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.

13. Chapter 13 - Pouring Forth Oil IV

Chapter 13 - Pouring Forth Oil IV

It was early. The sun had yet to rise over the The Heartlands, and the sky was slowly losing the last of it's deep blue depths to give way to the dawn, lingering wisps of the clouds that had carried the storm across the state the day before slowly moved towards the east with the breeze as the summer heat slowly reclaimed the day. The camp was quiet at this hour, Effie checked the heat of the camp's percolator with her fingers as Mister Pearson busied himself with fiddling with supplies on his chuckwagon, satisfied the coffee had warmed enough, she busied herself with pouring herself a cup.

She nodded to the camp butcher as she made her way over to the edge of camp, perching herself on one of the collection of rocks that she'd often seen the widow Missus Adler keep herself to. Effie set the cup down to grab her packet of cigarettes and her matchbox, she paused and looked out at the view with a cigarette between her lips as a flock of birds took flight from the woods at the bottom of the valley, she watched them find the breeze, their flight so effortless to them it looked to her like they were almost dancing on the wind heading north. As their calls faded in the distance Effie turned her attention back to the match poised between her fingers, and she deftly struck it against the rock to light it, completely missing the footsteps behind her.

"Didn't think I'd see one of you girls awake at this hour," Effie whipped her head to the shrill tone behind her, Miss Grimshaw stood with her arms crossed, armed with her own tin cup of coffee and a cigarette. Her hair was in its usual primly coiffed updo, although a couple of rebellious strands had already escaped its stiff confines and framed her stern, weathered features. Effie took a long drag on her cigarette and nodded as she looked back out at the view, and she listened to the sound of the older lady's skirts swishing through the grass as she joined her on the rock.

"I've always been more of an early riser," Effie murmured, watching a young doe make its way to the edge of the Dakota River, "Best time for hunting, and all that."

Miss Grimshaw grunted as she took a drag, "Hmph. 'S a shame the other's don't share your attitude to mornin's."

A small smile curved Effie's mouth as she watched the doe gingerly step into the shallow waters, looking around from side to side before she deemed it safe enough to dip her slender neck and drink.

"I wanted to check and make sure you were doin' alright," Effie glanced at the older lady, her brow furrowed as she studied the concern etched onto the woman's normally stern features, "Oh, don't go lookin' at me like that, girl," Susan rolled her eyes, "Are ya really so surprised I'm askin'?"

"No, no," Effie shook her head, "It's just… I didn't think ya liked me all that much."

Miss Grimshaw scoffed as she flicked her cigarette, "What? 'Cause you'd rather be out ridin' with the boys than stayin' in camp?" A small, guilty smile spread on Effie's face as she took a drink of coffee, "Miss Bartlett, I keep an eye on that ledger and tithin' box just as much as Dutch does, an' don't think I don't know you've been out fillin' it more than most," The older lady tutted as she helped herself to Effie's cigarette packet, she tapped the smoke against the rock before she put it between her teeth, "Y'know, the work may change, but the rules stay the same; and if ya workin' hard then you'll have no complaint from me."

Effie studied Susan for a moment, watching the sleeve of her crimson frilled blouse ride up as she struck a match off the rock, she furrowed brow as she glimpsed a raised blemish scoring up and across her forearm - a scar from a nasty bullet graze, no doubt. Her eyes flickered up to the older woman's face, in the dawn light she could see the deep gouging slash that had been carved across her cheek long ago.

As she sat there watching the older woman smoke, she wondered what stories and terrors she must have collected over all these years of harsh living with the gang. Hosea had told her over a game of dominoes that Miss Grimshaw had been part of the gang almost since its beginning; a young working girl who was picked up by them in what the senior gunman had called "one of the most foolish poker cons in the West".

The years she'd spent running with Dutch and Hosea looked like they'd been tough, and Miss Grimshaw carried herself within the gang with a strict, nearly uncompromising hand - truly the arbiter of labour within the group. But there was also this other side to her, a side that was rarely outright shown, but it bled through in its own way with her unique interactions with everybody. It was gentle, and caring - and to most of the members in the group it was something foreign, something they didn't realise they needed; she was maternal.

"Still," Susan inhaled on the cigarette sharply and cleared her throat, "I don't think it would kill ya to help the girls with the clothes a little more. 'S bad enough that Miss Roberts has decided she's suddenly too busy lookin' after that little boy of hers to even darn some damn socks."

Effie huffed a chuckle and looked back down over the valley, the doe had since finished drinking from the river, and was stood rigid watching a herd of deer emerge from the woods and cross the water, even from up on the cliff Effie could hear the water splashing as the herd kicked it up. One of the bucks leading the group paused and eyed the doe curiously before it approached her carefully, if she squinted Effie was sure she could see the young doe's legs shaking; mulling over nature's oldest basic instinct of fight or flight. The doe tossed her head nervously as the buck edged closer, the rest of the herd had all but crossed, a few had stopped on the other side of the river and were watching the interaction in interest.

Effie was just as enthralled; she leaned forward in her seat when the buck bowed its head, its impressive antlers dipped just below the water's surface as the doe shifted, she swung her head to gaze at the rest of the herd as the buck raised its head. The two animals stared each other down for a long moment, before they both crossed the river, the buck leading the doe to the rest of the herd where the throngs parted to welcome her into the group. Effie watched as the doe bowed her head as the others shifted to greet and interact with her, whilst the buck took up his position near the front of the group. She couldn't tell what the herd's signal was; but they took off just as quickly as they had appeared, moving together as a group up the bank of the river and over the hill towards the woods to the west.

Effie stared out across the valley after them, barely registering Miss Grimshaw getting to her feet beside her and brushing her skirts down, "Did ya hear what I just said, girl? Miss!"

She jumped at Susan's hand tightly gripping her shoulder and giving her a brisk shake and snapped her head up to the older woman, "Wh- Sorry, Miss Grimshaw, did you say somethin'?"

Miss Grimshaw rolled her eyes, "I said, you should think about gettin' up off this rock and findin' somethin' better to do with your day. Honestly," She tutted and shook her head, her lips drawn into a thin line as she handed Effie her cigarettes back and turning on her heel sharply before Effie could protest or offer more apologies, "These girls, Mister Morgan," She mithered and Effie internally cringed at the scowling tone, but turned in her seat all the same, watching Miss Grimshaw stood with the gunslinger with her hands on her hips.

Impossibly blue eyes met hers and Arthur chuckled and leaned back, he was holding a cup of his coffee but his free hand grasped his gun belt as he looked down at the older lady, "Is that so? And what did they do now?"

A frustrated hand flew from Susan's hip to gesture in the air, "This one is up and about at the time I want, but her head's in the clouds! If she's not away from camp with the rest of you idiots she's here but away with the damn fairies," A sheepish smile slowly grew as Arthur glanced up at her, whilst Miss Grimshaw bristled again, "And Lord knows this camp don't run if people don't put in the work."

"Oh, I know," Arthur nodded, his amused expression gave way to one of mocking sincerity, "Don't 'chu worry, Miss Grimshaw, I'll make sure Miss Bartlett puts in the work."

Effie glared at the outlaw's quip and stuck her tongue out at him behind Susan's back as she dropped her hand back to her hip, "Hmph, if you ask me, you got her puttin' in the work in the wrong place. Just make sure that tithin' box ain't gettin' forgotten about whilst you two are out there." She bustled off towards the other side of camp where the rest of the girls slept to give them all a sharp rousing, no doubt.

Arthur chuckled to himself as he watched her go before he approached the rock where Effie was sat, he winced and shook his head as they heard Miss Grimshaw's screeching at the girls to get up and start work, "Heh, looks like you got ol' Susan goin' early today."

"Wasn't my fault," Effie frowned and looked over her shoulder towards the noise, "I thought we was havin' a nice talk, ain't my fault she suddenly started snappin' like that."

The gunslinger snorted as he set his tin cup down on the rock, "Sure," He drawled, "An' I'm certain it ain't had nothin' to do with you bein' - what was it she said? Away with the fairies."

"I was watchin' some deer," She groaned and let her head fall back dramatically, "Hardly what I call away with the fairies."

"Watchin' some deer, huh?" He murmured as he gazed out at the view, his smile still lingering on the corner of his mouth.

"Yep," She nodded, popping the p as she followed his gaze, "'S just such pretty country round here." The gunslinger hummed in agreement and grabbed her cigarette carton off the rock between them and fished out a cigarette, he put one up to his lips and went to grab the matches before he paused and offered her one, "Thanks," She murmured as he struck a match off the rock and cupped his hand around the flame, she waited for him to light his before he leaned to light hers, "So, Mister Marston's train job's today."

"Uh-huh," Arthur blew out a plume of smoke, it curled in the air for a moment before the breeze carried it off into the morning.

Effie wrinkled her nose slightly as she tapped the ash off the end of her smoke, "You nervous?"

The outlaw looked at her out of the corner of his eye and inhaled thoughtfully, then he shook his head, "Nah, not really. Train robbin' ain't so much different from any other robbin', ya just gotta be smarter about it. Marston's not really known for usin' his brain in things, but he's sure down some damn smart thinkin' on this one…" He trailed off and she nodded, then he turned to look at her, "Why, you feelin' nervous?"

Effie shifted a little as she smoked, "A little," She admitted.

"Good, I'd be worried if ya weren't," He nodded.

"How are we gonna play it?" She asked, rolling the tip of her cigarette between her fingers.

Arthur shrugged, "I ain't sure yet, with a train you wanna hit it hard and fast, 'specially as we're hittin' it at night when no one expects it. With the idea John's got is that that oil wagon'll stop it, and as soon as that's done, we'll sweep it an' hightail it outta there."

"Okay," She nodded, "An' it's gonna be you, me, John and Charles, right?"

"Yeah, I reckon that's all we'll need. The train ain't guarded or anythin', takin' too many people can end up gettin' outta hand," The outlaw tossed his cigarette end and pulled his satchel around to perch on his lap so he could rifle through it, "We got the whole day before we gotta go an' meet 'em."

Effie grunted, "Guess I best go an' find Grimshaw, see what chores she wants doin'."

"What? Nah, I was thinkin' we go out for a bit," Arthur pulled a torn piece of faded paper out and unfolded it, "Dunno if we'll have time for huntin' anythin' legendary today, but we can ride out to go and do some treasure huntin'."

Effie peered at the detailed drawing of a ridge and a small pond, spidery writing titled the drawing Elysian Pool, and below it was a tree marked with an X on its trunk, beneath it was a singular scrawl of rough instructions.

"'Twenty steps North, and five steps East'," Effie frowned and glanced from the map to the outlaw, "That's a little…"

"Vague?" Arthur finished with a smirk, "Treasure maps usually are, ain't much point goin' through the hassle of hidin' treasure if ya gonna make a map that spells it out for any fool that stumbles along and finds it."

"Where did you find it?"

"It was in that sack we got when we went around your daddy's cabin when we… well, you know," He mumbled and looked away.

"Huh, wonder where he got it," She murmured as she studied the map, "You got any idea where this Elysian Pool is?"

"Uh, sure," Arthur let her keep hold of the treasure map as he rummaged in his satchel for his actual map, he flicked it open and traced his finger in the top right corner, following a stretch of a winding river until it gave way to larger body of water, where he tapped it, "That's the pool there."

She shifted closer to lean over and peer at his map, "Just a little ways past Emerald Ranch, that's what? Maybe a few hours ride?"

"Give or take," He nodded and folded the map back up, Effie folded the sketched map and handed it to him, "We'll be back with plenty of time for Marston's job, but spendin' the day lookin' for treasure sounds a hell of a lot better than staying in camp sufferin' ol' Grimshaw's wrath."

Effie grinned, "I ain't got no complaints, when do you wanna go?"

---

Arthur dropped the reins in one hand and rubbed the back of his neck as he looked up at the bright sky over New Hanover, from where the sun was he guessed it must be getting close to noon. Effie was a little further up the road from him on foot, her stallion trailing dutifully behind her as she explored the undergrowth for herbs and tracks.

It wasn't until he'd ridden out in the rain alone up to Strawberry the day before did he realise how much he'd come to enjoy Miss Bartlett's company out on the trail, today he'd listened to her talk animatedly about how feathers from certain birds could be used in crafting arrows that carried better, and how the first time her daddy had showed her how to skin a rabbit by pulling its hide clean off from its legs upwards she'd cried.

They'd taken the road up through the Great Plains and through Emerald Ranch at a leisurely pace, unbothered with the stretch of day they had before them before their train job tonight. When the roads began sloping and the flat grass plains had given away to thick, dark woodlands of the Roanoke Ridge Effie had jumped down off her saddle and continued their journey on foot. She stepped out of the bracken and waited for Arthur to catch up, when he approached she held up a couple of wild carrots and some creeping thyme she'd found, "Look what I got from just over there," She beamed and pointed into the dark woods, her Thoroughbred nickered and butted her shoulder at the treats being waved around, "Oh for - you've already had one!" She scolded, but gave him one of the carrots with a roll of her eyes, "Greedy boy. Here Arthur, you better take it before this one scoffs the lot."

Arthur chuckled as he took the carrot, "Here y'are girl," His mare accepted the treat and munched it enthusiastically and he patted her neck before he jumped down off the saddle, happy to stretch his legs after the ride, "I can't believe you ain't ever been up around these parts before," He said as he looked out into the woods and the mountain ranges.

Effie shrugged as she tucked the rest of her herbs away in her satchel, "I had only ever been to Valentine a couple of times before I met you, me and my daddy mostly just kept to Big Valley, with the shop we had in Strawberry there weren't much point in travelling far for stock."

"Guess not," He murmured, "Still though, I figured you would've come out this way at some point."

"I always wanted to, daddy promised we'd go all over for hunting trips, but that was before…" She trailed off and grunted, "Still though, I'm out here now."

"That you are," He smiled, "Although, guess we're huntin' treasure instead of game. Maybe we'll take a trip out here for a few days another time, see what you can hunt around here."

She returned his smile slowly, her dark eyes bright, "I'd like that."

Arthur allowed himself to drink in her radiant features as the silence settled around them, it wasn't until his heartbeat pounded in his ears and a heat began creeping up his cheeks did he clear his throat and look away, finding instead a line of ants to focus on as they marched in the dried mud on the side of the road.

