"Alright, partner. You've got yourself a deal, and a fine new horse!"
Sam looked over at the new horse Arthur picked from the stables. Of course, seeing as he offered to pitch in, Arthur also went all out on a new saddle, as well. He wasn't sure it was a good idea, seeing how sad he looked when the other horse he had was shot, but things were different now that he was in a gang. Arthur was probably used to it, despite it seeming that the death of one still hurt him. An outlaw needed a horse, just like a wagon needed wheels. There was no time to spend time without a horse to mourn.
Despite this, Sam had never experienced the excitement of getting a new horse at the stables. The only horse he ever wanted or needed was Aurora, and in a sense, he didn't find her, she found him.
"I hope so," said Arthur. The new horse he picked out had been the Turk. It had a nice gray coat, with a somewhat slender, but agile build. Her mane was a dark gray color and the locks were long. She cost a pretty penny, but Sam was later informed that Arthur helped himself to the savings he found in the ruins of the old clinic a while ago.
"Well, I don't sell anything other than good animals," the stable owner added. "You have my word on that."
At first Sam was angry, but then again, it wasn't like he needed that much money anymore. He simply sighed. What was he going to do? Beat him up over it? He just helped find that Nakota horse! Arthur could probably kill him with only his thumb!
Yet, this was also the same man he shot at, shot O'Driscolls, and robbed a clinic with. He was giving him pointers on how to fight, and now helped him break a new horse. So the least he could do was give him money for a horse in return.
He was his "friend," after all.
Sam didn't understand why he was questioning this so much. At the end of the day, Arthur Morgan was an outlaw through and through.
"Appreciate it," Arthur said, happily, as he was given some treats for free. Sam huffed and turned back to setting up the new saddle on the Nakota horse. Of course he'd get free stuff. He'd paid good money for that animal… with his uncle's money. All Sam bought was a saddle. He was sure a portion that he took went to funding the rest of the gang. At least it wouldn't all go to waste.
"That looks like a nice horse," Sam said, as Arthur joined him outside of the stable. He was guiding the new horse outside, by walking beside her holding the reins. "Happy?"
"Guess we'll see," said Arthur. He was smiling, despite the doubt in his voice. It made Sam's smile himself. "Find a name for yours yet?"
Sam shook his head. "No. The choice will be up to Lily. What about yours?"
And the two chatted about names all the way back to the camp back at Horseshoe Overlook.
At least one person was keeping an eye on Kieran since he'd been allowed to stay with the gang. He never wandered off, even if someone looked away for even a moment. The man either had no intention in double crossing them, biding his time, or knew if he tried, every single one of them would tear him apart.
Kieran, however, just stuck with taking care of the horses, which nobody really minded. It saved people some of the trouble of tending to them and he would tell people if anything was amiss with their horses, and even had some good caregiving advice.
John was just walking around camp. It was the most he could do without Abigail making a fuss about his injury. They hadn't been down from the mountain long, but the whole incident there felt like it was so long ago.
The stitches on his face were still a bit tender, and a bit red, and he was sure it was going to leave a scar, no matter what Lily tried, not that it was her priority. Her priority was about healing, not vanity, not that John really cared about his looks.
Kieran didn't have any idea of this secret surveillance the men in the gang had been up to. Lenny showed up to take over for John, so he decided to get dinner. The sun had just gone down and the end of the day was almost here.
Then, Abigail stepped out of his tent. Sometimes, he wondered if she hid in there to jump out and force him to talk to her.
"Listen, John."
She wasn't going to leave him alone unless he listened, so he stayed, turned around, and reluctantly listened to her.
"You and me is one thing but, will you at least try to make an effort with the boy?"
John glanced, only briefly, at Jack who was playing in the grass at the edge of camp in the trees. He turned back to Abigail, her eyes hopeful, but knowing her as long as he had, he could see the rage hidden behind them. He sighed.
"If it'll shut you up, I'll try," said John. "But fathering ain't nothing I know about."
Abigail scowled. "Here's a hint. Act like you ain't a selfish, bloodthirsty moron."
"You mean lie?"
Abigail sighed irritably and stormed off. "Shut up."
John once again glanced at Jack who was still playing. He shook his head, but kept walking, making no attempt to even get near the kid.
Micah was doing better, recovering from his time in Strawberry. He doubted he could ever go back there again, but it didn't really bother him. Not when a beautiful young lady, who just got back from hunting, was tending to his injuries.
