She was being ridiculous, she concluded as she breathed deeply, attempting to clear the knot in her throat and the tears that were stinging at her eyes. She had no right to be upset. Arthur had never put a label on their 'situation' so she shouldn't have put so much faith into it, like a lovestruck little girl.

Then why did it hurt so much? She thought to herself bitterly. Shaking her head she forced herself to head back to camp, plastering a smile onto her face as she returned and busied herself with small tasks, though there wasn't much available for her to do. Miss Grimshaw was still scolding Arthur and she took small satisfaction in the act.

"Don't you have better things to do other than being at her beck and call, Mr. Morgan?" She asked. Arthur sighed, lifting his hat off his head and running a hand through his hair.

"I don't think you understand, Miss Grimshaw-"

"You're goddamned right I don't!" The woman retorted. Evelyn winced, she never wanted to be on the recieving end of the woman's ire, she decided. She looked up as Abigail stopped at her side, a concerned look in her eyes as she gazed down at Evelyn

"You okay, hun?" She whispered. Evelyn fiegned confusion, looking down at her hands and pretended to be busy.

"What do you mean?" Abigail rolled her eyes.

"Don't play coy with me Evelyn, I know you better than that." She scolded, hands on her hips. Evelyn shook her head.

"I'm fine Abigail, really. I don't have anything to be upset about." She lied through her teeth.

"Look, you can pretend to be fine with it but whenever you need me I'll be here for you, you hear?"

Evelyn's heart clenched fondly, looking at the concerned Abigail.

"I'll come to you if I need you. But if what you're hinting at is about Arthur, I mean it. We're not... Anything, so I have nothing to be upset about." She tried to reassure her friend. Abigail huffed and shook her head, taking her leave but not before glaring hatefully at Arthur. Who, frankly, was just as surprised as everyone else. As the day progressed to about mid-day, Evelyn had been successfully avoiding the source of her heartache.

To distract herself she followed after Charles who welcomed her to go check the traps with him, as he, along with most of the gang, had noticed her mood shift around the time Arthur received the letter. She truly appreciated the man's company, he had a way of reassuring her when she felt the very opposite. He assessed her quietly as she stood silently at his side. Her eyes were downcast and far away and her brow was faintly furrowed, along with her frown.

"What troubles you?" He asked. Her eyes flicked to him briefly before looking away.

"I'm just thinking, you know? About... if maybe it's time for me and Annabell to leave, after everything and... Well, you know, you remember what that Milton fellow said, about the price on my head. I imagine that my presence here puts you all in more danger than if I was to leave." She said, wrapping her hands around herself. Charles was shocked, it hadn't occurred to him that the woman would ever want to leave or even feel pressured to.

"You know we wouldn't let them take you or your girl." He insisted. She shook her head.

"No, I know. I just... I don't know my place here anymore, Charles." She admitted. She looked over to him and saw his troubled expression. "Not that I haven't enjoyed my time here, with you all. I just don't feel like I make a difference here, besides two extra mouths to feed."

Charles didn't know what to say. He obviously didn't want her to go, but he didn't want to make her feel anymore guilty if she did decide to leave. "Just think about it before you do, okay?" She offered him a smile and nodded. He smiled back and lead her back home, four rabbits in tow. Pearson was pleased with the donation, quickly getting to work skinning and butchering them for tonight's stew. Evelyn couldn't find anything else to do, Charles having run off almost as soon as they got back to camp and chores were all caught up on. She sighed and decided to join Jack and Annabell who were practicing their flower necklace techniques. Annabell hadn't quite gotten it down yet but she was close to being able to craft a necklace. How silly it was, she thought to herself, that she had to hide away with the children because she was too scared to even see Arthur.

Jack attempted to teach her how to make flower chains, and she tried her hardest to make one but the skill seemed to elude her. She felt guilty, poor Jack was trying his best to teach the adult how to do such a simple task. Eventually she managed to get a small, lousy bracelet made, that though it looked awful she was certainly proud of herself. Jack and Annabell had been intensely watching her and cheered when she finally succeeded after the many attempts. They both then started bickering over who got to keep it. Evelyn smiled at their antics. Unfortunately for her she was so engrossed in the activity that she didn't notice when Arthur came up behind her, standing quietly unnoticed through half of it. He cleared his throat, making her jump.

"Hey there. Mind if I borrow your student for a while?" He asked the kids, who laughed at the image of the grown woman being their student and they granted him permission. He offered her his hand to stand up, which she took while avoiding eye contact.