Faintly, in the distance, he could hear the sound of running water. His hand dipped into his satchel and rummaged around until he found his map, he pulled it out and opened it up and finally glanced back at her, "We ain't got much more to go, just gotta follow this road North for a little longer and then we'll get to the lake."

Effie nodded, "Alright, you wanna walk with me? Give that mare of yours a little rest," He tilted his head and glanced at his mare, she'd apparently had all the rest she'd needed since they'd stopped and was stamping her hooves on the ground and tossing her head impatiently.

"I ain't sure she agrees wit 'chu, but sure," He tucked his map away safely and shed his jacket off, rolling it up and stowing it under one of the saddlebags on his mare before he went to join her. Above them, a flock of blackbirds cawed and screeched to each other as they crossed high overhead, in the undergrowth he could hear chitterings from smaller animals, but he frowned when he heard the unmistakable yowl of a big cat echo from the dark woods. "Shit, sounds like there's cougars livin' round here somewhere," He commented, glancing back at the guns stashed on the horses as they followed behind them.

Effie nodded and peered out into the gloom, "Yeah, that noise sounded like it came from miles away, though. Big cats don't normally attack unless you're dumb enough to stumble deep into their territory," She took her worn stalker hat off and fiddled with a loose thread on the brim, "'Sides, if anythin' does come too close the horses'll let us know."

Arthur hummed, "You ever hunted one of 'em before?"

"What? A cougar?" Effie chuckled as she put her hat back on, "They're known to roam around Big Valley, sure - an' one year my daddy spent months lookin' for this rare white one he heard about from some hunters that visited the shop years ago - he never managed to find it, though. I've hunted a few, some with him when I was younger, the last one was last winter," She furrowed her brow as she recalled the memory and gestured with her hand, "I kept finding these carcusses of deer and ram all torn up around Black Bone Forest, took me the best part of a week to track it down."

He pulled a face as he kicked a rock, watching it skitter down the road, "Just you? Out there by yourself?"

"Well, yeah," Miss Bartlett shrugged, "Ain't like my daddy was in any state to join me for anythin', and it's not like I talked to anybody in Strawberry other than that big bastard of a butcher."

Arthur looked down at her, the way he towered over her slight frame made his chest pang, he couldn't imagine a little thing like her facing off against a coyote, let alone a cougar - all sharp claws and lean muscle that he'd seen rip apart men twice her size in a matter of seconds before.

"What's that look for, Mister Morgan?" She smirked and gave him a light shove, "Don't tell me the big, bad outlaw's scared of a cougar."

He chuckled and pushed her away playfully, "I ain't got no look over no damn cougar, Miss. I was just wonderin' how you'd manage to run into one an' not become it's dinner."

"Oh, that's easy," She said smugly, "The thing with a cougar is that it's one of the best damn stalkers out there, and somethin' like that ain't gonna be expectin' somethin' to be out stalkin' it," Miss Bartlett suddenly giggled and looked away, "Though, I 'spose with them loud footsteps of yours ya ain't ever thought about sneakin' up on anythin'."

Arthur rolled his eyes and scoffed, "Loud footsteps," He muttered, "If that cougar does decide to come our way don't count on me doin' anythin' to save ya."

"Okay, Arthur," She stole a grin as they followed the natural curve of the road, "So, what sorta treasure do you think we're gonna find at the lake?"

He pursed his lips and rubbed the back of his neck, "Ah, I ain't too sure. I'm just hopin' we ain't followin' a map that's already been followed. But it could be anythin' - hopefully somethin' that's worth the trip."

"It must be somethin' half decent if someone went through the trouble of hidin' it," Effie reasoned and stood a little straighter as she looked out ahead, "Although, I can think of nicer places to go to hide somethin'."

Arthur followed her gaze and saw the lake before them; a great expanse of water fell before them, the road they were following led to a wooden bridge that crossed over, dead leaves and bracken littered the patches of grass, and a couple of trees bordered the bank on one side where the woodland reclaimed the area, but anything that had managed to grow within a few feet of the Elysian Pool looked sickly. On the other side there was a deer drinking from the water, its body frail and its coat mottled with something Arthur couldn't exactly be sure what it was - but he knew a diseased animal when he saw one. The water that lapped at the muddy banks was murky and discoloured with a strange tint, an oily substance moved beneath the water like a deadly smoke furling in on itself beneath the surface.

"Christ," He muttered as they approached the shore, "Ain't exactly like the freshwater lake I was picturin'."

"Yeah," Effie nodded, pulling a face as she watched the mangy deer on the other side of the pool, "Why's the water look so weird?"

"I dunno," Arthur shrugged, eyeing the ridge on one side and the waterfall that fed into the lake, "Maybe somethin's been dumped upstream. Best not to get too close though, come on," He tugged her arm gently to pull her back from the water as his other hand rifled through his satchel for the scrawled treasure map, "Let's see here… accordin' to this we're looking for a tree that's got a big X carved into it." He looked up and they both scanned the trees at the water's edge, Effie's expression soured with uncertainty.

"How do ya wanna do this? You wanna… split the woods down, you search that half and I'll search the other?" She asked dryly as she spread her arm wide, gesturing to the expanse of woodland before them on the far side of the lake.

He tutted and looked down at the sketched map again, "No, there's no way someone would have us searchin' every goddamn tree in the forest," He studied the tree that was drawn on the map and glanced at the sketch of the lake, in the top corner of the torn page was a small birds-eye view of the lake and the ridge that ran along one side, there was something circled and he tapped the page, "It's not that way, I think we gotta climb."

"Climb?" She echoed and frowned at the map in his hands.

"There's somethin' circled here, I think it's s'pposed to be up on the ridge," He squinted in the sunlight as he looked up the cliff, "If I was a bettin' man, I'd say that's our tree up there."

"Better than wanderin' through the woods I guess," Effie nodded and rolled her neck between her shoulders, "Alright cowboy, let's go."

They started towards the cliff, walking along it until the steep incline lessened from sheer rock face to a much more manageable hill. The horses followed them both until Effie's stallion snorted and turned back, he trotted back down the hill, Arthur's mare faltered as the Thoroughbred passed and nickered at him, only to be met with a stubborn huff in return. Arthur glanced back just as his mare turned and followed the horse back down and he shook his head in amusement, "Y'know, I reckon that horse of yours is a bad influence on my girl."

Effie looked over her shoulder back down the hill and grunted, "Nah, I reckon they're just smarter than us - damn map's got us climbin' a fuckin' mountain," She took her hat off and wiped her brow and he grinned, ignoring the protest from his muscles as they made their way to the top, "Jesus," She muttered and hunched over with her hands on her knees as she caught her breath.

He chuckled and grabbed his waterskin from his satchel and began to gulp it down, grateful he'd refilled it when they'd passed through Emerald Ranch earlier, when he finished he held it out to her, a little breathless, "Here, drink some of this."

She glanced up and waved her hand, "I'm good, just gimme a second."

He rolled his eyes and pressed the canteen into her hand, "Don't be foolish, stand up," He put his other hand gently on her shoulder to coax her to drink, her dark hair fell around her as she tilted her head back, and he let his hand fall from her shoulder as she finished and lowered it. Her face was lightly flushed, and she took shallow breaths as she passed him the waterskin back with a grateful nod, wiping a stray rivulet from the corner of her mouth, "Feelin' better?" He asked as he tucked the canteen away.

"Yeah. I was right; the horses are smarter than us, we should've turned back when they did, coulda found an easier way up here," She mumbled and looked around, "At least the view's pretty."

His mouth curved in a small smile as he eyed the light dusting of freckles over the bridge of her nose and on her cheeks and swallowed, "'S pretty alright," He said quietly.

"This best be the right tree, too," Effie said, turning to him with a grin, "Otherwise that'll be the last time I let you lead with a map."

"This is the tree, I'm sure of it," He huffed and followed behind her as she led him to the tree they'd climbed the ridge for, it was a long tree, and stood out proudly overlooking Roanoke Ridge and the polluted lake below. Effie's grazed her palm around its massive trunk as she made her way around it, studying it carefully with her dark eyes narrowed slightly, they widened when she found what they were looking for. He followed her around the tree and saw the large X that had been scored deep into the bark, the two gouges stood out starkly against the gnarled, dark wood, "See? What'd I tell ya."

"I can't believe it's here," She murmured as she traced one of the slashes with her finger, "What was it the map said?"

"Er, think it was twenty steps North, an' five steps to the East," He pursed his lips as they both looked forwards from where the tree stood; all that lay before them were a couple of rocks, before the cliff naturally gave way to more grassland and thick undergrowth. Other than the score in the tree, there wasn't anything he could see that indicated they were in the right place - it just looked like another random cliff face. Arthur shared a dubious look with Effie and shrugged, "Well, here goes nothin'."

He started off from the tree, each step purposeful as he counted quietly to himself, Effie kept her eyes glued to the floor as she followed beside him, scanning for anything that looked out of place that would indicate the treasure promised in the sketched map. When he got to twenty he stopped just past one of the larger boulders that lay inconspicuously on the rocky terrain, he paused and turned until he was facing east and hummed, looking down at the other larger rocks that lay in a distracted, haphazard cluster on the ground.

"Doesn't exactly look like a spot for treasure," Effie mused beside him.

"I think that's the whole point," He said as he carefully stepped towards the rocks, when he reached five he paused again and tilted his head as he looked down; one the of bigger rocks had some sort of branch wedge under it, creating a dark alcove of space between the rock and the cliff, "Well, well," He shot her a grin and hunkered down to take a closer look, "What do we have here?"

Effie's eyes widened in interest as she stepped closer, "Don't tell me you found somethin',"

"I ain't sure," He murmured and gingerly stuck his hand into the alcove, his brow furrowed as he felt around the empty space blindly, it wasn't until he felt his fingers brush something solid did he blink, "Hold on," He leaned forward to give his arm more room for purchase, and he gripped the solid object and pulled his arm out, grunting slightly as he realised how heavy whatever he'd found was.

Brilliant gold flashed in the sunlight in his hand and he made a small noise of disbelief, whilst Miss Bartlett's mouth dropped open, "Is that - is that real?" She breathed, awed by the bar of gold in his grasp.

"It sure is," He smiled, "That's some damn treasure alright."

"Shit," She managed and laughed, "I didn't think whatever was up here would be as good as that, how much do ya think that's worth?"

"I ain't sure," He shrugged and tested the weight in his hand, "It's a big score though, easily a few hundred dollars worth."

"A few hundred dollars," She echoed, her eyes wide, "And we found it."

Arthur chuckled, "And we found it."

"Huh, maybe we should all start considerin' treasure huntin' instead of robbery," She grinned as he opened his satchel.

He huffed as he fastened the satchel shut, "Heh, I'll be sure to suggest it to Dutch when I tell him what that map led us to."

"Are we gonna donate it to the tithing box in camp?" Effie asked as they started their way down the hill, both of them taking care not to slip on the steep incline.

He shrugged, "I mean… we found it together, an' it's not like it was a specific job for the camp. Maybe we should take it to Seamus, see what he'll give us for it first."

Miss Bartlett shook her head, a wide smile still brightening her delicate features, "I can't believe that's what we found - I figured we'd be lookin' at some lockbox filled with some cash or somethin'."

"It ain't half bad," He nodded, giving her a smile, "Sometimes these treasure maps are worth lookin' into."

"Yeah," A beat of silence passed as they reached the flat at the bottom and headed for the horses, Arthur greeted his mare with an affectionate pat on the neck before he jumped up onto the saddle, he checked the satchel at his hip absentmindedly as he waited for Effie, scared the ingot would somehow slip out and get lost to the wild Roanoke undergrowth.

"Y'know, I wonder how my daddy came to get ahold of somethin' like that," She broke the silence with her brow furrowed as she settled on her worn saddle and looked out in the distance towards the west, "It's been years since he's written out anythin' since we lost the shop in Strawberry - hell I don't think I've seen him hold anythin' but a bottle or some cards since, and I don't remember him bein' much of an artist before."

"Maybe he won it in a game of cards or somethin'," The outlaw shrugged, "Or maybe somebody gave it to him years ago, or he found it," He clicked his tongue and encouraged his mare around the shore and back towards the road, "Does it really matter how he came to have it?"

"I guess not," Effie murmured as her Thoroughbred fell into pace beside his mare, "It's ours now, that's what matters."

He hummed in agreement as they entered the dark forest.

"What're you gonna do with your share of the money?" She asked in a cheery tone as they followed the road marked in the soil through the woods, sunlight fell through the canopy of leaves from the trees and dappled the road in random splotches.

"Ah, I ain't sure yet. Keiran said he noticed one of the straps on my saddle had torn, s'only a matter of time before it breaks an' becomes a problem," He rubbed the stubble on his jaw as he shrugged at her, "I ain't been in that gunsmith's in Valentine yet, maybe I'll take a look at what guns he's got in."

"That Keiran, he's… different from the rest of the gang, ain't he?"

Arthur glanced at her, schooling his features to stay neutral, "How'd ya mean?"

"Well he don't sleep with the rest of us in tents for one, I saw his bedroll set out next to some rocks near the horses," She pursed her lips and sent him a knowing look, "And he ain't spoken about too kindly by a lot of people."

The outlaw pulled a face, "Maybe Keiran's not deservin' of any kind words." He stared out on the road ahead, not looking at anything in particular as he remembered the night up in the mountains when he'd chased the poor kid down and brought him back to Dutch.

"Why?"

"Huh?"

"Why?" She said again, "He seems like a nice enough man - a little shy, maybe. But he's polite and he's hard workin' with the horses. I seen him spendin' all day workin' on tack and saddles, brushin' the horses down, makin' sure they're cared for."

"That he does," He offered her a small nod in agreement, his tone a little guarded.

Effie's dark eyes narrowed, "So why isn't he treated like one of us?"

The answer came all too easily to him, "'Cause he ain't one of us."

She tutted and shook her head, "That doesn't make a lotta sense," She muttered.

Arthur frowned, "Why?"

"'Cause the same could be said about me, y'all have had Keiran in the camp longer than me, does that mean I ain't one of you?"