Miss Grimshaw peeked into her tent briefly, smiled to see she was working, and then kept walking to do her rounds.
"There," Lily said, stepping back. She just finished cleaning up his eyes and marked up hands. "It should fade away in a few more days." Her face was the same mode of neutral as she went to put her medicines and sheets away in their rightful place.
"Hmm..." Micah smiled as she turned away, just in time to yell at Reverend Swanson.
"Get!" she snapped. "I said no!"
The man stepped away, holding out his hands. "P-Please!" he begged. "I…"
Lily crossed her arms, her eyes half-lidded already from boredom.
"You're what?" she said.
"I'm ill, miss!"
"Yeah," she said, pushing him back. "In the head." The reverend nearly fell onto the ground. "Now get!"
"I'll have you show some-"
"You want my respect? Earn it!" Lily's voice was cold and she reached for the small revolver near her, and that's when the reverend scurried off. Micah started laughing really hard.
"Sorry about that…" said Lily.
"No, no…" Micah laughed a bit more. "Look at him! He's a disgrace!"
Lily shrugged. "I wouldn't say that. He's just a man who's lost his way. But he has to want help to get it." She had a small swig of whiskey and poured it into a small glass before drinking it. "I'm sick of trying to keep him away from our medical supplies like vermin after food."
Micah calmed down from his laughs and just looked at Lily while she straightened out her things. "Well, ain't you quite a woman."
That's when Lily just froze. She sighed and just took the complement. "Thanks, I guess."
"How about I take you out sometime?"
Lily turned around towards him, slowly, and began leaning against the small table behind her. "Uh, I… have a boyfriend in town."
Micah chuckled and stood up. "I don't see him here. We're outlaws, sweetheart. We don't stick around places long, and you owe Dutch, so I can only see that you're going where we're going."
"That's enough, Micah."
Lily looked over just in time to see John walk past her.
"And what are you looking at?" Micah snarled. While the two men stared each other down, Lily slowly walked behind him.
"Not much."
Micah just shrugged and walked away. Lily peeked out from behind him. She had already passed judgement, when she had barely even talked with him.
"John…" Lily said, before he walked away. For the first time since she saw him, she smiled. "Thank-you."
"Yeah, don't mention it…" he muttered. "He's a piece of work, ain't he?"
"Hey, we're back!" Javier announced. "And guess who we found?"
He rode in with Charles. Lily's eyes sparkled as Arthur and Sam were following in behind them and Sam was riding a new horse. Was that for her?
But the camp was joyful, shouting cheers when they saw a young Irish man with long red hair riding on Javier's horse.
"Shit. Is that Sean?" said John.
Everyone was happy, and some of the other gang members ran up to see him. Even little Jack was excited. Sam, meanwhile, was just hitching the new horse by one of the posts, for the time being.
"Uncle Sean!" Jack exclaimed, excitedly.
Dutch cut through the small gathering. "Sean!"
Sean held up his arms. "I'm back, everyone! Do I've got some stories for you all!"
"Yeah…" Javier said, flatly. "I can't wait."
"I imagine you all missed me a lot… but fear not, the joy's back in your lives, now!"
"Didn't I tell you?" Dutch turned to the rest of the gang. Those who were nearby and those who weren't all began listening at the sound of their leader's voice. He placed a hand on Sean's shoulder. "I told you! We ain't done yet! We rest, we get stronger, we fight back! We. Will. Win!" He turned to Sean. "Welcome back Sean."
"Ha ha! Bet ya missed me too, Dutch!"
"Oh, shut up…" Dutch said, rolling his eyes. "Everyone, let's have some fun… tonight. Let's enjoy ourselves."
"We having a party?" said Arthur.
"Maybe, just a little one." He raised his voice again. "Mr. Macguire is back. So, come on… let's have ourselves a party!"
Lily was with Sam, examining the new horse he got for her, as well as the one Sam and Arthur bought together. Once Sam heard the word "party" a huge smile was on his face and he awkwardly started walking up to all the commotion.
"Nothing stupid tonight, Sam," said Lily.
"No promises," Sam responded.
The party went deep into the night. People were cheering and dancing. Hosea put out crates of drinks, free for anyone to take. Dutch played music from his tent and Sean was catching up with his friends.
