouth. "Ah, put that out," Arthur's stern voice behind her made her pause and she turned with a frown, "You're just about to eat, I don't want to see ya eatin' hardly any dinner 'cause you smoked." He set one of the bowls of stew down in front of her and took the cigarette from her mouth, his thumb brushed the bottom of her lip gently and she blinked.

He pocketed the cigarette as he took a seat and nodded to the other gentleman in greeting, avoiding Effie's look as he focussed on his bowl of food.

---

Arthur sat cleaning his revolvers watching Effie pick at the last bits of stew in her bowl, her lips set in a thin line. She didn't offer much conversation, but he didn't mind, and Hosea seemed content enough to study the newspaper she'd bought him. Dutch's gramophone had been switched on as the sun had set, and music gently wafted through the air around camp as the gang settled in for the evening, those on guard duty switched for the night, and the rest either gathered round the fire or at the other table for a game of poker.

His mind whirled, tired after the way the day had turned out, especially after the heavy night he'd had before with Lenny. That bounty hunt had taken a nasty turn, and his heart had dropped through his stomach when Benedict Allbright had shoved Miss Bartlett off the ledge and into the gorge. It was a godsend she could swim, he hadn't been so sure when he'd finally caught up with her at the basin; but the near drowning hadn't killed her wit, and that smile she'd given him was always a good indication to him.

Then, the all of maybe five minutes he'd left her outside in Valentine whilst he'd collected the reward for Allbright and she'd run into Mary Linton, of all people. His teeth ground together as he sat there staring at the revolver in his hand; he wasn't ready to deal with that painful part of his past, and after he'd run into her in the general store he thought he'd made that clear to her.

The sound of Effie pushing the bowl away from her interrupted his thoughts and he looked up across the table at her; she had pulled the string from her braid, and was brushing her fingers through her hair to unfurl it. Her dark hair fanned over her shoulders and fell around her face in soft waves, the smaller bits of her hair that hadn't been tied in her braid had dried into tight curls after her impromptu swim. She grabbed her matches and held her hand out expectantly across the table to him, he raised an eyebrow and tipped the edge of her bowl to check how much she'd eaten, his mouth twitched when he saw the amount left.

"You've barely touched your food." He said, looking at her carefully; it had only been several weeks since she'd been in camp with them, but she still looked a so small and frail, especially with how tired she looked, the swim in the rapids earlier must have taken a lot out of her and he knew a full night's sleep was something that often evaded her.

"I ate as much as I could," She replied shortly and she jerked her outstretched hand impatiently, "C'mon, Arthur."

Across the table, Hosea shifted, but he didn't look up from his reading and the outlaw sighed as he found his resolve wilting under her imploring gaze, he returned the cigarette he'd confiscated from her earlier and grabbed one for himself, making a mental note to make sure she ate again before they went wagon stealing tomorrow as he waited for her to finish with the matches.

"You're awful quiet," She said as she passed him the lit match, "Everythin' okay?"

He shrugged as he lit his cigarette and threw the match, "I guess, just thinkin'."

"Always thinkin'." She murmured as she blew a plume of smoke into the night air.

"That's our Arthur," Hosea cleared his throat and folded the newspaper over, "He don't like to let on how much he actually uses his head," The old man shot him a smile, "Although, it is strange not hearing the two of ya goin' about a mile a minute for once."

Arthur shrugged, he met Effie's dark eyes across the table and looked away and he heard her scoff, "Arthur's just mad at me."

Hosea made an amused noise, "Is he now?"

He whipped his head to see her strained smirk, and he frowned, "I ain't mad at 'chu."

She chuckled before she took another toke, "Oh yes you are."

"No I ain't."

"You are."

"I ain't."

"Yes."

"No." He gritted and threw his revolver on the table, his temper finally flaring, "I'm not."

"Arthur," Hosea began, his tone calm.

"What? She's just tryin' to piss me off." He snapped, pointing at her across the table.

Effie narrowed her dark eyes at him, "You were already pissed off."

"Well, that's because you do things that piss me off. Jesus, I feel like you're doin' the exact opposite of things I say, woman." He hissed.

"Oh what? Because I'm leavin' camp with someone that ain't you?" She snapped too, and it struck a chord with him, he glared daggers at her across the table and she raised her chin, "Just admit you're mad because I'm goin' on that job with Sean."