"No. It ain't like that, Effie," He shook his head firmly, trying to quell the exasperation slowly welling within him, "Keiran wasn't just some fool we took in outta the goodness of our hearts, it wasn't long ago he was kept in camp as our prisoner, an' he may walk around freely now, but he still ain't completely trusted by us," He leant forward in his saddle and gave his mare an affectionate pat, "I think it's best it's kept like that for now."

A silence settled between them as they made their way through the woods, a silver fox scampered out onto the path ahead, barking as it curled its way along the road and followed the side before disappearing into the undergrowth.

Arthur frowned at the bushes the fox had run into, still swaying with the disturbance, "Weird." He muttered.

"It's following a rabbit," Effie said quietly and pointed to the ground, "It's tracks go along here and through there." He turned to her in his saddle and her dark eyes flickered up to him, "What?"

He stared at her for a long moment before he sighed and looked out at the road ahead, the forest was beginning to thin, and he could see the flat landscape of The Heartlands ahead, "Ask me."

"Ask you what?"

He didn't look back at her, "You know what."

"...Why was Keiran a prisoner?" She said, the lilt in her voice wasn't as warm - if he wasn't mistaken, it sounded a little hollow. Apprehensive.

"Because when we found Keiran up in the mountains, he weren't by himself. He was with others," He paused before he dragged his gaze to her, his tongue felt oddly heavy in his mouth as he eyed her delicate features, "O'Driscoll's. He was runnin' with O'Driscoll's."

If he were anyone else, he was sure they would've missed the flicker of emotion that crossed Effie's face, but he didn't miss the way her jaw clenched and her hands tightened around the reins.

"O'Driscoll's?" Her voice sounded dull, "He was an O'Driscoll?"

"He said he ain't, but-"

"That man," She said slowly, "He don't - he ain't… can he even shoot a gun?"

"We don't let him have a gun," Arthur said firmly, "Dutch and the others'll make sure of that, Miss. Keiran did save me once, though."

"He did?"

"Sure," He nodded, "Happened right before I found you at Six Point - that bastard that rushed the door to the cabin? Had a rifle pointed straight at my face ready to blow my brains out, until Kerian shot him. It was one of the reasons I let him talk his way into stayin' with us."

A small, tense smile curved her mouth, "I remember."

"And you're right; we've all seen him workin' hard with the horses, keepin' mostly to himself 'cause half the time nobody in camp wants to know. Y'know, I've known a lotta men in this life; seen killers, thieves, do-gooders an' just about everythin' in between," He took his hat off and carefully brushed some dirt off the brim, "Keiran ain't a bad man, I think if he was runnin' wit Colm it would've been for a means to survive. He ain't a killer, that much I'm certain of."

Effie tilted her head, her eyes narrowed as she searched his face, "You really think so, Arthur?"

He shrugged, "If I ain't scared of him, and Dutch ain't worried about him, then nobody else should be either."

She held his gaze for a moment before she softened, "Okay, Arthur. I trust you," They reached a fork in the road and followed the old wooden sign for Emerald Ranch, both of them took the flat plains at a light canter and Arthur leaned back, enjoying the breeze, "What was the other reason?" She shouted her question over the wind to him.

"What?"

"For lettin' Keiran stay with the gang, you said savin' your life was one of the reasons. What was the other?"

He looked down at the horn on his saddle and pursed his lips, "He was the one that led the way to Six Point in the first place," He glanced up at her and gave her a roguish grin, "He was the one that led me to you."

---

Once Seamus had finished counting out the bills to Arthur for the gold ingot they'd found the outlaw was in high spirits, he'd proposed another race to Old Trail Rise where they'd stashed the wagon they'd stolen.

"It ain't far," He'd said, "Just a little race. See if you and that Thoroughbred of yours can redeem yaselves after last time."

Effie had been all too eager to take him up on it, and now she was whooping and hollering her way past Arthur and his mare, laughing at the dust her stallion kicked up with his thunderous hooves pounding the road. The sounds of their competition had been enough to scare the local wildlife, and a herd of pronghorn dashed across the vast plains and up the ridge in an effort to escape their childish fun.

She pulled hard on the reins as the road came to a sharp corner, and her horse brayed in protest as he dug his hooves hard into the dirt and skidded to a stop. She only allowed herself and her stallion a brief moment's rest however, after the sound of rapid hooves approaching close behind her spurred her to crack her reins again. The Thoroughbred lurched into a gallop, almost knocking two travellers off their mounts as they came up the road the other way, their shouts of protest were snatched into the wind as she shot by laughing.

She veered off the road once she recognised the treeline, and rode hard until she was well within the undergrowth and near the ruined structure of the old cabin. She was still laughing as she slid off her horse, showering him with pats and warm praise as she waited for Arthur, the outlaw rode up with a begrudging smirk on his face, which only had Effie's grin beaming as he jumped down beside her.

"Nice of you two to catch up," She drawled as she rifled in her satchel for a treat for her horse, "Here you go boy, you did so good," She cooed as her horse accepted the oatcake with an enthusiastic nicker, "I told you he was fast, he was just holdin' back the last time, tryna be a gentleman to that mare of yours."

"Shut up," He rolled his eyes, but his smirk didn't falter, "But I'll admit he's got some speed on him, thought you'd thrown the race when ya skidded at the crossroads back there." He leaned back and his hand rested on his gun belt as he nodded at her stallion, "Maybe you should look into racin', I've passed a few ranches in my time that do that sorta thing."

"Heh, maybe," She smiled and tossed him a half empty box of oatcakes, "Least I know I got a good chance escapin' the law if this train job goes wrong later."

He caught the box and huffed, "Yeah," His smile faded as he studied the box and glanced up at her, his blue eyes hard, "If this job doesn't go our way later I want you to try and stick with me, okay? Even if we get separated from John and Charles."

She nodded, "Okay."

"I mean it Effie," He stepped over to her slowly, suddenly the only sound between them were the rocks and bracken crunching beneath his boots, he stopped when he was just a hair's breadth away and her eyes widened as he loomed over her. Had he always been this much bigger than her? His eyes pierced into hers, and it was all she could do to hold his gaze and not look away, his breath hot on her face as she felt her cheeks flush. "If I tell you to run, you run. Don't go doin' nothin' that could get you killed. If we get separated, ride back here and wait for me."

She nodded, her voice something that was suddenly lost to her as she looked up at the outlaw, his stern expression broke with his smile and he reached out and brushed some of her hair behind her ear.

"Good girl." He said, his voice in a deep timbre that purred straight through her, she blinked as he turned away, digging through his pockets until he found his cigarette packet, "We'll check the wagon and make sure it's ready. John sent Charles out with the draft horses last night to hitch them to the wagon, we should check and make sure they're okay."

Effie swallowed, "Uh-huh," She managed and cleared her throat, "I'll have one of those, seein' as I beat you an' all."

"Sure," He drawled and offered her a cigarette, he put one between his teeth and bent to strike a match off his boot, he lit his and cupped his hand around the flame and held it out to her, as she was leaning forward a shot sounded and they both instinctively ducked, "Jesus!" He glared and grabbed his pistol as another shot sounded, the round cracked in the clearing around them, coming from the other side of the abandoned house past the bushes.

Effie pulled her gun and nodded towards the brush, "It came from over there."

"Come on," He muttered and stalked through the trees, she thumbed back the hammer as she followed beside him with her pistol raised, jerking instinctively as more shots sounded, when they emerged from the treeline Effie glimpsed a dirty grey jacket and a bright red mop and she frowned.

"Isn't that?"

"You gotta be kiddin' me," Arthur muttered and shoved his pistol into its holster, Sean was stood a little way away from the ruins of the cabin, his eyes narrowed and his tongue between his yellowed teeth as he drew his revolver and fired at the ruins, as they approached Effie saw the bottles and empty cans he'd set up in a line on one of the sturdier rotted beams. If the Irishman had noticed them he didn't show it, instead he hastily put the gun away and brandished it as quickly as he could, cursing as the bullet missed and dug into the wooden beam, making the targets on top rattle.

"Fuckin' hell," Sean hissed as they came over.

Arthur chuckled as they stood and watched Sean try another shot and miss, "Well, at least it ain't your job."

"Ah shut up, Arthur," The Irishman growled, pointedly looking away from them both as they watched, Effie smiled at the way Sean's irish brogue said the gunslinger's name and rifled in her satchel for her cigarettes whilst Arthur crossed his arms and towered behind him.

"Yeah, your job's startin' the fights, it ain't winnin' 'em," The older outlaw drawled.

"I can scrap, Arthur, just ask Miss Bartlett over there," He turned and flashed her one of his more charming smiles in greeting, "Didn't you tell 'im about that big bastard from that house robbery, lass?"

Effie chuckled as she lit her cigarette, "What? The one where you got thrown out that window? Yeah, I told him alright."

The boyish smile faded as Arthur chortled beside her, "Ah you probably ain't told him right," He waved his hand dismissively as he turned back to the targets, "Anyways, I'm just no good at homework." He whipped his revolver out and took another shot, only for the bullet to skim one of the cans and whistle off into the woods.

"I can see." Arthur nodded and gestured to the bottles lining the wall, all of which were perfectly intact.

Effie shot the outlaw a grin as she tapped some cigarette ash onto the grass, whilst Sean huffed in frustration and turned to them, "Besides, what do you care, Englishman? You've got no time for me. I tried to find you work but then ya off cuttin' jobs wit other folks," His gaze flickered to her as he spread his arm wide, "And ya boy Sean doesn't get a look in."

Arthur leant back and crossed his arms, "Guess I just don't wanna get shot, that's all."

Sean growled and went to aim at the targets again, but the revolver clicker empty and he huffed as he started searching through his jacket pockets, "Ah, you're a real fuckin' funny shit, Arthur Morgan, huh?" He found his box of bullets and tutted as he snapped open the chamber and started reloading, "Real fuckin' funny."

The gunslinger rolled his eyes, "Calm down."

Sean finished loading the chamber and glared at Arthur as he shoved the chamber shut, "You better sleep wit your eyes open."

All air of playful teasing with the outlaw dissipated as he sauntered closer to the Irishman, "Yeah, well you're gonna sleep wit your chest open if you ain't careful, boy." His hulking figure towered over the younger outlaw, and his voice dropped to a dark timbre that promised violence, Sean faltered under the outlaw's steely gaze and took a step back, his gaze flickered to Effie's and he licked his lips nervously before he chuckled.

"Ah, I love ya Arthur Morgan," He said brightly and shoved at the older outlaw, "I love ya. Come on, take a shot," He pointed to the targets, ignoring Arthur's quiet protesting huff, Come on,take ya best shot, please, eh?" He tugged on the gunslinger's sleeve like a petulant child, Effie smirked as she watched the two of them; Sean's squabbling and Arthur's firm stoicity over it all.

Arthur's pistol flashed into his hand and a single shot sounded, one of the bottles on the wooden beams exploded with the bullet's impact. Effie's mouth fell open and she blinked; not even sure if she'd registered the speed of Arthur's draw and the Irishman dropped his hand from Arthur's arm as the broken shards of glass fell to the ground.

Arthur tutted and gave Sean a stern look, "Grow up."

"Jesus," Sean muttered as he stared at the broken bottle, dumbfounded, as Arthur holstered his pistol and stepped away, "Ya care for a go, Miss?"

"After that?" Effie shook her head as she finished her cigarette, "No."

"Ah come on," He was straight back to goading with his new victim, "Show me what Mister Escuella took you up in the woods to teach ya, eh?" He gave her a friendly clap on the shoulder and shook her gently.

"I'm still learnin' Irish," She chuckled as she freed her shoulder from Sean's grasp, "I'm not one for embarrassin' myself in front of you big, bad outlaws."

Sean grinned, "Ya hear that, Arthur? Ya showin' off with ya fancy pistol skills has got the young lass all flustered."

"Young lass?" She narrowed her eyes at the younger outlaw and poked him in the shoulder, "You're not even a year older than me, you idiot."

Sean chuckled as he checked his revolver, "Aye, y'know maybe you should be askin' me for some lessons in shootin' then, us youths gotta be stickin' together, show all these old dogs how it's done, eh?"

"Shootin' lessons? From you?" Arthur scoffed behind them, "Sure, if anyone's tryna wind up dead in a shootout, I'll send 'em straight to you, kid."

Effie laughed as she brushed past Sean and went to join Arthur has he wandered near the wagon, "We'll see ya back at camp later, Mister Macguire."

"Now hold on there," Sean hurried after them as Effie checked one of the draft horses, she made a small fuss of the horse whilst Arthur tested one of the chains on the oil wagon, "Let me come on the raid wit yous."

Arthur shot Effie a look as he straightened and turned to the young outlaw, "Raid?"

Sean crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at them, "Don't be playin' coy wit me, son, it's unbecomin'. That bloody train you and him has set up," He gestured to the wagon, "What you're doin' out here, you're goin' to need guns - you're goin' to need men."

"Oh, that," The gunslinger rubbed his jaw and huffed, "So Marston told you? It ain't a big show, I need calmness," He turned as Effie dipped her hand into her satchel and produced some yarrow for the draft horse, the stallion tossed his head before he accepted the herb eagerly, the other horse nickered in protest and stamped his hooves on the dirt, Arthur made his way around to the other horse and calmed him with a pat to the neck before he grabbed the box of oatcakes Effie had tossed him earlier, "If I take you I might as well bring Micah along." He grumbled as he fed the other draft horse an oatcake.

"Compare me to that oily turd again," Sean glared as he trailed after the older outlaw, "An' you're a dead man."

Arthur scoffed, "Fair enough."

"Anyway Arthur," The Irishman frowned and crossed his arms again, his air of childish stubbornness over coming on the job written all over his boyish features, "What's your problem wit me? In fact - don't tell me, I already know," Effie stepped away from the horses and leant against a nearby tree, watching the two men with amusement as Sean worked for what he wanted, "You're threatened by me," Sean nodded with his conviction and shot her a wry look.

Arthur didn't seem perturbed by the younger outlaw's declaration, "Threatened by you?" He echoed dubiously.

"My youthful vigor," The Irishman gave another stern nod, "It intimidates ya."

The gunslinger stooped and tested one of the wheels of the wagon, "Does it?"