"I know you bastards missed me," said Sean. He pulled out a small crate and stood on top of it. "But I've come back. So, everything's going to be okay. And don't you worry, Miss Grimshaw, ya old crone! I'll keep them girls in line, if I have to whip'em, I will! And don't you worry, Mr. Pearson, you drunk old sea bag! It'll be nothing but, uh... the finest game in the pot, now Dead Eye Macguire's back! And don't worry about nothing Miss Grimshaw… we'll have this camp running like clockwork… I love you bastards… have fun. Have lots of fun!" He stepped down from the crate and gestured to Arthur. "Even you, you grumpy old bastard, Arthur. The drinks are on me."
Arthur rolled his eyes. "They always are, when you ain't buying."
The girls cheered and even some of the guys. Strauss had just kept to his spot and decided to read a book.
"Let's drink," Pearson exclaimed.
"Come on!" Miss Grimshaw yelled. "Let's enjoy ourselves!"
Sam wasn't sure what to think of Sean. The day was pretty much over and the party was just starting and he already had what looked like to be his second drink already. Well, it wasn't his problem.
Javier knew how to play music on his guitar and the old man that everyone just referred to as "Uncle" had Javier play some requests with Tilly and Karen sitting at the table. Most of the men had taken up the drink, and Sam was just wandering around, saying his greetings, with a drink in his own hand, and just making sure everyone was having fun.
Kieran just kept to himself by the horses.
And Lily was not surprised at all that the reverend got himself drunk faster than she could count to three.
It was already pretty late for Jack by Abigail's standards, so after giving him dinner and letting him say his greetings to Sean she put him to bed.
"Will you dance with me, Arthur?"
"Sure, but I ain't much of a dancer."
Sam was walking around. Dutch dancing with Molly. He shot Sam a wink as a greeting and the young man just tipped his hat at him, and then he saw Arthur dancing nearby with the little quiet but sweet girl, Mary-Beth.
"See, Arthur, it's okay to dance… doesn't mean we won't stop thinking you're angry and sad."
"That what you think of me?"
Mary-Beth giggled. "Sad in a good way, like a romantic poet."
Arthur chuckled. "Well… that's about all I can muster."
Sam found himself smiling at the sight. Suddenly, he couldn't explain why, but his heart started thumping a bit faster. And before he knew it, he was smiling, and if it weren't for the darkness the other campers would've seen how rosy his cheeks suddenly looked.
The young man shook his head shuffled off elsewhere, pushing the thoughts he had away. He knew that aspect of life was just not for him. He walked over to one of the crates that Hosea had put out and grabbed another beer.
By the time Sam had his third drink, he had mostly calmed down, but just felt a bit disappointed with himself. His mind focused on the fire, the smell of the grass, alcohol, and cigarettes, Javier's music in the distance, and was happy with the company that sat around the fire with him, despite not knowing them too well. In some ways, it was more comforting. They were like him. Outcasted for not falling in line into society like other people wanted them to...
"Fellers would spend all night talking about what they were going to do the second they left the army," said Bill. "All kinds of things like, 'Oh I'm going to go and and I'm going to be a cook' or, 'I'm gonna go out and I'm gonna find me a wife.' Hell, someone's like 'I'm gonna go and dance with the finest whore in San Francisco.' You know some shit like that, you know how fellers is. But you know what every one of them did the second they left the army? Join the goddamn army again!" The man yelled, clearly still outraged. "Jesus Christ! I mean, here is a group of fellers that spent every waking minute just dreaming of leaving. And… and then they left. And then they jump back in again! Stupid. You know what? That taught me something… and-and-and it taught me something that I will never forget. And that's that most fellers are sheep. That's right. And… and if you can tell the difference between a… the difference between a sheep and… a sheep and a man. Then you… well you… that makes you a better man than me, sir. And that's all I'm saying. Mark my words, all of you mark my words."
John smiled a little once he saw Arthur walking over to join them at the campfire. The music at Dutch's tent had stopped for now, so Sam guessed the dancing was over.
"You know, my uncle once threatened to make me join the army if I didn't straighten out," said Sam.
Bill shook his head. "Yeah, good luck with that."
"Well, he's dead now, so…" Bill was about to say something, but Sam just shrugged it off. "It's fine. I'm not looking for sympathy."
Just before the mood could get awkward, Arthur showed up. The music had stopped, so he assumed the dancing had stopped.
