Orville felt better in spirit and clearer in mind today than he had in years. In the time since he'd run from the bank, since the day he'd stumbled into the Church of the Holy Blessed Virgin, he'd worked himself to sobriety.

But he hadn't managed it alone. Sister Calderón, Brother Dorkins and Father O'Leary had rejuvenated his love for the Lord and a simple church service. And now, he had been honored with the opportunity to accompany Sister down to Mexico.

"Are you nervous, Reverend Swanson?" asked Sister Calderón on the bench beside him, having watched his leg bouncing since the moment they sat.

He and Sister were the only occupants of Flatneck Station this afternoon, awaiting the train that would open the next chapter of his life ahead.

At her question, Orville stilled his leg and admitted sheepishly, "The last time I was in this location, I was not in a good state, Sister. Not at all."

His stomach curled uneasily with this confession. He'd been at one of his lowest points at that time and feeding his addiction. He'd drunk excessively and gambled, nearly betting the clothes on his back to stay in the game.

"Ah." Sister Calderón looked around as if she could observe his messy memories. "I see."

"If I'm being truthful, it's reminding me of my unworthiness, Sister."

Instead of berating him of his past actions, Sister nodded. "We all fall on hard times, Reverend. It's what makes us stronger. It's what keeps us appreciative of the world around us."

"Everything is supposed to happen for a reason," Orville commented. "But some days have been more difficult than others."

God had thrown him many obstacles recently, even when he had reached a point of betterment for himself. He and Sister had left Saint Denis on a train yesterday, full of optimism, excitement, and hopeful anticipation.

Without providing explanation, authorities posted at Emerald Station wouldn't let them get off the train, where they needed to switch rails to continue the journey south. They were forced to move along to Valentine.

After they disembarked, the clerk at Valentine Station informed them the next train wouldn't be arriving until the morning. Orville and Sister had to search for rooms in Valentine for the night, which had proven difficult when the younger, more fleet-footed riders reached the hotel faster than he and Sister could. The rooms had filled up by the time they made it. The hotel owner suggested for them to try the boarding house at Chadwick Farm on the outskirts of town.

They started their walk as the sun set, but the fading light was soon obscured by menacing gray clouds. In seconds, a thunderstorm was in full force. Their clothes were soaked and sticking to their skin, and their bones were chilled by the time they reached Chadwick Farm.

There was a room available, but the homeowner had decided to charge double that evening. Despite them being a nun and a man of cloth, the owner knew they were desperate so she took advantage of their plight. Orville tried to take it all in stride, handing over the money needed for them to have shelter for the night. With a new day, Orville expected a clean slate.

He had prayed overnight, but their troubles hadn't ended there. In the morning, when they made it back to the station, they discovered their train had arrived and left without them. It was enough gone wrong that he'd started fearing the Curse was rearing its ugly head again.

Through all the mishaps, Sister Calderón had been patient and accepting of whatever had been thrown their way, but Orville was on the breaking point with his frustration. Why had it seemed every time things were going right for him, he received so much push back from life itself?

Their luck did change after Sister struck up a pleasant conversation with the stagecoach driver posted outside the station. He provided a tidbit that while it wasn't normally for passengers, this afternoon there would be a unscheduled train stop at Flatneck Station. He then offered to give them a ride down at a lowered rate.

And so, they'd arrived here at Flatneck, but they'd been waiting for over an hour. After Orville made multiple attempts asking the clerk the train's schedule, the clerk had snapped at him, "It gets here when it gets here!"

If the clerk was correct, the waiting wouldn't be for much longer, but Orville remained anxious over it, expecting at any minute for another obstruction to block their path. He shuddered, speaking aloud in order to brush away the intrusive thoughts.

"We shall have to pray for peaceful weather for the rest of the trip."

"I have no fear," Sister said confidently. "And it doesn't do to worry, as nature will run its course, no matter our interference."

He conceded, "I suppose, we can only—"

"You!"

Orville started, standing bolt upright from the bench at the call, the thunderous voice as familiar as it was threatening.

"Arthur!" called a woman following the man stalking towards Orville.

Miss Charlotte, Orville noted with surprise before Arthur Morgan was on him, clutching his vest and nearly lifting him off the ground.

"Arthur," Orville greeted weakly. "What a pleasant surprise."

Arthur snarled in his face, "Don't you know we've been lookin' for you?"

"I'm sorry. I've been busy."

"No. You just didn't want to be found."

Orville shook his head and said again, "I'm sorry, Arthur."

"Don't you give me that. You know what the hell you've done."

"No—"

"Cut and run like we ain't never meant nothing to you. Like we weren't the only ones takin' care of you these past few years when you could hardly stand most days."