A branch snapped loudly and Effie straightened from the tree and looked in the direction of the noise, her hand ghosted the pistol in its holster but relaxed when she saw her Thoroughbred plundering through the bracken to greet them, Arthur's mare followed close behind. She smiled and held her arms out as the huge stallion approached, butting her shoulder with his nose as she greeted him with a pat and some low praise.

"It's a story as old as the hills," Sean drawled and spread his arms out wide theatrically, "The changin' of the guard… the fadin' of the light… You're toast, old man." He chuckled.

"Okay," Arthur frowned as he straightened and looked Sean up and down, "...And what are you?"

The Irishman's features broke into a huge grin and he pointed to himself, "I'm the future, in all its glory." He declared proudly.

The gunslinger huffed, "Yeah well, good luck," He came around the other side of the wagon and paused when he saw Effie stood with the horses, she looked up at him from underneath the brim of her old stalker hat and gave him a small smile, "Good luck an' shut up. We'll get some rest whilst we wait for the others."

"Does that mean I'm comin' on the job wit yous?" The Irishman asked eagerly as he came around the wagon to join them.

Arthur heaved a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose with his eyes screwed shut, "Fine, whatever, just… go sit over there," He gestured to a grassy patch in the clearing, "Quietly."

Sean chuckled triumphantly and swaggered over to the clearing, whistling a jaunty tune as he sat on the floor, Arthur rolled his eyes and snagged the reins to lead his mare off, gesturing for Effie to follow. She glanced at Sean over her shoulder as he lay down and pulled his faded green bowler hat over his face and shook her head, "He's sure persistent, I'll give him that."

"Kid's a damn pain in my ass is what he is," The outlaw grumbled as they led their horses a little ways away, he kicked a rock and it skittered across the grass until it hit a tree root sticking out the ground with a resounding thunk.

"Aw come on, he's harmless," Effie nudged him with her shoulder, as she dropped the reins to her Thoroughbred, she checked the saddle before she slid her repeater out, she stroked the barrel whilst she quietly deliberated over the looming job and grabbed her rifle too, slinging them over her shoulder before she turned back to him. Arthur grabbed some arms of his own, and was looking down at a wide belt of dark leather in his hands, humming thoughtfully. "What's that?" She asked, peering over his shoulder.

"'S another holster. Micah gave it to me after I got him outta that cell in Strawberry,"

"After you shot up half the town?"

"Yeah," He scoffed and wrapped it around his waist, settling it into place just above his gun belt, "Micah's a fool, but… I've been gifted worse, might be useful to carry two sidearms instead of one."

He fiddled with the loop of leather and the buckle and Effie held her hand out, "Here, let me," She said softly as she took hold of the belt, his hands released the leather and moved away slowly as she deftly fed the metal through the belt loop and fastened it, "Does that feel okay? Not too tight?"

"No, 's… feels good," He murmured, she glanced up at him, his blue eyes bright as they bored into hers, she gave a small nod and let her eyes wander over his features before she dropped her hands and looked away, hiding the colour creeping in her cheeks, "Come on, best we get some rest before John and Charles join us later," His hand closed around her elbow and tugged her back towards the wagon. She pulled the pistol from her holster and held it out to the outlaw as they crossed the clearing back to the wagon, and he frowned, "What's that for?"

"The holster," She said simply, "Figured you're gonna want it back now you can carry both."

He pushed the pistol back to her and smiled slowly, "I didn't give it to you expectin' to get it back. I want you to have it."

She looked down at the decorated pistol; admiring the pearl grip with the snake carving, the blackened steel finish she'd kept meticulously clean and well polished in fears of ruining it, the intricate silver inlay that glinted dangerously when it caught the light.

"Arthur, are ya sure?" She shot him an incredulous look, "This is a real nice gun you got, an' you've had the pair for so long…"

"Now I want you to have one," He shrugged, "'Sides, I got a fine sawn off that'll fit in here just fine."

"I - I don't know what to say," She mumbled as she slid the pistol back into place at her hip.

He chuckled and shook his head, "Ain't much you gotta say, Miss, just promise ya won't shoot me with it when we have our quickdraw lesson."

Effie blinked as Arthur settled on the ground and leant against the wagon, "Our what?"

He pulled his journal from his satchel with his packet of cigarettes and matchbox, "Our quickdraw lesson," He said simply, "I know Javier's been teachin' ya, but I can show ya some things too, if ya wanted."

She joined him on the ground and crossed her legs, "You don't have to, Arthur."

"I promised ya, didn't I?" He shrugged as he put a cigarette between his teeth and flipped his journal open.

She pursed her lips, "I'll show you how to track," She offered, "Properly, like I can. Then you won't need me for that legendary animal map of yours."

He smiled behind his cigarette as he reached up and stuck a match off the wheel of the wagon they were leaning against, "I'd like that, Effie. But, with that map, I want 'chu to come find them animals with me."

Her brow furrowed as she watched him take a long drag on his cigarette, "Why?"

"Hmm?"

"Why d'ya want me comin' along with you?" She said carefully as she took her hat off and studied the brim, "Don't 'chu want the rewards from those animals for yourself?"

Arthur exhaled and paused, "Because… When Hosea gave me that map you were the first person I thought of," He shrugged, "An' I know you like explorin' an' huntin', figured it'd be somethin' you'd enjoy."

A strange warmth surged through Effie's chest and she looked away.

The outlaw shifted next to her as he readied his pencil on a fresh page, humming to himself quietly, "Are you going to draw?" She asked softly, watching the silhouette of a lone traveller going along the trail in the distance.

"I ain't decided yet," He murmured and tapped some ash from his cigarette, he glanced up at her as she fought against a yawn, "You should get some sleep."

"I ain't that tired." She mumbled, but she leaned back until her head rested comfortably against the side of the wagon all the same.

She played with a loose thread on her hat, teasing it lazily as she listened to Arthur's pencil scratch against the page. In the trees above them the birds chirped a lilting song as they welcomed the evening light, it wasn't long until she felt her eyelids grow heavy and she surrendered to the beckoning lull of sleep.

---

Woke up early this morning and damn near got accosted by Miss Grimshaw. Seems she weren't pleased the only one's awake at that hour in camp are those excused from washing dishes and patching up clothes. Told me Miss Bartlett's away with the fairies, and if I know Susan, away with the fairies is not what you want to be when you're around her. To escape her wrath, I took Effie with me out of camp in search of treasure with that map I found with her daddy's valuables we took.

Susan reckon's her head's in the clouds, but when we ride out together it's anything but. That girl is pure adventure, jumping down off that big horse of hers to explore the woods once we reached the edge of the Roanoke Ridge. She'd never been that far East before, and she sure was eager to see everything she could. Perhaps I'll take her out for a few days another time so we can go round the trails together, maybe she can show me how she stalks a cougar - although, I'm not sure I'd enjoy it as much as she would.

The map took us up to the Elysian Pool, some lake that looks like it's fallen victim to the pollution of civilization, everything around it looked either dead or dying. The treasure was up on one of the cliffs, hidden under some unsuspecting rocks by a big tree. I'm not sure who's treasure it was, but it was a pretty good place to hide a big lump of gold.

After we took the bar to that sullen fella who had us rob that homestead with Hosea, I raced her to the oil wagon we got stashed at Old Trail Rise. I may have beat her the first time, but she left me clear in the dust with that horse of hers, maybe she should look into racing with him.

Somehow I don't think she's interested in clean work no more, especially with the amount of money that's passed through her hands in the short time she's been riding with us. I often wonder whether we are doomed continuing as outlaws, and if we don't move further out West to escape civilization our safety won't remain, I fear.

Arthur slowly raised his head and rubbed his eyes, there was a dull ache in his back and shoulders where he had sat leaning against the hard wood and iron frame of the wagon for so long. Effie's head had found Arthur's shoulder not long after she'd succumbed to sleep, and her slow, gentle breathing tickled against his neck as he looked out into the darkness.

Sean was still sound asleep by the bushes opposite, his snores thankfully muffled beneath his bowler hat, Arthur snorted quietly to himself as he watched the Irishman's sleeping form, thinking about the idiot's less than grandeur speech about his promising youth earlier.

His journal was still open on his lap from the entry he'd been working on before he'd fallen asleep, the pages had flicked back and he smiled as he recognised the drawing of Effie and that dog she'd met outside of Flatneck Station. He traced the drawing carefully, remembering so clearly how much she'd laughed when the mutt had rolled over and demanded a scratch on his belly after she'd already given him so much of her attention. He looked up when he heard hoofbeats approaching and strained to listen to the male voices accompanying them, when he recognised John's rasping inflection he grunted to himself and slowly sat up straight.

"Effie," He said in a low voice and gently shook her shoulder, "Effie, wake up. They're here."

Her breathing stilled and he watched her eyelids flutter before Effie sat up with a low groan, "They're here?" She echoed, her voice thick with sleep.

"Yeah, come on," He tucked his journal back in his satchel and pocketed his cigarettes as he got to his feet, he glanced at Sean and tossed his matchbox at his head before he offered his hand to her, "Hey, wake up, you lazy sod." He called to the young outlaw as he pulled Effie to her feet.

Sean roused with a grunt, "I'm up, I'm up."

John and Charles had left their horses with the others and walked into the clearing briskly, Charles slowed a little as they approached, checking over his shoulder to make sure they hadn't been seen by anybody whilst John sauntered over to Sean with his eyes narrowed, "What are you doin' here, kid?"

The Irishman brushed some dust off his jacket and cleared his throat before he offered his gangmate a cheerful smile, "I'm coming John, on the job."

John's lip curled, but not in the friendly smile Sean had given, "I said you weren't coming."

Sean offered a small shrug, unperturbed, "Yeah well, Arthur says I am," He said hurriedly before he turned and climbed up the wagon to the front seat whilst John's glare rounded on Arthur, "And it's his party boys, so come on, let's go!" He chuckled as he settled in the front seat, instantly finding the reins and beginning to fiddle with them, "Me an' the big cheeses," He grinned, "Love it. Can't wait to slit some bastard's throat."

Everyone looked up as Sean laughed again and rubbed his hands excitedly, Arthur rolled his eyes, but fought against the smirk tugging at his mouth at his boisterousness. John hit his arm and he turned back to his cold stare, "Are you sure about this?" He asked in a low voice.

The outlaw didn't miss a beat, "No." He sighed, and gave John a helpless shrug.

"Charles," They both turned to Effie's lilting tone as she greeted the outlaw warmly behind them.

Charles dipped his head and gave her a rare smile, "Miss Bartlett. I've been looking forward to riding with you again."

"Me too, did you finish that carving you were workin' on?"

"I did," He nodded, "Pearson gave me the feathers he had from these chickens he killed for the pot, did you want any for those arrows you make?"

"Sure, thank you," She nodded eagerly and pulled her rifle over her shoulder, "Do ya mind checkin' that over whilst I make sure my repeater's all okay? I took it apart the other day when I was cleaning it, and I wanna make sure everything's back in the right place so it don't jam."

Charles accepted the gun and they both turned to where the moonlight wasn't blocked by the shade of the trees, and John leaned over to Arthur, "Y'know, Charles didn't offer to check over any of my guns 'fore we headed out here."

The gunslinger snorted and crossed his arms as they watched them, "I didn't think he was the type, or that they were even all that close."

"Guess some people connect differently," John shrugged, "They probably have lot to talk about, what with them both bein' big hunters an' all."

"I seen 'em swappin' stories round camp once or twice," Sean nodded from his seat on the wagon, he'd stretched his legs out and lounged comfortably with his hands behind his head, "The last time I sat wit them two together they had me listenin' to all sorts'a nonsense," He waved his hands airly, "Like, what herbs and berries ya mix together when you've been bitten by a snake, and all kinds of that typ'a thing."

There was a beat of silence where the three of them turned back to watch Charles and Effie finish up with the guns, then John frowned and turned back to the Irishman, "Wait, that's good to know, what do you use?"

"Huh?"

"For the snake bite," Arthur said, "What herbs and berries do ya need?"

"Oh," Sean paused and furrowed his brow, "Ah, I forget, I wasn't really interested at the time," Arthur sighed and John shook his head, "What?"

"Maybe the next time people are givin' out good advice, you listen?" John suggested and Arthur smiled slightly as he recognised the exasperation in the younger outlaw's tone; they hadn't even started the job and Marston was already starting to get in one of his moods.

"What time's this train comin' through?" The gunslinger asked as Effie and Charles wandered back over.

"'S due later on tonight."

"Alright then," Arthur nodded, "It's on, are we ready?"

When the group mumbled an affirmative John clapped his hands together, "Great, everybody climb on up."

The oil tank had four iron bars welded across the top; one either side near the front and one either side near the back, John climbed up and gripped one of the bars to heave himself up, he checked his feet were safely on the flat wooden slat that ran along the side of the tank and nodded to himself. Charles walked around the other side to take up the same position whilst Arthur took the driver's seat at the front, he looked up at Sean as double checked his holsters, "Ya ain't gonna give your seat to the lady?"

The Irishman looked over his shoulder and frowned, "She looks fine where she is. Are you?"

"I'm drivin'," He said plainly, and snatched the reins from Sean, "Gimme those. Is everyone ready back there?" He glanced over his shoulder at John and Charles and let his gaze linger on Effie until her dark gaze caught his and she nodded, he cleared his throat and looked ahead, "Alright - let's go earn some money." He cracked the reins sharply and encouraged the draft horses through the clearing and out onto the road.

They rode in tense silence for a short while, even Sean had the good sense to keep quiet as he looked up at the countless amount of stars that blanketed the night sky, "Hey, are the horses untethered?" Charles' deep voice cut through the peaceful quiet.

"Think so," John answered.

"Good, they should follow on behind us."

The wagon reached a crossroads and he followed the sign for Scarlett Meadows, the road followed along a ridge not far from the state line, and Arthur looked towards the south and clicked his tongue, "You find a good spot then, Wolf Man?"

"Yeah, keep followin' the trail south west, there's a spot out that way that's… remote. But should still give 'em enough time to spot the oil wagon."

He scoffed, "They see this blockin' the tracks, they'll be stoppin' soon enough."