"Even fellers," he said before taking a seat on a crate. Sam was sitting on a log next to John, who seemed a bit surprised to see Sam's face light up a little at his presence, but paid it no heed.
"Arthur," John greeted, but Arthur acted as if John wasn't even there.
"Arthur!" Sam said more excitedly. But somehow, he got his attention.
"You okay?"
"Yeah, Bill was just talking about…"
The two started talking, which was odd to John, as Arthur wasn't really a man of many words, but other people seemed to be engaged, as well, even Hosea. Sam was new to them, so he probably had stories that they hadn't heard about to bring to the table.
Hosea eventually wanted to go chat with Dutch so he got up, but not before shooting a smile at Arthur and Sam for their improving friendship.
"Archie was stuck wearing that hat for three whole days…" Sam said, finishing his story. And the remaining people at the campfire erupted in laughter. John wasn't sure if it was because it was actually funny or because mostly everyone was tipsy in some way at that point.
"No, no," said Pearson. "I've got one. So, get this…"
John decided he had enough. He got up, and with another beer and wandered off to go somewhere more quiet.
Lily had locked away the medicine's somewhere, but luckily Swanson had fallen asleep and someone dragged him back to his tent. Still, she couldn't be too careful. She sat down on her cot hearing some of the women singing to some Javier's guitar songs. Dutch's tent wasn't too far away, so she was able to hear the odd couple who dwelled in it.
"I love you, Dutch," Molly said, her voice soft and sweet.
"Thank-you, my dear." Lily heard giggling and the clink of wine glasses. She sighed, thinking about Valentine.
"You doing okay?"
Abigail peeked into the tent. Lily waved at her, shyly, meaning she could come in. She nodded.
"Yes… I just… I have a man in town, and… this party is making me miss him. I wish he was here to dance with me, but that would put him in danger… and Sam is still angry with him."
Abigail sat down next to her. "Listen to me, don't you worry over what your cousin thinks," said Abigail. "There ain't no use in worrying about what he and other people think. If you wanna see him, then go see him. You should be happy to have a man who actually gives two shits about you. I'd be lucky if mine could give even one about me and the boy."
Lily nodded. Noticing that John hadn't really interacted with her much, and Jack even less.
"I see." She blinked, looking around, remembering how John stood up for her today. "Don't give up on John. I know there's an honorable man in there… somewhere…"
Abigail squinted, seeing John at a table with Bill. His movements were sluggish and they both had a beer in their hands. She gave Lily a pat on the shoulder and stood up.
"Excuse me." She stormed out of the tent towards them.
Lily peeked out briefly to see Sam still with Arthur and some of the other boys. Their laughter was getting pretty loud, but she smiled to see him happy, even if he was drunk. He'd get to bed on his own, or someone would help him, and if not, she knew he'd be safe in the camp, snoozing under the stars. She could see Sean super drunk and wandering towards them.
"Ain't taking you long to settle back in," said Arthur.
"I'm back," Sean stated confidently, despite his sloppy steps. "I'm back."
Arthur laughed. "You crazy Irish bastard."
The girl turned to go back into her tent and sleep, when she saw a tall figure outside on the other side of the tent. She grabbed a lantern off the table. "Hello?" The shadow didn't move, but Lily's heart was beating faster, she felt shivers down her spine, the air suddenly a little chilly. She didn't recognize who it was. Slowly, she backed up and grabbed the small revolver with her free hand, palm sweaty from nerves, and stepped out of the tent. She ran around it to the back and pointed her gun.
"Who's there?!" she stated, sharply.
To her shock, she didn't see anyone. She looked around, and didn't hear anyone running or walking. She sighed, the air feeling warmer once again, for a nice spring evening. Lily backed away slowly towards the inside of her tent, but she wasn't sure if she was going to be able to sleep soundly tonight.
John had decided to drink alone at the table that the girls and Javier had previously sat at. They had gone to relax while Javier had moved to the campfire. Bill had gone to join him. The two had clearly drunk a lot.
"I mean, like, hey, hey, it's like…" Bill started. "Okay… I love liquor. I love liquor. But liquor… don't love me."
John genuinely stared at his friend for a whole second, before he just laughed. "I know what you mean." And the two just laughed some more and then they noticed Abigail standing near them.
Abigail waited until John made eye contact.
"Pathetic!" she snapped. And with that, she stormed off. "Genuinely pathetic."