"Now, now." The senior gunslinger raised his hand to try and quell the argument between them both, but they were tired, and emotional.

The outlaw scoffed and gave her a mean grin, "Sure, easy. I'm mad that you agreed to ride out with him."

Effie threw her hand up and rolled her eyes, "Thank you."

"I'm mad," Arthur leaned forward, his tone scathing, "Because you can't go five minutes without gettin' yourself into trouble. Because you don't think."

"It ain't my fault things sometimes go the way they do," She glared, "You act like I can't look out for myself."

He scoffed, "Because you don't look out for yaself. You can't even eat properly! You'd be dead without me lookin' out for you all the damn time."

"I didn't fuckin' ask you to look out for me, Morgan," She spat, "If it's such a burden on you then maybe you shouldn't fuckin' do it."

"I don't feel like buryin' ya either, Effie." He growled back.

She scoffed and shook her head, "I don't remember askin' you to. Ain't my fault you feel the need to look out for everybody all the damn time."

Arthur groaned and rubbed a hand over his face, "You are so goddamn stubborn, you know that?"

"And you're so fuckin'-"

"Enough!" Hosea slammed his hand down on the table, "I don't give a god damn about what it is you two fools are fightin' about, but I don't wanna sit here and listen to it, and neither does anybody else." His voice boomed around the camp, and the outlaw realised just how quiet the camp had gotten whilst they'd argued. He huffed through his nose as he turned to the campfire, his jaw tightened when he saw everybody there were watching them, a few of them murmuring to each other.

Sean cleared his throat as he gingerly approached the table, "It's time to go, are you comin' Miss Bartlett?"

Arthur felt her gaze flicker to him, but he stared at the revolver he'd thrown across the table, his jaw set as he refused to meet her eyes.

"Yeah, get me outta here." She sighed and got to her feet and grabbed her bowl to go put it in the makeshift sink area at Pearson's wagon.

"You two make sure you watch yourselves out there." Hosea said quietly.

Sean tipped his hat, "'Course, we'll be fine."

The outlaw finally raised his head when she walked away with the Irishman, he caught Hosea's stern gaze and he frowned, "What?"

"You know what." The older man muttered and shook his head, the outlaw's teeth gritted at Hosea's disappointed tone as he got to his feet and headed to join the group at the main campfire, leaving Arthur to stew at the table alone. Arthur watched Effie check her guns and her saddlebag, Karen was walking with Sean as he retrieved his horse from the far side of camp near the scout campfire. It wasn't until Sean snuck a kiss to Karen and climbed his horse that he found himself on his feet and heading over to the two of him, he swallowed to try and ease the sudden dryness in his mouth as he approached.

"Effie, wait," She turned as she untied the reins from the post, a slight frown on her face as she eyed him warily, he looked down at his boots; he hated how she was looking at him right now - no warmth in her dark eyes, no sweet smile that made his heart race. "Here, take this." He reached behind him and untied the black bandanna that hung from his neck, he almost lurched forward to give it to her, worried she'd turn away and take her leave.

She stayed still as he carefully moved her hair to tie it behind her neck, his fingers felt oddly numb as they fiddled with the cloth ends to secure it properly, and he slowly withdrew his hands when it was done. Her eyes looked less guarded when he'd leaned back and she looked down and brushed her fingers on the cloth.

"Just in case, it'll hide ya face if anyone sees," He mumbled, his face felt hot; suddenly their earlier argument felt stupid and he felt like a damn fool for the things he'd said to her. He reached and brushed some of her hair behind her ear and turned to Sean, "Keep her safe." He ordered in a quiet tone, his exhaustion suddenly gripping him from out of nowhere.

He didn't wait for a response, he turned on his heel and headed for his tent, ignoring the looks from the rest of the gang watching as he all but collapsed on his cot, listening to the hoofbeats fade away in the dark. He pulled off his boots and shed his jacket, his movements slow, weighted with his fatigue. His hand reached into his satchel as he lowered it to the floor, habitually pulling out his journal and opening it, grabbing his pencil to write.

But no words came.

He stared at his previous entry, a drawing of Effie sat in her favourite spot in camp looking out at the view from a few days ago. He glanced back at the entrance where she'd been standing before she'd left and he swallowed; that familiar cold seeping feeling of fear pooled within him. With a heavy sigh he lowered his pencil to the page and dragged it along the page as he managed one sentence.

I am a fool.