"Charles sent Mary-Beth and Tilly to the station in Valentine earlier to ask around; apparently it picks up a new team of guards at the state line so, shouldn't be too much in the way of guns to deal with."

"See?" Sean scoffed and turned in his seat to look at the rest of the group boarded on the back of the wagon, "This is what I mean. I disappear for a couple of weeks, and you lot cut me out of all the action."

John snorted, "Just the action that requires a brain."

The Irishman let out a clipped laugh, "Hah. You're a funny fella, John Marston. From what folk say, you had your feet up the whole time, playin' sick - and fondlin' that new scar, like you're gonna buy it breakfast in the mornin'. Least when I returned to the fold I dug up that homestead robbery, me and the lass there showed the rest o' you boys up big time wit that one."

"You don't know what you're talkin' about," John shot back, "And everyone's been sayin' round the camp that Effie was the one who found those bonds."

Arthur allowed himself a smile at John's temper with the younger outlaw flaring as he cracked the reins again, the roads along The Heartlands were empty at this time of night, so they were free to keep the wagon at a decent speed without having to worry about looking suspicious to any passersby.

Meanwhile, Sean had a mocking smirk plastered onto his face as he turned back to face the front, "Only because I was bein' gentlemanly an' givin' her the master bedroom to search. But you best stay close with us on this one, John, wouldn't want you gettin' scratched by a squirrel or somethin', that could put yous outta commission for the rest of the year."

Behind them, Charles suddenly heaved a sigh, apparently already bored of the loud Irishman's company, "Why do you have to speak so much? It's… incessant."

"'Cause I've still got some blood in me veins," Sean waved his hand dismissively, like it was the most obvious thing in the world, "You old bastards have forgotten how to live."

No one bothered to encourage Sean by answering back.

"... I blame you three for rescuin' him," John announced in an accusatory tone.

Arthur glanced behind them and gave a sly grin as he nodded solemnly, "Far too much trouble for what we got out of it."

"Yeah," Sean chuckled and puffed out his chest as he lounged back in his seat, "Takes a whole army of bounty hunters to bring in Sean Maguire, an' look at me now - in the gunner's seat! Back in business, boys!" He brought his hands up to rest behind his head and clicked his tongue, "Y'know, me da always used t' say-"

The other men all collectively groaned.

"Not the da, please!" John moaned.

"No, no." Charles said firmly.

"Not this again," Arthur grumbled.

Sean jerked back as the gunslinger reached to shove him and he sighed, "Fine! Damn you three! Sulky, Angry, Scarface," He turned to the three men in turn and rolled his eyes, "A right barrel of laughs, the lotta yous. You're bringin' the mood down for everybody, y'even got the lass there bein' quiet."

Arthur glanced at Sean and then shouted over his shoulder, "You doin' okay back there, Miss Bartlett?"

"...Just wonderin' if I should be laughin' along wit the rest of y'all," She called back sardonically, "Or worryin' that nobody's talking about some kind of plan."

He grunted as he steered the draft horses round a looping bend that followed the bottom of a hill, "Marston?"

"Yeah?"

"What's the plan?"

"Err," John's arm waved somewhere over his left shoulder as they approached a fork in the road, the moonlight against the wooden sign cast a long shadow down the road, "Bear left here, towards Rhodes."

"Uh-huh," Arthur followed his direction and glanced back at him, "And?"

"And what?"

On the other side of the oil tank Charles huffed, "What happens when we get there?"

"Oh, err, we get the oil wagon on the tracks an' force the train to stop."

"We know that part, John," Effie said, Arthur didn't need to look back to know she was rolling her eyes, "What happens after the train stops?"

"Oh, that. Well, it's gonna take two of us to go through the passenger cars…" He fumbled and Arthur frowned as the road snaked over the tracks of the railroad, he slowed as he went over, "Keep goin', Arthur, the road goes over these tracks a little way down there, it's more hidden than this bit," Arthur nodded and cracked the reins to keep the horses going, "Anyway, I guess-"

Sean snorted and turned in his seat, "You ain't got a clue what we're doin' after this wagon o' yours is on the tracks, do ya?"

"I know I didn't ask you to be here when we did it," John snapped back defensively.

"Ah, probably best I came along wit yous," Sean grinned back and tutted, "Wonder what ol' Dutch is gonna say when he hears his golden boy took out his best guns to rob a train without any lick o' plannin' involved."

The wagon jostled as it ran over a large rock in the middle of the road and he clicked his tongue, "Alright we'll play it like this; Charles, you deal with the engineer. John, secure the passenger car, take charitable donations an' make sure everybody behaves. Effie, focus on the baggage car towards the back and grab any valuables ya can find, take little Mister Maguire wit 'cha."

The Irishman laughed and clapped his hands together eagerly, "Looks like it's you an' me together again, lass! We'll show these boys how a robbin's done right."

"That's enough outta you," Arthur shot the younger outlaw a warning glance before he looked over his shoulder, "If he starts shootin' his mouth, Miss, you're welcome to give him a bullet back."

Effie grinned and John chuckled whilst Sean frowned, "Hey! You're talkin' like I'm some tyke that needs t' be looked after."

"You do need to be looked after," Charles muttered.

Sean kicked the seat sullenly and furrowed his brow, "So what are you gonna be doin'?"

Arthur shrugged as they crossed over a bridge, "I'll run point. Keep an eye out for outriders, and the law, and help you four where I can."

The Irishman whistled through his teeth, "Aye, alright for some," He murmured and shot him a glance, "Cherry pickin', I call that…"

John cleared his throat, "We're out in the middle of nowhere, so it'll take a while for any word to get to the law. But we should still move quick."

"Are we close, Marston? We're at the railroad," Arthur nodded his head to the tracks that cut through the wilderness and ran along the road.

"Just carry on a bit further," The gunslinger rolled his eyes but kept the horses going, the road sloped down and the rolling hills soon started to give way to densely packed trees and wild undergrowth that sheltered the tracks, the road up ahead crossed over the tracks and John tapped him on the shoulder, "Here's good. Stop the wagon over the tracks," Arthur nodded and pulled on the reins, the draft horses slowed and the wagon lulled to a stop with the oil tank right in the middle of the railroad. "Remember, these are innocent folks. If we handle this right no one needs to die here."

"Yeah, yeah," Sean waved his hand as he jumped down onto the tracks.

Arthur clambered down and offered a nod to Charles as he worked at the tack securing one of the horses to the wagon, Effie was on the other side working through the thick leather with her knife. He pulled his spare cloth out of his satchel as he approached, "Hold still, let me get this on ya," Her hand holding the knife slowed as he moved behind her and tied the bandanna around her neck, when he'd finished he turned her to face him, she peered up at him underneath her lashes as she holstered her knife. He lifted the bandanna to rest on the lower bridge of her nose and he nodded, "There. You remember what we talked about earlier?"

Her eyes, so impossibly dark in the gloom widened slightly and she nodded, "Yeah, if it gets outta hand I'll meet you back where we started."

"Good, you still nervous?"

Her gaze shifted to Sean and the others behind them and she shrugged, "A little, but it's just a baggage car, right?"

He nodded, "Right, an' you got Sean watchin' your back too."

Even with the bandanna covering her mouth, he could hear the smirk in her tone as she arched a brow and glanced at the Irishman, "Is that what we're callin' it?"

He followed her gaze and looked at Sean as he muttered something to Charles and elbowed him playfully, whatever he'd said earned him a hard glare and John smacked him on the back of his head, he chuckled dryly as Sean staggered back with a cry of protest, "It'll be okay, I'll be helpin' John at first, if it goes the way we want it I'll come an' join you."

"Hey!" They both turned to John, "Are we doin' this or what?"

Arthur nodded and reached over Effie to grab the bridle to lead the draft horse, "Alright," He cleared his throat, "Mister Marston, Mister Smith, Miss Bartlett, an' Mister Maguire," His voice boomed around the quiet clearing as he lead the horse away from the wagon and off the tracks, when the horse was clear he gave it a sharp smack on it's rear to send it running off into the wild, then he turned to the group watching him expectantly, "Get over there in those trees. When she slows, board her."

Charles nodded and led John and Effie into the bracken, Miss Bartlett shot him a look over her shoulder before they were swallowed up by the darkness. Sean frowned as the others disappeared to hide and looked up at him, "And you?"

Arthur turned and rubbed his jaw as he looked at the wagon, "I'm gonna make sure she slows." He kicked a rock down the tracks, it skittered and clattered against the metal before it settled, there was a beat of silence until the rocks lining the tracks started to shake, the ground rumbled and in the distance was the sound of a train's engine.

The Irishman chuckled, "It's do or die wit you, I like it."

Arthur rolled his eyes and shoved Sean towards the trees, "Get movin'."

The younger outlaw hurried off to join the others, and Arthur grunted as he climbed back on the wagon, he used the drivers bench as a step to get up onto the huge oil drum and paused to fix the sleeve where he'd cuffed it just below his elbow, he hummed to himself as he recognised the tingle of adrenaline buzzing in his fingertips and pulled his black neckerchief up over face and pulled his repeater from over his shoulder, "Here she comes," He murmured to himself as a bright light rounded the corner, the train's whistle started going as soon as the front beam fell over the outlaw, screeching furiously into the still night air.

Arthur glared down at the train as they fell into a stalemate and made a show of cocking his gun to the engineer battling over the brakes. Steam hissed from underneath the wheels at the sudden halt against speed, and great plumes of it billowed into the night air, hazing against the windows of the passenger car. The lights from the train passed over the trees where his gangmates were hiding, and he glimpsed John's jacket sleeve and a flash of metal as someone else readied their gun. There was a muffled shout of exertion and the brake bars locked the wheels and it slowed to a halt, managing to stop the train just a few feet in front of the wagon. The train hissed and metal groaned in protest as it remained stationary, the engineer pulled on the whistle again, giving three short irritated bursts of noise before Arthur heard him jump down onto the tracks.

"What's goin' on here?" He heard the man ask wearily as he slowly walked towards the wagon where Arthur was stood, oblivious to Charles' large shadow looming behind him, "I said what's goin' on?"

Arthur winced as he heard the unmistakable sound of the butt of Charles' shotgun being rammed into the back of the engineer's unsuspecting head, "Nothing good." The outlaw muttered as he let the man slump down onto the tracks before he bent down to check his pockets.

---

Effie's tongue ran over her teeth behind the bandanna as the whole world around them started to shake with the thunderous arrival of the train. On the tracks, Arthur was climbing up onto the oil tank, if he was aware of the risk he was taking by facing off a train whilst standing on a drum filled with oil he wasn't showing it. In fact, he almost looked bored as she watched him idly fix one of his sleeves before he pulled his bandanna up over his face and brandished his repeater. He stood confidently with a slight lean in his stance as the front beam from the train flooded him in light, his black shirt and dark pants making him a picture of menace with his hat dipped low over his eyes, he made a show of cocking his gun whilst the train screeched in protest as it was forced to halt on the tracks. John was watching beside her and shook his head and scoffed, "Look at him, puttin' on a show like that. He's almost as bad as Trelawny."

Behind the bandanna Effie would have smiled at his comment had her mouth not been hanging open as she watched, but didn't look away from the scene to offer John a response. She couldn't look away. Often, she found herself forgetting that this was the man she had been spending most of her days riding out and swapping stories with. The one who helped her hang out laundry and wash dishes when they were in camp doing chores, the one who helped her cheat in a game of dominoes against Mary-Beth. Hell, the one who'd taken the time to teach her how to write her own damn name. This was who Arthur was; a cowboy, a killer… an outlaw.

She watched, enthralled as Arthur glared down at the driver who'd left the train to investigate the commotion, almost forgetting the whole reason she was there until someone tapped her on the shoulder, "Come on, lass, we got ourselves a baggage car to find."

She jolted at the unexpected touch and took a breath as she cast one last glance to Arthur's silhouette caught in the beam of the train's light as Charles snuck up behind the engineer and incapacitated him roughly with the stock of his shotgun. She flexed her fingers holding the barrel of her repeater and gave Sean a swift nod, steeling herself as she cocked the gun, "Right, lead the way, Irish."

"Atta girl," He said as they exited the cover of the brush and headed towards the train. Up ahead, John was climbing the end of the first carriage, he paused and checked his gun before he pulled out an empty sack and kicked the door to the carriage open, they heard muffled screams and cries of terror as a single shot sounded, John's voice could be heard as he shouted his warnings and demands to the passengers and Sean huffed, "Hard to believe that fella didn't think of a plan for what to do once the train was stopped, but he managed to remember to bring a bag with 'im."

Effie smiled and nudged the outlaw with her shoulder as they continued up the tracks, "Don't think for a second that he had the good sense to bring it himself. No doubt Abigail probably packed it for him."

Sean snickered and nodded, "Aye, that I can believe, fella probably don't even get dressed in the mornin's until that girl's gone in an' laid his clothes out for him."

As they were passing the second passenger car the door opened and a guard peered out, his eyes narrowed as he saw the two of them and he grabbed his gun, "Hey, you two!" He yelled and jumped out onto the tracks, Effie dodged back as he swung out with his rifle and she narrowed her eyes as he stumbled a little; he looked young, younger than the two outlaws he was facing off and his footing was jerky and uncertain. Lacking experience. Effie watched the way the rifle shook in his hands, his eyes were wide and betrayed his fear as licked her lips; the kid wasn't prepared to use it on them. "S-stop right there, or I'll shoot!" The kid trembled.

Effie and Sean shared a look, "Is that right, fella?"

The Irishman edged closer and the gun swivelled until the barrel was pointed at his chest, "I'm warning you!"

Sean laughed and yanked the gun from the kid's uncertain grip and bashed it into his face, the stock hit the guard's nose with a sickening crunch and he collapsed to the floor, moaning. "If ya gonna shoot someone don't stand around talkin' about it, kid," Sean muttered as he snapped the rifle open and tipped the bullets out onto the floor, they clinked as they fell next to the boy's head, but his face was a bloody mess and he groaned as he blinked slowly, his eyes glassy as he fought to stay conscious, "Maybe have a wee sleep and a think on it, eh fella?" Sean scoffed and let the rifle clatter to the floor, "Idiot kid."

Effie shrugged as they walked on, "Maybe he took the guard job thinkin' the train wasn't gonna get robbed." She said dryly, peering curiously at the flat bed car filled with stacked hay bales and an assortment of wooden crates in varying sizes.