John waved an arm, as if she could grab her hand but she was already too far away. "Come here, my sweet!" he managed to say, his voice shaky and slurred. "Oh damn…" He turned back to Bill and then just laughed.
Once John recovered, he glanced over and saw Arthur and Sam still talking. He downed the rest of his drink and decided to retire for the night.
There were several books laid out on the table the next day. Lenny had lent Sam a few of his books and got some pamphlets from Emerald Ranch's fence.
"The effects in larger doses are ugly…" said Sam.
Javier nodded. "Good. We'll need it in case O'Driscolls show up."
Lenny shot Sam a look, seeing him tense. He just sighed. He knew the man was just trying to make him feel better about this… on the other hand, Sam could use it himself.
Sam pulled the plants out from the box he kept. "Don't eat the seeds, they're poisonous."
Javier laughed. "Thanks, but I'm not a child."
The young man blinked a little. He smiled and laughed with a little huff from his nose. This wasn't his cousin. "Right. Sorry… So, first…"
Sam got the seeds out from the flowers. He crushed them and, with a bit of water, made it into a paste.
"Make sure the dose is strong," said Javier.
"There. It should do what you need." said Sam. The poison was safely in a small tin container. "Usually, I put it in traps like food scraps to keep the vermin away from the camp and our food." He twiddled his thumbs and briefly glanced at one of the books. "I guess you should apply it to your weapons. Just make sure they don't touch any open cuts, or wounds on you."
Javier nodded, smiling as he pulled out some poison knives. "Thank-you. Maybe I'll let you in on a lead soon. Could be fun."
Sam smiled. A chance to rob again with a real outlaw…
"Yeah, I'd love to!"
Sam gave a share of the poison to Javier and decided to store away the rest of it. He had to get ready for tonight.
"Thanks, again, Lenny."
"Sure," said Lenny. "Anytime. You mind lending me some?"
Sam smiled. "Okay… Use it wisely."
After packing up and clearing the table, Sam returned to his tent. He was cleaning up. Lily hadn't seen the Reverend Swanson today, and she was happy about that, but Archie was still on her mind. Micah was poking around again, but it seemed that Sam's presence was deterring him from hitting on Lily again. A lot of the camp members had come by for a little something to take some pain off any hangover they had, or injuries they sustained from getting a little too excited from last night.
"You're a good man, Samuel!" Sean said, who was just walking out of the tent with his hand bandaged up. He apparently scraped it last night during the activities. "I'm always getting myself roughed up! Best to know you're here, other than the O'Driscoll."
Sam waved at him as he shuffled off. Then he went back to sorting the materials and tools with Lily.
"He talks a lot," said Lily.
"Yeah," Sam responded.
"What you want, Micah?" said Arthur. He walked up to them, seeing that Lily and Sam were new, and Micah always took advantage of the weak. "Why you bothering them?"
"No, I was looking for you, brother," said Micah. "I… can call you that, right?" When all he got was silence, he just kept talking. "I've got a plan to make it up to you for helping me."
"A plan like the Blackwater ferry job? Or… like you going off scouting and ending up in jail?
"So, I guess you won't be riding with me to rob the banking coach…" Micah then dismissed. "You! Kid! How would you like to rob a stage?"
Sam's whole body whipped around at the question. "Me?" Lily wanted to say something but the only thing that came out of her mouth was a slight grunt.
"Sam…" Arthur tried to interject.
"I wanna rob a stage!" Sam almost shouted loud enough for the entire camp to hear. "Where is it?!"
"I heard one of the O'Driscoll boys yapping about it while I was inside. We have to get it before it goes into Strawberry, though."
"Awesome…" Sam said, almost breathless.
"No," Lily said, simply.
Sam turned around, seeing Lily turn back to her things.
"Lil-"
"She said no, Sam," said Arthur. "I'll go, Micah. Leave him out of this."
Micah smiled, stifling a laugh. "See? Knew you'd come around."
Arthur rolled his eyes and gestured to the horses. "After you…"
Micah stumbled past the tent. "A shame… A boy being told what to do by a woman."
Sam gulped, his hands forming fists. That "woman" was his goddamn cousin. Lily reached out and took his hand.
"Let it go…" said Lily. "You're still new to this, and Micah wouldn't look after you. I mean, you saw Lenny."