Her heart was beating furiously in her throat and her breathing was shallow. He was here to tell her that what they'd been doing meant nothing and he was bringing Mary into the gang, surely. Arthur simply lead her to where the horses were hitched.

"Will you ride with me?" He asked her. No, say no. she screamed at herself mentally. Instead she just swallowed thickly and nodded.

"Of course." She agreed. She let him help her onto her hose and waited for him to get on his. They rode on in tense silence, Evelyn looking at everything but him and him looking at only her. He sighed.

"I got a letter from Mary, askin' for my help. You remember her, right? I think I told you 'bout her." He said.

"I remember." She said simply.

"Well, I brought you along 'cause I thought you'd wanna meet her and you might be able to help." He pressed on. She mentally scoffed. Why would she want to meet Mary of all people? The one person who threatened... Well, whatever this thing between her and Arthur was. "She's stayin' in a hotel in Saint Denise."

She hummed in acknowledgement. He sighed and gave up. They arrived in Saint Denise, still in silence. It took them a little while to find the hotel, but when they did Mary immediately caught sight of Arthur.

"Arthur! You came!" She cried. She was leaning over the small balcony that extended out of her room, smiling happily. Evelyn swallowed and looked away.

"Yeah I came." Arthur said, chuckling. "So uh... What do you need?" He asked, not unkindly. Mary gestured for him to wait there. He hopped off his horse and stood, waiting.

"Wait there, I'll be right down." She called out. Evelyn nudged her horse to step away a bit, unable to bear being so close to the two. Mary quickly emerged from the hotel. "Arthur... You came." She said breathlessly.

"Sure." He replied. "What's wrong?"

Mary clasped her hands together tightly. "It's daddy." She said. Arthur scoffed.

"Your father? What could he possibly need from me?" He said harshly.

"Arthur, you can't hold it against a father for wanting better for his daughter than..." She gestured meekly. "Well, you." Evelyn quirked an eyebrow at the woman, who still hadn't taken notice of her. Evelyn looked away, opting to not eavesdrop on their conversation. It seemed intimate, and she knew she wasn't apart of it.

"Arthur... Who is this?" Mary asked, finally noticing the woman sitting atop her horse a few feet behind him and awkwardly trying to distract herself.

"This is Evelyn. She's... Well, I brought her along incase I needed her help." He explained. The way he said it made her heart ache bitterly. Mary looked her up and down, confused. She couldn't see how the woman could be of any help.

"Oh... Well..." She fumbled. Arthur sighed and signaled her to move along.

"Come on then. What's the loveable patriarch been up to now?" He asked as he helped her get ont the back of his horse.

"You know sarcasm is beneath you, Arthur. But, he's been gamblin', drinkin', and other things. He said he'd be down at the stables."

"Well, let's go find the sorry old bastard." He said as he swung into the saddle. Mary looked up at him sorrowfully.

"Oh Arthur... I should've ran away with you years ago." She lamented.

Evelyn nearly whimpered out loud. Why was she here? What was the purpose of Arthur dragging her along to witness them completely ignore her?

Arthur shook his head. "But you didn't. And I'm okay with that." He replied. Mary looked away, hurt.

"Daddy... He keeps sayin' it's a disgrace that he had to ride around on an old nag. He's been drinkin' and gamblin' more than ever. Pawnin' thing off left and right. Mixing with bad people. I'm scared for him." She said.

"Don't worry 'bout it too much. we'll figure it out." He reassured her. They arrived at the stables and Evelyn again stood forgotten to the side as the duo discussed their plans.


Somehow Evelyn and Mary were left alone. Mary's father had stormed off in a fit of rage, and Mary herself was calming down from her own anger. Evelyn hadn't done much for helping, she noted that Mary and Arthur had pretty well handled the situation on their own, besides Evelyn being tasked with riding ahead of them to ensure they didn't lose sight of Mary's father as they discreetly followed him, leading Evelyn to wonder again why she'd been drug along on their escapade.

Mary sighed and sat down on a crate. They were waiting on Arthur to return with her mother's brooch. Mary took in the sight of Evelyn for the first time. She was quiet and awkward the whole time, sitting upon her horse dressed in a blue long-sleeved shirt and a long gray skirt with her long and very dark straight hair flowing behind her. In a way her and Mary were complete opposite, Evelyn with dark hair, elegantly angled features and sharp blue eyes, as opposed to Mary with her light brown honey-streaked curly hair and warm brown eyes set into a soft round face. Mary was very much soft and earthly, and Evelyn was very sharp and steeled.

"So... How did you get roped in with Arthur?" Mary asked. They hadn't spoken the entire time they'd been together. She hoped she hadn't come off as rude.