"Even so, what's the kid even doin' wit a gun like that? More danger to himself than us," He tutted and shook his head, "Think this is the baggage car up ahead, hopefully if there's any more guards they're as useless as that sack of shite back there."

They reached the steps leading up to the baggage car and paused; Sean went to go first but Effie tapped his arm and held a finger up to where her lips were beneath the cloth. He nodded and took the steps as quietly as he could, she climbed up after him, wincing slightly as the train creaked beneath their weight. A warm light spilled out underneath the closed doors to the car and she edged back, trying to work out if there was someone standing behind the door. Sean, completely oblivious to what she was doing, grabbed the handle and pushed the door open, "No wait-"

A hand reached and grabbed the front of the Irishman's shirt and dragged him forwards, his attacker greeted him with a huge, meaty fist colliding with his jaw. Sean's gun clattered to the floor as the other door swung open to reveal the burly guard holding onto her gangmate. She raised her repeater and fired at his torso; the only place she could get a clear shot in without hitting Sean. Three shots buried into the man's stomach and he was forced backwards with a strange, squeaking grunt.

Sean dropped to the floor with a pained moan and sat for a moment blinking. Effie nudged his leg with her boot and he looked up at her with his eyes in a daze, "Move!" She hissed and he managed a half nod and began to crawl out the door, clutching his jaw where he'd taken the hit. With Sean out the way she stepped in close to where the guard lay, his huge hands were pressed on the mess at his stomach, his head lolling feebly as she stepped into his peripheral view with her gun aimed at his head. She silenced him quickly and rushed back to where Sean had dragged himself to outside the car, "Shit, are you okay?" The outlaw raised his head weakly and she slapped him lightly on the cheek he wasn't holding, "Sean can ya hear me?"

"Arrrgh, Christ that hurts," He managed and she relaxed a little.

"Yeah, I ain't surprised," She lifted his hand away gently from where he was cupping his jaw and sucked in a sharp breath when she saw the skin beneath beginning to discolour from his usual pasty Irish pallor, "Shit, looks real tender. Don't think you broke anythin', though."

She heard the scuffing of a boot above them and glanced up at the noise, her eyes widened when she saw a guard on the top of the carriage, readying his gun. She shoved Sean behind one of the crates and dashed out of the way, she flattened herself to the wall next the door just in time to watch the wood of the flat bed where they were explode under the gunfire. Effie yanked the box of cartridges out her pocket and shoved some bullets in the chamber, once the gunfire faltered she risked a step out with her gun raised up, as soon as the figure entered her sight she didn't hesitate and fired, the flash of gunfire only illuminated the guard for a split second, but after the fourth shot he slumped backwards and fell over the edge and out of sight.

A shot whistled past her and she ducked; this time coming from the baggage car. She flung herself behind the crate opposite Sean with a curse, "Shit! Sean, you still with me?" She shouted as wooden shards from the crates flew in the air around her.

Over the din of gunfire she recognised Sean's pained groaning, "For fuck's sake! For fuck's sake!"

Well, he was still alive, at least.

She risked a glance towards the gunfire and saw two guards; one of them taking aim whilst the other paused to reload his chamber. Effie ducked back behind the crate and readied her repeater, she breathed deeply as the adrenaline began to kick in and course through her, she counted to three and risked a look with her breath held, ready to release as she aimed as quickly as she could and squeeze the trigger, when she exhaled it was almost like the world seemed to slow for a moment, just in time to allow her to capture every detail of the bullet catching the guard in the middle of his forehead and the back wall splattering with it's violent exit.

The guard paused when his friend went down, and Effie vaulted over the crate and rushed to cover the doorway. Behind her Sean seemed to have recovered a little and sounded a lot more lucid, "C'mon, get up you little Irish shit, get up!"

She ducked back from the doorway as a couple of rounds sounded and chewed her lip as she eyed the amount of cabinets and chests that cluttered the inside of the carriage, she slung her repeater back over her shoulder and grabbed her pistol. Sean's foot must have come into view of the guard or something, because another round of shots fired and the Irishman yelped behind her, "Oi! I'm already down! Shoot somewhere else, ya bastard!"

She rolled her eyes as she stepped out into the doorway with the hammed thumbed back, she didn't stop firing until the chamber clicked empty, and when the plume of smoke cleared it revealed the last guard, a pool of blood already seeping out from his torso ready to ruin someone's fancy looking curtains that were rolled up against the wall. Effie sighed and holstered her pistol, the gunshots still ringing in her ears as she dropped to her knees and began searching the bodies. Behind her she could hear loud footsteps making their way across the flat bed carriage and she hurried out to protect Sean with her repeater raised.

The footsteps slowed and the figure raised his hands, "It's just me," Arthur called and she lowered the gun, "Everythin' okay? We could hear the gunshots. And Sean."

"We're fine, can you look after Sean whilst I search the car?"

"You ain't even taken a look yet?"

She shot him a look as she headed back into the baggage car and began to rifle through the drawers and cabinets. Behind her, Arthur reached the Irishman and sighed, "Where'd you get shot this time, boy?"

Effie snorted as she pocketed a gleaming pocket watch and an expensive looking cigar, whilst Sean made a small noise of protest, "I didn't get fuckin' shot," He hissed, "Some bastard grabbed me when I opened the door, socked me right across the face he did."

"Let's see…" Effie shot them a glance as she crossed the room to check the cabinet opposite, shoving a ring box in her satchel as she went, "Ah, 's only a little tap on the jaw, you'll be fine."

"Tap? Tap?" She smirked at Sean's clearly aggrieved tone and moved through the car until she found a large leather bound chest, sealed with a heavy padlock, "I'm lucky it ain't broken! Hit me so hard I think I blacked out for a moment there, and I hit my head when the lass pushed me down here for cover."

"Well if you don't wanna get hit you should be more careful, idiot," Arthur said dismissively, "Stay here an' keep a lookout, I'll go help Miss Bartlett with the baggage car."

"You're leavin' me?"

"You'll be fine," He assured in a flat tone as he drew nearer, Effie grabbed her rifle off her shoulder and grunted as she bashed the stock against the lock, trying to smash it off the case, "Just keep a look out for us and provide cover if any more guards come."

"I'll try my best brother, but," Sean took another sharp exhale as he tentatively felt the back of his head, "I'm seein' double here."

Arthur chuckled as he stepped into the car, "That gives ya twice the chance of hittin' someone," She snorted as she hit the gun into the lock again, "You doin' okay there?" The gunslinger asked amusedly as he crossed over the room to her, taking care to step over the guard who'd grabbed Sean, "That padlock's too big, ya ain't gettin' that chest open like that."

She grunted as she struck the lock again, "Well, did you bring an axe?"

He made an amused noise and crossed his arms as he looked down at her, "No, I ain't in the habit of carryin' those. I'm an outlaw, not a damn woodcutter,"

She shot him a look as she readied the gun, "Real funny there, Arthur." She drawled.

He nodded and pulled his bandanna down, revealing his wide smile, "I like to think so," Effie huffed and focussed on the lock again, the gun clattered uselessly and the outlaw stepped closer, "Okay I'm startin' to pity ya, move out the way."

She frowned as he nudged his way into her space and stepped back to give him room, he flipped open his satchel and started rifling through it, she turned and checked the last chest of drawers whilst she waited, finding some tonics that would make a good fit on the medicine wagon back at camp. When she turned back Arthur was stooped and fiddling the lock with some small tools, "What are those?"

He narrowed his eyes as he adjusted one of the tools carefully and grunted, "They're my lockbreaker tools,"

Effie gave him a dubious look, "You know how to pick locks?"

He glanced up at her and shook his head, "I'll try an' ignore how insultin' that look of yours is right now."

She smiled, "What? I'm not allowed to look shocked no more?"

"What's so shockin' about me bein' able to crack locks?"

She perched against a cabinet as she watched him work, "I dunno, just don't seem like your typ'a thing."

He scoffed, "My typ'a thing?"

"Yeah, your typ'a thing is more… kick down doors, and less hunker down an' fiddle with a lock for five minutes."

Arthur twisted carefully and the padlock released with a resounding click, he turned and gave her a smug grin before he threw the case open with a click of his tongue, "I'm gonna take a look at what hunkerin' down an' fiddlin' with a lock got me, why don't you go check on that idiot out there?"

"Ha ha," She deadpanned and rolled her eyes as she brushed past him and headed back towards the doorway, Sean was still sat but he'd moved out from behind the crate and was leaning against the side, "How are you feelin', Irish?" She called as she paused and admired a trinket on the shelf.

"A bit better, I'm gonna have a right old lump on me head, though."

"Heh, least you ain't got a hole in it!" Arthur yelled.

Sean glared and opened his mouth to shout back, then his eyes widened as he looked through the doorway, "Are those tennis rackets in there?" He asked incredulously and Effie followed his gaze to the set of rackets slotted in a bookshelf, "Posh bastards." He shook his head in disbelief.

"Didn't I tell you to keep a lookout?" Arthur turned as he finished rifling through the chest and flipped his satchel shut, "Quit worryin' 'bout what's goin' on in here an' keep them eyes peeled."

"Hey! I'm doin' me best, alright?"

The gunslinger scoffed as he made his way back to Effie on the other side of the car, wincing as he gingerly stepped over a corpse, "I know, that's what I'm worried about." Effie put down the trinket she was looking at as he approached and he grunted as he picked it up, "These rich folk got some decent stuff," He mused.

"Yeah, no kiddin'," Effie nodded and turned to look around the room; whilst anything shiny or worth taking had been pocketed, the carriage was a trove of items Effie had only ever seen in shop windows or magazines. Engraved vases, ornately framed pictures, fine fabrics and various knick knacks that Effie wasn't sure what they were, or what they'd be used for stood proudly on display or packed neatly away on shelves, her eyes lingered on the pair of wooden rackets Sean had pointed out and reached to grab one, "Arthur?"

"Yeah?"

She frowned at the tightly bound string criss-crossing the middle of the racket and twisted the handle in her grip, "You ever wonder what it'd be like to live like this? All high society and what not?"

He chuckled, "Nah, I've mingled with a few before, it ain't a life I'm tryin' to lead. Lots of rules to follow, lots of things they talked about an' spent money on that I couldn't ever begin to make sense of."

"Huh," She shrugged and slotted the racket back into place, "It's weird, half these things in here I wouldn't be able to tell you what they're called, or even what the hell they're used for."

The outlaw shrugged as he checked the contents of a drawer, "Yeah, but if you took one of those passengers in that car over there out in the woods and gave 'em your bow an' told him to go hunt somethin', they wouldn't know where to start. You gotta view it like two worlds; ours an' theirs. It's best things like that are kept separate, they ain't interested in us, an' we ain't interested in them," He paused and made a face, "'Cept maybe the money in their pockets."

She grinned behind the bandanna and he returned his own roguish smile, "Err, we got a problem out here," Sean called through the door and they both turned, "There's two arseholes on horses."

Arthur grabbed her hand and pulled her with him as he hurried out the carriage, "How many you say?" He called as he pulled his bandanna back on.

Sean had pulled himself up and was leaning against the crate pointing to the two glowing lights of lanterns by the treeline, Effie saw the glint of a gun barrel flash in the light from the lantern and pulled her repeater from her shoulder and hurried to reload the chamber, "I can just see a pair of 'em." The Irishman said cautiously.

The wooden flat bed creaked and Effie glanced up as she slipped the last bullet into the chamber, John and Charles were stood on the other side of the car, both of them hiding behind some crates with their guns drawn as Arthur waved his hand, "Ah in that case we're fightin'," He crouched behind the crate and grabbed Sean's jacket to pull him out of sight, whilst Effie hurried to the hay bales beside them and pressed herself against it, Arthur gave her a small nod as she cocked the gun and looked past her to where the other two outlaws were hiding, "Marston, Smith! Get ready!" He hissed before he readied his gun.

"You men come down off the train now, y'hear!" One of the riders called into the dark, there was a moment of silence whilst Sean fiddled with his pistol before the rider cleared his throat pointedly, "We said, you men come out, now!"

"There's only two of you, you fools! We got a whole lot less to lose," Arthur shouted back, Effie risked a peek over the hay bales and watched as the two lawmen approached confidently with their horses. Now that they weren't back at the treeline she could see just how well equipped they were, and licked her lips as she saw the menacing size of the rifle one of them was holding, "Why don't the two of you ride away? That way neither of you get killed." Arthur suggested, his tone so relaxed it was more mocking than anything else, especially when he turned to Sean, "Goddamn liberties."

The Irishman didn't entertain Arthur's remark, instead he was looking past the lawmen with his eyes wide, "There's - there's a few more of 'em turnin' up."

Effie looked where he was pointing and spotted three more glowing lights. Five riders against five of them. She glanced at Arthur and shrugged, he sighed, "Me an' my big mouth," He drawled and raised his gun, "Okay, let's deal with 'em."

"We won't tell you again, come out now with your hands up!" The first lawman warned, as the other riders emerged from the trees slowly, "Last chance! Drop your weapons and all of you off that tr-"

Arthur's shot hit the lawman dead in the chest and he spluttered a groan as he slumped off the back of his horse, there was a beat of silence when the officer hit the floor and gasped to take his last breath.

Then all hell broke loose.

Shots banged against the wooden board running along the side of the flat bed, dust and chips of wood flew everywhere as bullets whistled past. Effie left the first rider to Arthur and Sean and focused on the three that had joined, firing two shots that hit one of the rider's in the shoulder and the chest, joining his friend on the dewy grass to die whilst Charles and John dashed from their cover and took care of the other two. Behind her, she heard Sean curse, "Shit, we got more fellas on the left," He fired off a couple of shots, before he ducked back down beside Arthur, "And we got more comin' out from the trees there!" He yelled down to John and Charles as they kept firing from their end of the car.

A bullet tore through the last bit of wood covering Effie and she cursed and rolled, jumping up and responding with a few shots of her own. The lawman that was aiming for her grinned widely as she peered through the scope and she snarled as she lined up the next shot to blow his face off, after the shot tore through his head she doubled down with a shot to his chest for good measure and ducked back down.