Orville bowed his head, ashamed. Arthur was right. He'd turned his back on them.

"Oh!" exclaimed Sister Calderón. "Mr. Morgan! How wonderful to see you again."

"Sister?" Arthur balked, looking over Orville's shoulder in surprise. His fingers loosened their grip until Orville felt the earth solidly beneath his feet again. "What you doin' way out here?"

"Reverend Swanson and I are on our way to Mexico," she explained as if there were nothing amiss. "They are finally sending me on a mission."

Arthur looked between the two, nun and reverend. "That so?"

"Congratulations," Charlotte told them. "What an exciting endeavor."

Orville admitted, "I'm more of an escort than anything."

Sister Calderón leaned close to Arthur with a twinkle in her eye. "Brother Dorkins is very jealous."

Arthur jutted a thumb Orville's way. "You sure he ain't just lookin' for a way to escape his problems?"

Orville looked up, bewildered. "Escape?"

"'Cause you sure dropped us like day old shit."

"It's not like that, Arthur. I needed…" he fumbled for the right explanation. "...needed to…to get my mind back."

"You had to get something alright."

"I'm changed," Orville insisted. "I'm a changed man, Arthur. I couldn't go back to you folks or I'd fall into the same bad habits."

Arthur rested his hands on his hips, glanced at Charlotte and Sister. He took in a breath, thought a moment and then sighed. "I understand."

"What brings you out here, Mr. Morgan?" Sister Calderón asked with her familiar curiosity.

"Something less than pleasant, I'm afraid."

"Oh?" Her eyebrows rose with interest. "Go on."

"What's been done ain't for retelling to your sort."

Sister retorted, "Now, now, Mr. Morgan. If I covered my ears to everything considered unpleasant for my company, I would never learn anything new."

Arthur chuckled until it turned into heavy coughing, and then he cleared his throat. Charlotte frowned with concern.

Sister rested a hand on Arthur's forearm and asked, "Mr. Morgan, how are you?"

"Never better," Arthur quipped, but then fell into a fit of coughing that belied his assertion.

Sister led him to one of the empty benches. "What's wrong?"

Charlotte made to follow, but Orville held her back, "Sister Calderón can handle him. She has a way about these things."

Charlotte watched as Arthur and Sister fell into a conversation before she turned her attention on him. She examined him up and down. "You're looking well, Reverend."

"Thank you, miss."

"You've certainly landed on your feet."

"I've been healed," he declared to her. "The Lord dropped me where I needed to be, and with His help, I've overcome the worst of my wickedness."

Charlotte said, "Mr. Summers and I had been worried most deeply over your disappearance, so it's a relief to run into you."

The idea that the others held some concern for him surprised Orville. He didn't think anyone cared about his presence at camp. Call it cowardly, but he hadn't wanted to face anyone in the gang again after he'd sobered up. He knew he'd been a terrible burden on them. He had no idea of how to face them and repent all the wrongs he'd caused. All he knew for sure was he had to start fresh.

"Arthur and I looked for you in Saint Denis," Charlotte continued. "We heard you've been doing charity work?"

Orville brightened and went on to tell her about it, about working in the soup kitchen twice a week, cooking and handing out meals; walking the streets and speaking with the less fortunate, encouraging them to come to church for Sunday service; Brother O'Leary's allowing him to lead a service on his own. He'd truly found his calling again.

"Do you intend on staying in Mexico, Reverend?" Charlotte asked.

"Actually, miss, I aspire to a higher calling, to be a leader of my own congregation."

"That is certainly a noble and worthy devotion. It's sure to be a good fit for you."

Orville's eyes landed on Charlotte as she listened to his aspirations with such genuine interest. He remembered her rueful admittance of lost faith and he wondered if she'd be open to guidance, like some of the other lost souls he'd helped of late. "You remember what you said to me, before we were separated at the bank?"

She tilted her head. "I believe I do recall that conversation."

"You said, 'the change in the man is what gives him the strength to leave his crimes for good'. I've found that strength now, miss," Orville said with a confidence he'd only recently found. "I fell off the wagon too many times, took too many wrong turns, but now I've taken a right one."

"I believe you," Charlotte replied earnestly.

"And you, miss?" he asked. "I never expected to see you again."

"Perhaps I've made a wrong turn too," she mused.

Orville raised his eyebrows and told her, "It doesn't seem as if you believe that, miss."

Charlotte smiled. "Perhaps you're right."

Arthur rejoined them without Sister Calderón, who chose to remain sitting serenely on the bench. He was calmer, but Orville didn't have to guess as to why. Sister had that effect on all people. He'd seen her tame many a surly man, anxious woman, and upset child. She only had to speak a few kind words and her compassion pulled heart-wrenching confessions from the depths of a person's conscience. She was an inspiration in empathy, so much so that Orville had begun to model his demeanor after hers, though the attempt at it paled in comparison while in her presence.