Evelyn shifted in the saddle. She hadn't expected the woman to talk to her.

"His gang took me and my daughter in after we were forced from our home. I just occasionally tag along on their outings." She explained, leaving out many details. "You?"

Mary shook her head. "It's a long story. I suppose once we were in love, engaged even. But... I couldn't support his lifestyle, and he refused to change." Evelyn hummed in sympathy.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Mrs. Linton." Evelyn offered.

"Thank you... So, what exactly is your relationship with Arthur? I imagine he must be dear to you, for helping you and your daughter and you must mean something to you for him to want to bring you along." Mary pressed. Evelyn looked at her in confusion, unsure why she was so insistent.

"I'm not much of anything, Miss, don't worry." She said simply. They were so engrossed in their conversation they didn't notice Arthur until he came up and offered Mary the brooch.

Mary thanked him, and he inquired on the whereabouts of her father to which she shook her head and declined his offer to search for him. He insisted they at least walked her to the trolley.

Evelyn again hung back as they said their goodbyes, unable to bear to witness if they embraced, or worse. In a last minute decision she decided to leave the couple to themselves so they could have privacy, though the thought made her stomach turn. She sighed deeply to herself as she strolled the streets of Saint Denise. The city from the outside was hideous, but once you were inside of it you could see the simple beauty in it, in its residents of every shape and color. It was a refreshing change from Rhodes, though she did miss the countryside town.

The sun was finally beginning to fall from the sky, casting its usual orange-pink hues. The sight grounded her, reminding her that though her situation certainly wasn't the best to be in, the world was vast and she'd be okay eventually. The thought made her remember her conversation with Charles. Did she dare to leave the company of the Van Der Linde Gang? She'd come to love them as a family, and Annabell had too. Surely she wasn't considering departing? Her heart ached, reminding her of why she would be leaving, if she decided to. Maybe she should.

She had almost made it out of the city when Arthur caught up to her. She dreaded being in his company.

"Why'd you leave?" He asked her, concerned.

"To give you two privacy, of course." She said simply, looking ahead at the road before her. He shook his head.

"Why do you think we'd need privacy?" She shrugged.

"I don't know, Arthur. Why would you? Why would you need privacy when you're saying goodbye to the woman you're in love with?" She lashed out bitterly, unable to stop the surge of emotions. Tears stung viciously as her eyes and her chest grew hot with anger and sadness. She refused to look at him, ashamed at the display of emotions. Arthur sat back, flabbergasted. He pulled his horse to a stop and grabbed the lead to Evelyn's horse. He swung them around, briskly leading the horses to the small lake that resided just to the side of the city entrance. He stopped at a lone tree, getting off the horse and lifting Evelyn off of hers. He looked at her as she refused to make eye contact, instead staring miserably out over the water with her arms wrapped around herself.

"What are you even talkin' about woman?" He asked her. She shook her head.

"Nothing. I should've known better. Should've known better than to assume we were... anything, when your true love is still in this very city." She cried out, the tears she'd been holding back finally flooding from her eyes.

"Mary?" He cried out, his tone incredulous. "You think I'm still in love with Mary?" He stalked closer to Evelyn. She rolled her eyes.

"It's kind of hard to miss, Arthur. But you didn't have to drag me along to witness it! I thought maybe I meant at least a little bit to you."

He stared at her, silent. She stared back, eyes wide and hurt. He looked down, the brim of his hat covering his eyes from view.

"You mean everything to me, Evelyn Kings." He whispered. She sobbed.

"What does that even mean? What does any of this mean?" She gestured between them. He caught her wrist that was flinging through the air and looked her in the yes.

"I love you, you foolish woman! That's what this means." He exclaimed. Evelyn sucked in a sharp breath, grasping at her chest. She stared at him, eyes wide and watery.

"Please, Arthur. Please don't drag me along like some fool." She begged quietly. He shook his head, trapping her against the tree with his arms on either side of her head.

"I love you, Evelyn. I shoulda been more open about it. I shoulda told you already. I haven't felt anything for Mary in a long while. Not since meetin' you. That letter, seein' her today, it meant nothin'. Not when I knew you were there at my side. I told her as such. Told her 'bout us." He said quietly in her ear.

She panted softly, her heart beating and tears still streaming down her face.

"You... You mean it?" She asked. Arthur nodded, bringing his head down to catch her in a passionate kiss. They stayed in an embrace for a while, just taking each other in.

Once it had gotten dark they finally parted.

"Let's go home, Evelyn." Arthur said. Evelyn nodded quietly, following behind him as they headed back to camp.