Across the way, John cursed as his gun clicked empty, "Fuck, anyone got any bullets?"

"Are you kiddin' me, Marston?" Arthur snapped as he dispatched two more men coming through the trees, "What? You didn't plan to bring bullets to a goddamn robbery?"

"Here!" Effie grabbed the box of cartridges from her satchel and tossed it to him, a shot hit the hay bales from the other direction and she turned. Her face fell when she saw the group of riders coming from the other side, "Fuck! We got more behind us! Comin' in on horses!" She yelled as she dashed to some crates on the opposite side, she skidded to a stop behind and readied her repeater, managing to pick off two of the group closing in.

"We gotta get rid of them quick, so we can make a run for it!" Charles yelled as he went back behind cover to reload.

Sean laughed in disbelief and risked a glance to the group, "Whadda ya think we're doin' here, huh? There's loads of the bastards."

Effie gritted her teeth as she reloaded and fired back. He was right; the riders were swarming from all directions now, riding out from the woods or coming over the hills to rush them. The only advantage they had was that the lanterns made it easy to find a target, there were just too many to choose from, a bullet hit the crate she was covering behind and she cried out as some wood glanced off her cheek. In the back of her head she was vaguely aware of the copper taste in her mouth, but it was like she slipped into a routine; cover, aim, fire, cover.

When there were only a few riders in sight her repeater clicked empty and she hissed as she threw it over her shoulder and switched to her rifle; it was heavier and slower to fire, but for what it lacked in speed it made up for in range, "Someone take care of the riders close range, I got the ones coming in from up the hill!" She yelled as she settled into position and lined the scope up to the silhouettes on the ridge, the rifle gave a resounding bolt of noise everytime she fired, trying to keep her breathing even as the faltering bullets echoed around her.

Someone had joined her to cover this side of the flatbed with her, and when the last rider on the hill fell dead off his horse she abandoned the rifle and grabbed her pistol, firing three shots at one of the last officers who had managed to get a little too close to the flat bed for her liking. She ducked back down and breathed deeply behind the bandanna, the pistol in her hand shook slightly as the adrenaline surged through her. A hand suddenly reached down towards her and she grabbed it as soon as she recognised it, letting Arthur pull her to her feet as he fired off the last shot at the final officer. He gave her hand a squeeze before he let her go to put his gun away over his shoulder and checked on Sean, behind them John was climbing up from behind the crates he'd barricaded around himself, and Charles was reloading bullets into his rifle.

John was the first to yank his bandanna down and whistle for his horse, "Come on, let's get the hell outta here!"

Effie whistled for her Thoroughbred before she vaulted over the side of the car and landed onto the grass below, praying her horse knew by now to come when she called. John's horse was the first to thunder down over the hillside, closely followed by Taima as the five of them regrouped on the grass, all of them panting slightly with the rush of the gunfight.

"Everyone okay?" Arthur asked and looked around the group as they waited, the cool night air thick with tension as they listened to muffled shouts in the distance.

"Aye, me head's still bangin' a bit though," Sean nodded breathlessly.

"Yeah well, we ain't done yet," The gunslinger muttered as he looked warily into the distance where the shouting was coming from, the telltale glow of lantern light was growing bigger by the second, and they were running out of time.

Effie chewed her lip nervously as John and Charles mounted quickly, and Sean's horse soon joined the fray. A familiar nicker sounded from the bushes and she relaxed a little when she recognised who it was, "Boy," She greeted happily and rushed over to jump on his saddle, giving him a grateful pat on his neck, "Am I glad to see you, huh?"

Arthur's mare was the last to arrive, and he seemed a little calmer too as he mounted up, "Alright, we've gotta try an' lose 'em. Everybody stay close and follow me."

He spurred his mare into a thunderous gallop up the hill, darting past the dead bodies that littered the grass and the hillside as they dug in hard to escape the scene.

"There they are!"

"Get after them, boys!"

"They're gettin' away!"

Effie didn't turn around as she heard the shouts behind them, instead she leaned forward in her saddle and felt for the pistol in her holster, sharing a look with John as he rode beside her.

He nodded to her as he pulled his gun and looked over his shoulder, "We gotta get gone faster, Morgan, or we'll have to stop an' start shootin' back!"

"We'll lose them!" Arthur yelled back firmly, "Everyone keep goin'!"

A shot fired out and she ducked instinctively, her breath hot on the mask as she concentrated on following Arthur's mare through the trees, taking care to avoid any branches as they threatened to break the daring sprint. The brush led out to a dried up riverbed that Arthur thundered across, his mare kicking up dust and bits of dried up mud as she shot across and jumped to clear the rocks to get to the grassy plain on the other side.

"Come on, boy, we can make it," She urged to her stallion as they raced towards the rocks, John pulled back a little to let her go first and she held her breath as her horse jumped and cleared the distance, she grunted as they hit the ground and gave him a grateful pat as he resumed the pace to join Arthur waiting at the top of the ridge for them.

His mare nickered to her stallion as they caught up, and her Thoroughbred huffed back as he panted, "Heh, wonder if they think we're racin' again," Arthur chuckled as he gave his mare a pat.

"God I hope not," She said breathlessly, "You think we lost 'em yet?" She asked as John and Sean joined them on the hill, all of them grateful for the breather.

"I think so, Charles cut off before we went through the trees and led most of 'em off," Sean pointed down the ridge to the east in the distance, "Should we wait for 'im?"

"We ain't leavin' anyone behind, not now." John said firmly.

They waited for a moment quietly, listening to the distant sounds of hooves and shouts in the distance, thankfully it sounded like it was retreating further and further from them. Effie shared a cigarette with Sean as John and Arthur went over everything they'd robbed from the passengers and the baggage car.

Eventually, the silhouette of a lone rider emerged from the woods on the other side of the empty riverbed and made its way up the ridge, "That looks like Taima." She murmured as she passed the cigarette back to Sean. John looked up with his hand on his sidearm, he grunted and relaxed as Charles pulled on his reins and slowed his mare.

"You waited for me," Charles said in his usual deep tone.

"'Course," Arthur nodded, "Good idea, leadin' 'em off like that."

Mister Smith shrugged and patted his mare, "Someone had to do it."

Sean flicked the cigarette over the ridge and let out a low whistle, "That was fun! Real fun," He said brightly, "I can see why they call yous the professionals of the outfit!"

Arthur rolled his eyes as he tossed bundles of cash to each of them in turn, "Shut up." He groaned as the Irishman chuckled.

"At least we made some money," Sean continued, ignoring Arthur's protest as he caught his cut, "And what did I get? Gotta be a hundred dollars here," He flicked through the bills wedged into a clip with his thumb and nodded, "Very nice."

Arthur leaned over to pass Effie her share, his fingers brushed over hers and she met his gaze for a moment before he smirked and shot the Irishman a sly look, "Yeah, and you weren't even invited."

Sean grinned back as he put the bills away, and John cleared his throat as he put the cloth sack he'd used for the robbery away in his satchel, "So what now?"

Arthur's smirk faded as he glanced at his gangmate, "We still need a real big take… big enough for us to get outta here." Effie frowned as she stored her share into the saddle bag; what was bigger than robbing a train full of rich passengers?

"Was that a set up?" John's question hung heavy in the air, "I mean, the law turned up real fast."

The cheerful atmosphere between them all faded quickly; Charles looked off in the distance where the sky was beginning to lighten with the early dawn light, Effie pulled at a loose thread on her shirt and Arthur bored his gaze into his saddle horn, even Sean quietened down and fiddled with his reins.

"I don't know," Arthur murmured, and shook his head before he looked up, "I don't think so?" He huffed and threw his hand up, "I'm startin' to get nervous."

Charles cleared his throat and gave the group a sombre look, "Think they followed us from Blackwater?"

Sean flinched slightly at the mention of the name and John sucked in a harsh breath, the thread she was pulling at snapped off from the sleeve and she flicked it away into the breeze. Arthur eventually scoffed, "Maybe, but I think this lot was just locals."

"That baggage car was full of valuables," Effie said quietly, "And look how much cash you got off'a the passengers. That many rich folk, carryin' that much cash…" She furrowed her brow and swallowed, "The law woulda been told about that train."

John rubbed the stubble on his jaw, his thumb stroked along one of the long slashes going up his cheek absentmindedly before he nodded slowly, "I hope so. I'm gonna head into Valentine, see if I can get somethin' started there."

Arthur nodded, "Good idea," He cleared his throat and tilted his head towards the pair of travellers coming down the road just ahead of them, the riders peered curiously at the group and Arthur pulled the brim of his hat low over his eyes, "Either way, we should all go it alone for now. You boys know the deal; don't be followed."

"Ah, 'course not, boss," Sean waved his hand dismissively and gave the group an eager grin, "I'll see the four of yous back at camp, an' when we get back we can have ourselves a little toast of celebration, eh?"

John scoffed and paused, "Actually, yeah. I think it's safe to say we've earned a drink."

"Well, we'll see," Arthur murmured as he watched the riders pass by and continue on, "Just focus on gettin' back safely, first."

Charles started directing Taima towards the Great Plains, "I'll see you all back at camp then."

"Ride safe, Charles," Effie gave him a small smile and he nodded before he spurred Taima off, heading towards the cover of the trees rather than keep out in the open.

Sean tipped his bowler hat to the group before he took his leave and galloped straight down the road, whooping as he went and leaving a cloud of dust in his wake, "God damn idiot," John muttered and rubbed the back of his neck, "Can't believe he ended up weaselin' his way onto the job."

"Ah, the kid was already there with the wagon by the time we showed up there," Arthur shrugged, "He had his fun, an' made a lotta money outta it, might even shut him up for a few weeks."

"Mister Maguire doesn't know how to shut up," Effie smirked as she leaned forward in her saddle to offer her horse a carrot.

"Ain't that the truth," John snorted and flicked his hair out of his face, "I'll catch up with the two of you in camp, if not come find me in town."

"Sure," Arthur nodded.

"Watch yourself ridin' back." She said and he grunted and headed off, following along the road at a leisurely pace before he spurred his horse into a gallop and cut off from the road and disappeared over the hill.

"Come on, we ain't too far from Twin Stack Pass. We can cut across the plains and take the long way back just to be safe." Arthur pointed to the two cliffs in the distance and she nodded and followed his mare as she picked her way through the grass.

By the time they'd leisurely made their way over and joined the road the sky had lightened considerably, birds had started singing as they rose with the emerging sun peeking over the horizon, and they saw less coyote packs running rampant and more racoons and rabbits scampering through the undergrowth. Effie flipped open her satchel and held the reins in one hand as she rifled through, after only glimpsing some wilted herbs and some crumbs at the bottom amongst the valuables and handbills she sighed and glanced at the outlaw, "You still got those oatcakes I gave ya?"

"Hmm? Oh, sure," He turned and started searching his satchel, he shook the box a little before he tossed it to her.

"Thanks," She muttered and held the box down with her arm as she ate with the other hand, wrinkling her nose at the drying taste, "You're awful quiet, for someone who just got away with a whole load of money."

"Just thinkin'," The outlaw replied, but he sounded distant.

She smiled as she chewed on another oatcake, "Always thinkin'..." She offered her horse the rest of the biscuit and brushed the crumbs off her lap, "Are you worried about all the law that turned up?"

"A little," He muttered and cleared his throat, "I wanna believe you're right, and that train was a known target the law knew about, but… I ain't sure, it feels like we'd be fools to ignore the possibility of it bein' intentional, like they wanted us to try and rob it."

Effie frowned, "But we did rob it, and we got away."

He chuckled, "Guess they figured we'd go down easy."

"So what happens now?"

Arthur turned in his saddle, his blue eyes bright, "We do what we've been tryna do the whole time; we gotta get enough money an' make our way out West. Otherwise…" He looked away, "I dunno what the other option is, but it ain't gonna be pretty."

"Out West," She echoed quietly, "And then what?"

The outlaw shrugged and rubbed his jaw, "Buy some land, build on it. Maybe we eventually get some livestock, an' get a little ranch goin' to live off'a. Anyone that wants to stay is welcome, but I reckon a few of 'em might cut loose."

She nodded and hummed quietly to herself as she looked off into the distance as they came down the valley between Twin Stack Pass, in the distance she could make out the cliff's that formed Caliban's Seat, the quiet morning was interrupted by an early train making its way across the tracks heading towards Valentine, it's sharp whistle startled a herd of pronghorn and they took off across the flat plain, bleating to each other as they went.

"Have you thought about what you're gonna do?"

Effie blinked and tilted her head, "Huh?"

"When we get enough money to leave here and disappear from the law for good," Arthur looked down at his hands clutching the reins, "You know what you're gonna do?"

She shook her head, "I ain't really thought about it all that much."

"What do you wanna do?" He pressed, "I mean, there must be somethin'."

Effie smiled, "I dunno, travel an' explore, maybe? See what beauty the West has got to offer… but I ain't thinkin' 'bout it so much, 'specially when I got to take care of things here before I can think about leavin'."

The gunslinger frowned, "What things?"

"Colm," She said quietly and looked away, "I ain't… I can't go anywhere until I know the bastard's dead."

There was a heavy silence as they followed the road to the crossroads before the tracks, the sun had risen enough that the day was starting to warm up, and Effie fiddled with her sleeves and cuffed them below her elbows as they crossed the tracks. As they came down the small slope and the familiar brush came into view Arthur pulled on his reins hard, his mare halted dutifully but she huffed up a fuss and stamped her hooves, Effie frowned and pulled on her reins, slowing her Thoroughbred beside Arthur and she peered at his stormy features.

"If we got enough money, and we were ready to leave but you hadn't found Colm and the others," Arthur's voice was low, but she could hear his words clearly as they stood on the old trail, "Would you stay?"

She grimaced slightly, "Arthur…"

He raised his head, and his gaze pierced into hers and rooted her to the spot, "Would you stay?" He asked again.

She eyed his hard expression and swallowed, as she raised her chin, "You of all people know what they - what he let them do to me, Arthur. Please try an' understand - it hurts, knowin' he's still out there every day, breathin' freely when he-" Her face felt hot and she looked away as tears suddenly blurred her vision, "He took so much from me, Arthur." She managed quietly and her hand suddenly clutched at her chest.