While Arthur didn't look like he wanted to strike him anymore, he wasn't necessarily at ease. "Now that we got all the goddamn pleasantries out of the way, you need to tell us where it is and we can be on our way."

Orville blinked, confused. "Where what is, Mr. Morgan?"

"The money, you fool." He gestured impatiently at Mrs. Balfour. "Charlotte's goddamn money."

Orville's stomach dropped and he stammered out, "I-I don't have it."

"What," Arthur said in a clipped tone. "What the hell did you do?"

Orville gestured to Sister Calderón. "It's been put in the church. It's what's funding this trip."

Orville's started to sweat when he saw Arthur's hands clench into fists. "You spent all that money on this?"

"Uh...I..."

Charlotte chortled unexpectedly, disrupting the tension and drawing their attention.

"Something funny about this?" Arthur asked her, his temper renewed.

"Not funny, per se," Charlotte answered with a smile, somehow unaffected by his tone. "If you recall, Arthur, our ruse when we went to withdraw that cash was that I wanted to fund churches. I find it amusing that our lie turned into actuality."

Arthur stared at her a moment. He gave a rueful shake of his head, as if resigning to her acceptance of the fact. "I guess it did."

Her smile grew. "I had hoped for that money to change lives. It seems it has."

"Oh, it has," Orville agreed quickly. "And I know you've given me more than I can ever repay you."

"It is of no matter, Reverend. Truly."

Her kindness and generosity humbled him. He knew what he'd done was wrong, at the bottom of it. There was no way around the truth except that he had stolen her money. Perhaps he was nothing more than a thief, even now.

"Hold on a moment," Orville said, as an idea popped into his mind. "I may have something to give you, Miss Charlotte, as a small token of my gratitude for what you've done for us, for me." Orville moved to his luggage near Sister and pulled out the book he'd packed on top of his personals.

When he returned to their company, Charlotte protested, "Reverend, a token of gratitude is entirely unnecessary."

"No, I insist, miss." He held out a Bible to her. "Please, take this."

"You really shouldn't have," Arthur remarked with sarcasm, eyeing it without understanding the worth the pages contained. He'd never held much appreciation or respect for the Lord's word, but Charlotte accepted it gracefully.

Orville ignored Arthur's comment and addressed Charlotte, "I know you struggle with faith, same as I once did. Let this Bible lift your spirits as it did me. Let it be a tool to renew your love for the Lord."

"I shall treasure it," Charlotte promised, her fingers gliding lightly across the embossed cover.

"Arthur!"

The three of them turned at the voice, finding, of all people, Lenny dismounting at the hitching post. "Arthur! You made it out."

"Mr. Summers," Swanson greeted.

Lenny's steps slowed and his face filled with confusion before he reached them. "Reverend? You're alive?"

It seemed Lenny hadn't been as optimistic of his survival as Charlotte. "I am, sir."

Arthur stepped off the platform and met him halfway, addressing Lenny with more cheer than Orville had witnessed since the start of their meeting. "Lenny! Where'd you come from?"

Lenny pointed east. "Javier and I are camped at this pond down the road from Emerald Station, a place called Moonstone."

Arthur scratched his jaw, his brow furrowing. "Yeah, I think I know it. We were just up that direction."

"I was gonna leave a note at the post office so you fellas could find us. I'm on my way to Hanging Dog Ranch right now."

Arthur frowned. "Why you going way the hell up there?"

"Javier told me Sadie and Karen were headed that way just before the Pinkertons hit us. Something about an O'Driscoll hideout."

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "You wanted in on that?"

"Not really, but I figure neither one of them knows what happened to us. Thought I'd give them a warning and let them know where we're gathering."

"Just don't get in Sadie's way," Arthur warned. "I gotta feeling she ain't coming back without blood on her hands. She's out for revenge."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"You know what happened to Dutch?"

"Not sure." Lenny shrugged. "Ain't seen head nor tail of him yet."

"Marston?"

"John went off by himself this morning to look for Abigail and Jack."

"Alone?" Arthur asked in clear disbelief.

Lenny said ruefully, "Me and Javier couldn't talk him out of it."

"Fool's gonna get his damn self caught or killed."

"Maybe." Lenny's expression dropped. "Arthur, I heard about what happened to Hosea."

"Yeah."

"And Miss Grimshaw."

This time Arthur looked confused. "What happened to her? She was right behind me and Charles, I thought, when we were getting out."

"She's gone, Arthur."

"Shit." Arthur's face fell, guilt overtaking his expression completely. "I thought I seen everyone get out."