It was starting again.

That agonising, overbearing weight that felt like the world around her was shrinking, closing in on her as her chest got tighter and tighter, so tight it felt like her heart was seizing between her ribs. There was a loud ringing in her ears, like someone had let off a shotgun too close. It reverberated around her skull, so loud she felt like something her brain was being shook loose.

"Oh, Effie," There was a shuffling and the sound of boots hitting the ground, but she was far too busy trying to remember how to get some air into her lungs, her nails were digging fiercely into her palms, every few seconds her brain would vaguely register how much her hands hurt, but any efforts to try and get her fingers to open up just made her clenched fists shake. Warm hands clutched her waist and pulled her gently down off the saddle, then she was pulled tightly against Arthur's chest, "'S okay, I got 'chu," His voice crooned softly as she buried her head into his dark shirt, it smelled of gunpowder and sweat from the job, but that familiar combination of leather and horsehair was there too, and she welcomed it as it washed over her.

As her breathing started to even out her he gently loosened his grip, waiting patiently for her to let go and step away when she was ready, when she raised her head he smiled warmly down at her, his steely expression long since replaced with something more earnest, "There, that's better, ain't it?"

"I'm sorry," She muttered as she dried her cheeks roughly on her shoulder.

He made an amused noise, "Whatta you sorry for?"

She snorted and pulled the brim of her hat low over her eyes, "That, gettin' worked up an' makin' a fool of myself. You shouldn't have to see me like that."

"Ain't nothin' foolish about it," He shrugged, "I know what it's like, feelin' like your lungs ain't workin' and your brain don't listen to ya…" He scuffed his boot against the floor, kicking up a small cloud of dust.

"Does it stop?"

The outlaw pursed his lips and thought for a long moment, "Sometimes I fool myself into thinkin' it does. I think it just gets easier, you just gotta keep goin'."

Something panged through her, "Oh."

"Look, Effie… revenge is a fool's game," Arthur picked his words carefully, but his voice sounded a little strained, "I seen so many folk die for it, seen a lot more die because of it. All I know is in the end there ain't much good that comes outta it, but…" He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, "If seein' Colm dead is somethin' you need to see through, then I got your back."

"Arthur, you don't have t-"

"Nonsense," He waved his hand airily and leaned back, his other hand moving to clasp his belt, "We're partners, remember? You got my back, an' I got yours. Ain't nothin' else to it."

She licked her lips, "It ain't just Colm,"

"I know," He shrugged, and they shared a long look, but the silence wasn't overbearing. If anything it was like some of the weight was lifting from Effie's shoulders, like Arthur was taking some of it for her, and he did so without complaint, as he always did. She couldn't understand it; he'd done so much for her already, looked out for her like no one else ever had, brought her somewhere where she was safe, and mattered to people, and brought a whole group of people into her life that were starting to matter to her, too.

Behind them, the horses shuffled, and Effie's Thoroughbred stamped his hooves into the dirt impatiently and tossed his head. She made her way to him and fussed over him, patting his neck absentmindedly whilst he snorted and calmed down, she smiled when he started butting his head against her shoulder and fished out the box of oatcakes. She laughed when she pried open the lid of the box and he went to bury his head into it to get at the treats within, "Hey!" She protested and held the box away and out of his reach, only for Arthur's mare to turn and take full advantage, dipping her head into the box and snaffling the biscuits, "Oh for- you're both as bad as eachother!" She scolded as she wrestled the box from the mare, she salvaged an oatcake before she tossed the box to Arthur and offered it to the stallion. He scoffed the treat within seconds and nickered, eyeing the box in the outlaw's hands and Effie rolled her eyes, "That's enough treats for you."

Arthur chuckled and started to make his way into the undergrowth towards Horseshoe Overlook, "Come on, let's get them hitched and calm 'em down," He clicked his tongue at his mare, "Let's go girl." His mare shot forwards, barging past Effie as she led her Thoroughbred through the woods behind.

"Christ, that was near attempted murder," She muttered as the mare took her place behind the outlaw.

As the camp came into view Effie could hear Dutch's gramophone was on, music wafted softly through the camp as the girls were sat dragging their feet through some sewing, Uncle was sat by the fire with the Reverend, both of them sharing a bottle and deep in some idle chatter. Sean was sat with Lenny and Charles at the table near the entrance, there was a crate of whiskey in front of them and he got to his feet as they emerged from the undergrowth and headed for the hitching posts.

"Ah here's the other two, finally!" Sean huffed and raised a half empty bottle of whiskey to them with a beaming grin, "What time do ya call this?"

"Took the long way back, that's all," Arthur replied coolly as he hitched his mare and gave her a pat, "Figured it'd be safer, rather than takin' off towards camp like you did."

The Irishman laughed, "Aye, well, got me back to camp first is what it did. Come on over here an' have a seat, Morgan, we're just havin' ourselves a little drink to celebrate."

Arthur grunted and approached the three men whilst Effie tied the reins up to the opposite post, "So I see… where's John?"

"Marston was sat right there, ol' Abigail called him over for somethin', but he'll be back - we was just gettin' started."

"Is that right?" Arthur chuckled and hesitated before he grabbed a bottle from the crate, "Did you both get back okay?"

Charles rolled his own bottle between his palms and nodded, "Yeah, I didn't see anybody out on the roads when I came back."

"Good," Arthur nodded and opened the bottle before he took a long swig, Sean drummed his hands on the table excitedly.

"We was just tellin' Lenny how the robbery went, and all them riders that turned up outta nowhere that we shot to hell," He chuckled and raised his bottle, "Was a thing of beauty, really. You shoulda seen the baggage car, was filled with all kinds of shite,"

"Were there many guards?" Lenny asked, looking a little envious of his gangmates.

"Not to start with, but you shoulda seen the amount of law that turned up," Sean raised his hands animatedly, "Started off with just two of 'em, then they was everywhere, like we kicked a hornet's nest."

Arthur offered Effie his bottle when she joined them but she shook her head and leant against the table, eyeing Dutch's tent over Sean's shoulder as she half listened to his recount of the job.

"...Opened the door an' this big bastard was waitin' for us, grabbed me and almost broke me jaw with the way he socked me," Sean chuckled and tapped Effie's arm, "Miss Bartlett soon showed 'em, though, didn't have to shove me out the way as hard as she did, mind, gave me a nasty lump on me head for it, didn't ya lass?"

She smiled, but furrowed her brow as she glanced down at the younger outlaw, "It was either that or let you get shot, so," She said dryly.

Sean rolled his eyes, and elbowed Lenny, "You see that, there? I blame ol' grumpy over there, he's turnin' ya all sour like 'im, lass."

Charles smirked and Arthur chuckled, "Well maybe next time you'll remember to be more careful an' do ya job."

"Hey! I did my job," Sean protested, his lower lip sticking out indignantly, "And you boys need to lighten up a little, we're out in this beautiful stretch of land doin' what we do best an' gettin' a pretty penny. And half'a yous are walkin' around actin' like someone pissed in ya coffee."

Arthur crossed his arms and leaned back in his seat, "Some of us are worried 'bout folk, kid. Not of all us can spend all day worryin' 'bout whether they can afford their next drink."

"Ah I think you're worryin' too much 'bout nothin', Arthur," Sean dismissed, his voice carrying across the camp, "So long as we got Dutch leadin' us, we'll be fine. We always are."

The outlaw scoffed and looked away as he took another long drink, Charles pulled his knife out and traced the ornate carving on the handle and Effie pulled out her cigarettes and Lenny slid his matchbox over to her, she nodded in thanks as she took one and struck it off the edge of the table.

"Gentleman," John greeted them in a flat tone as he wandered over, snatching a bottle from the crate and tipped it to Effie, "Miss. When did you two get back?"

"Just now," Arthur responded, "You doin' okay, Marston?"

John held his hand up as he gulped down the whiskey, everyone at the table exchanged a glance as he drank, he exhaled sharply and set the bottle down on the table hard, "That woman's gonna be the death of me, I swear." He muttered and looked over his shoulder at Abigail's tent.

"Ah, I ain't got no doubts you probably deserved whatever she gave you," The gunslinger quipped and gave John a playful nudge as he perched against the table.

"'S just," John paused and glanced back at Abigail's tent, "The boy. She wants me to spend time with him, and I… Well, I ain't for it."

Sean chuckled as he lifted his bottle to his lips, Charles glanced up at the outlaw, his lips pressed into a thin line, but he didn't comment. Lenny offered a small shrug and focused on a cork from one of the bottles and rolled it on the table beneath his palm, Effie blew a plume of smoke and pursed her lips as she spied Jack sat beneath a tree bordering the cliff, he was sat playing with a wooden horse she'd seen him with a couple of times, Abigail was stood a little way off in a hushed conversation with Karen.

"What 'chu mean, you ain't for it?" Arthur frowned.

John shrugged, "Exactly that. We ain't even sure if the boy's mine, an' she expects me to be a father," He spat on the floor and winced, "I ain't… I don't know the first thing 'bout bein' a father. All I know is how to shoot an' how to rob, this life don't allow room for much else."

Arthur opened his mouth, but instead looked away with his lip curled, she watched his grip tighten around the whiskey bottle as the group settled into a silence, none of the men wanted to offer any agreement, or advice to the young outlaw. Effie peered at John carefully as she smoked, studying the gun's slung over his shoulder and the knife hilt that flashed wickedly from his holster. With his hat off, she could see the fresh scars that carved the right side of his face; the way he looked now, he certainly didn't look like a family man, she was still trying to comprehend the fact that Jack was his little boy.

Effie cleared her throat, "Have you tried?" She asked hesitantly. She could feel all eyes on her and she hid her anxiety with a toke on her cigarette, boring her gaze into John's as he huffed and took another drink.

"Whatta you want me to do?" He asked rhetorically and rolled his eyes, something told her he'd had this conversation numerous times with others before, "Take him out robbin'? Show him how I clean my shotgun?" He scoffed and shook his head, "I'm an outlaw, I ain't a father."

"I think what Miss Bartlett is gettin' at," Lenny intervened, looking a little nervous as he John's irritated gaze snapped to him, "Is maybe try spendin' some time with him, talkin' with him and findin' out what he likes to do."

Charles muttered something and looked away, whilst Lenny looked around the rest of the group for help, he elbowed Sean until the Irishman coughed and offered a small nod, "Aye er, 's not like any of us here has many good stories about their da's. Maybe you," He furrowed his brow and looked at his bottle of whiskey for a moment, then his features brightened and looked back to John, "You could be the first!"

John narrowed his eyes, "The first?" He asked dubiously, "First what?"

"Er, well put it like this, Scarface," Sean emptied the rest of his bottle and pushed himself to his feet, he leant on the table to steady himself as he swayed a little, "How old's the wee man now? Four, five? Picture us, an' where we'll be in ten years time," He made his way around the table and wrapped his arm around John's shoulder as he pointed to the view over the cliffs, "All of us safe out somewhere West, we ain't had any law breathin' down our necks, we're livin' free an' in paradise, right? Like Dutch always says. An' young Jack ain't a boy no more, he's a man," He shook John in his grip, Effie snickered as the other outlaw grunted and pushed him off. Sean stumbled away but held his hand up, "Hey! I'm tryna open your eyes here, Marston, an' offer ya some fuckin' wisdom. Just picture us all out there, maybe we're sat by the fire as a group, or round the dinner table enjoyin' a nice meal - one that ain't been sittin' in that fuckin' pot burnin' away all day." He jerked his thumb over his shoulder to Pearson's stew pot and the camp butcher looked up from his table.

"Hey! I heard that, kid!" Pearson shouted from his wagon, "If you're cookin's anythin' like your card playin', we'd all starve, so watch your damn mouth!"

The group chortled as Sean smiled weakly at the camp's cook, "Sorry Pearson, didn't know you were listenin'. Anyways, what was I sayin'? Marston, all I know if that you're a sulky bastard, an' you're always more moody when Abigail collars ya. Now, you know me, when she was pregnant I had me money on that babe belongin' to Mister Escuella, but she picked you, so…" He trailed off with a shrug and patted John on the shoulder.

"Wait, that's it?" John frowned.

Sean scratched the stubble on his chin, "Well I didn't just give ya that grand speech for nothin', just take me advice, Scarface, an' you'll be fine, I promise."

"But you didn't actually say nothin'!" John shook his head in exasperation and Effie hid her smile as she threw her cigarette to the floor.

"Well shit, Marston, I ain't got a kid, so," The Irishman shrugged and John shoved him with a growl, "Hey, calm down, Wolf Boy," He chuckled as he staggered back, "It ain't our fault you decided to lay wit her."

"Alright, I seen enough," Arthur cleared his throat and got to his feet as John raised his fist to the Irishman, "Marston, don't hit the kid, he'll only be ever more annoyin' if ya give him a shiner to moan about."

The younger outlaw faltered and dropped his fist, "Yeah, you're right," He sighed, and poked Sean in the chest, "And you, next time just keep your mouth shut."

"Aww, don't be like that, John! I was hopin' on gettin' you to agree to bringin' me to Valentine wit yous to look for leads," Sean grinned back.

"No," The outlaw scoffed and shook his head, "You already snuck onto a job I didn't want you on, I don't need to explain to Dutch and Hosea why I ended up shootin' you in the street in town because you an' that big mouth of yours got us into trouble."

Charles grunted, "Again."

Arthur huffed a laugh as he got to his feet, "Lenny, keep an eye on Sean for me? Make sure John don't kill 'im, I'm gonna go an' see Dutch, see what he's thinkin' about after all that law showed up on us last night, I'll catch up wit 'chu all later." He tipped his hat to the group and gave Effie a small smile as he brushed past her and headed to Dutch's tent.

"I think I'm gonna go too, see if I can get some sleep after last night," Effie slid Lenny's matchbox back across the table and offered the group a small parting smile as she hopped off down from the table and started towards the tents where the girls slept, "I'll see y'all later."

"Aw, you don't wanna drink with us, lass?" Sean called after her.

"I'm afraid I ain't in a drinkin' mood, Irish," She smiled politely, "Maybe another time."

"Typical," She heard him scoff as she turned back and walked away, "Alright boys, who's got cards on 'em? Who's up for a friendly game?"