"Tilly got left behind too, I guess."

Arthur looked more alarmed. "Tilly?"

"Javier went back for her, but, Arthur, listen..." Lenny's jaw tightened. "It was Micah who did Miss Grimshaw in."

"Excuse me?" Arthur's voice dropped low, deadly and calm, sending a shiver down Orville's spine. "That bastard did what now?"

"Tilly saw it herself," Lenny explained. "Javier thought it best she stay away until we found Dutch and handled it."

"You're goddamned right we're gonna handle it. Does Micah think he can get away with this?"

"I don't know, Arthur. Guess we're gonna find out, if he made it out clean, that is."

"That rat?"Arthur said scathingly. "He'd survive the plague." Arthur rubbed his jaw and told Lenny, "After you catch up with Sadie and Karen, either make yourselves scarce or head to Moonstone. Whoever shows up, we gotta figure out what we're gonna do next."

Orville listened to their exchange, wondering at the wild events that had happened in his absence. Pinkertons attacking? The girls in danger? Micah's betrayal? The others lost?

What had befallen his friends?

A train whistle blew sharp and long in the air, as a warning of its arrival, but the locomotive itself was still some distance away down the tracks. Yet, Lenny took it as his signal to leave.

Lenny waved to them and started backward, as if he had no time to waste. "I'll do what you said, Arthur. And I'll see you folks later."

"Keep out of trouble, kid," Arthur called as Lenny mounted his horse.

"Are we going to Moonstone then?" asked Charlotte.

"Sounds like," Arthur answered her, his eyes following the train tracks in the direction they all intended to travel. "I gotta bad feeling for it though."

Now that Orville's mind wasn't clouded by his usual vices, he noticed how Arthur shouldered more than his fair share of burdens. He was always trying to keep them in order. It was no wonder Arthur had been so short-tempered with him all the time.

Orville had the urge to reassure Arthur. "Mr. Morgan, you'll get through this. Everything will be—your journey, your path—will be just fine."

Arthur turned to face him and shook his head slightly. "I'm worried my path is coming to an end, Mr. Swanson."

"I felt that way for a long time—about myself, I mean," Orville said. "But you'll do what's right."

"I don't know about that. You don't know the half of what's gone wrong since you left. Strauss is dead. Hosea too. I didn't even know about Susan 'til now. Hell, who knows who else at this point."

Orville nodded somberly. "These are challenging times for all of us."

The train finally made its appearance, slowing as it made its way closer. Plumes of white steam hissed out of the wheels as it came to a halt. Once it stopped completely, a few folks exited from the passenger cars.

The conductor pulled a string that swayed a bell back and forth where it was mounted on top of the engine car, and called, "All aboard!"

As it was his time to leave the company now, Orville said, "Look after yourself, Mr. Morgan."

Arthur shrugged. "I'll do my best, Reverend."

Recalling the coughing and the weariness in Arthur's eyes, Orville suggested, "Or, if you can, let someone else look after you for once."

"Maybe. Well see."

"You do see," Orville stated bluntly, suddenly feeling bold. "You just can't quite admit it to yourself."

"You're getting mighty sentimental, Reverend," Arthur warned him, as if it to threaten him not to say anything more of the same.

"Good luck out there." Orville nodded Charlotte's way. "The both of you."

"Be well, Reverend," said Arthur.

Sister Calderón approached him. "Ready, Mr. Swanson?"

Arthur and Charlotte made their farewells to Sister while Orville collected their luggage. Once they said their goodbyes, Orville assisted Sister onto the train.

The train's whistle shrilled and with it, a faint memory crept up in Orville's mind. It was Arthur tossing him to the ground, yelling at him about nearly being hit by a train. He'd passed out after that, but when he'd come to the next morning, he'd thanked Arthur profusely for saving him. Arthur had brushed off the gratitude, saying they all acted foolish from time to time. He'd had no ill feelings over the incident at all.

Orville realized suddenly that without the delays in their travel, he wouldn't have run into Arthur, Charlotte or Lenny at all. He wouldn't have been able to make his peace with them or learn Miss Charlotte didn't hate him for what he'd done. Everything truly happened for a reason and he was a fool for ever doubting it.

While Arthur seemed a hard man most of the time, there was a conscience behind his actions. If all of them had shared Arthur's compassion for the weak, maybe things would have turned out differently. Orville would pray for the Lord to give the rest of the gang who could be suffering strength, hope and empathy.

Orville bowed his head and silently repeated the Scripture that always brought him comfort during difficult times, Isaiah 40:31.

They who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength;

they shall mount up with wings as eagles;

they shall run and not be weary,

they shall walk and not faint...