Sam nodded, watching Micah and Arthur go to their horses and ride off. He let out a sigh.
"Yeah…" He turned back and checked his pocket watch briefly. "We have time tonight, we should go meet with Brandon. We've waited long enough. Dutch has given us the go. We're to try and help thin out the numbers of the O'Driscolls so we can get around easier."
Lily shrugged. "Well, if it'll get us closer to finding the bastard, I'm in."
Sam nodded. "Yeah. Dutch said we can include Sadie and Charles if we want. Micah, too…"
Lily shivered in disgust. "Really? Him?"
"What?"
"He makes me feel… ugh, I don't know." She rubbed her arms. "He creeps me out."
"The point is to have people that the O'Driscolls don't know are in the gang," said Sam. "Charles and Micah have only been with the gang a few months. They picked up Sadie when they were still in the mountains, and you and me…" His eyes looked away from her. "You know…"
"Yeah…"
"We don't have to include him if you don't want to," said Sam. "But he's experienced."
"So is Charles!" said Lily. "He doesn't creep me out."
Sam shrugged. "Whatever…"
"You are!" the two could suddenly hear Pearson yelling from where he was stationed. "Complain, complain, complain."
"I ain't complaining, I'm just saying…" That voice sounded like Sadie.
"You're not saying, miss. You're shouting!"
"Oh god, not again!" Lily whined. "Excuse me." She stood and ran towards the cart before Sadie and Pearson killed each other.
Sam sighed and sat down at his cot. He picked up his revolver, traced his finger over the metal, and grimaced at the grime that had accumulated. His uncle Cliff would scold him something awful for letting his weapon get like that. So, he grabbed a rag and some gun oil and started cleaning it up.
Jack had finished drawing a picture. At the little table he was sitting at with Hosea. Lenny was reading a book nearby.
"Look, Uncle Hosea!" he said, happily. Hosea smiled and patted the little kid on the head. "Good job, kid."
Excited, the little boy got up and was showing it to everyone. Then he got to John's tent and saw he was still asleep. He smelled like alcohol. The little boy frowned and ran towards one of his favorite trees.
Abigail was enjoying lunch with some of the girls. She finished her cigarette and threw it on the grass, putting it out with her foot. When she heard the tiny cries of a child. Walking towards the tree, which wasn't too far from John's tent, she found her little boy crying his eyes out.
"Come here, Jack Marston," she said, gently. She knelt down, her boy still acting like she wasn't there and was all alone. The woman placed her hands on his shoulders. "Look at me. Look at me. In the eye."
Jack eventually calmed down and looked towards his mother like she asked. He still shook a little, fresh tears racing down from his eyes.
"You've been crying?" He moved her hands off his shoulders and held his wrists. "Why?" She tried to be a little more gentle. "Why?"
Jack sniffled and shook his head. "Don't know," he mumbled.
Abigail saw the crumpled up drawing in his hand. She looked towards John's tent and let out an irritable sigh. She could already take a guess...
"Listen to me," she said. "Don't waste your life worrying about people who don't care about you. You got me, you got the whole camp." She reached for him and thumbed away the tears from one of his eyes. "So stop them tears, you hear?"
Jack nodded and let Abigail hug him gently. Afterward, he seemed a bit better and she let him go play.
Lily was still busy trying to settle Pearson and Sadie's dispute, so she walked over to Sam's tent. He wasn't there, but then saw him with Kieran.
"What are you doing?" said Sam. He stormed up to him upon seeing him with Aurora.
"Just… feeding… her…" Kieran stuttered.
"She'll kick you before she lets you get near her," said Sam. "Took a lot of time before she would warm up to anyo-"
Sam frowned, his point disproven as Aurora walked up to Kieran and started nuzzling him.
"Aurora…" Sam hissed under his breath.
"Oh." Kieran into his jacket. "She probably wants this." He pulled out some hay and she ate it immediately.
"Au-" Sam stopped himself. Horses didn't see gangs, or the deeds people were associated with. She was just a horse who saw people, and people usually had food or treats. "So, listen. I've got a lead from a man named Brandon Marrows."
"That guy?" said Kieran.
"So you know him?"
"He's quite a bounty hunter. He's been around the area lately, but sometimes heads to New Austin or Lemoyne. People have seen him doing other things, but never say much. If he knows something about Colm or any of the higher ups, he might be useful."
Sam nodded. "Good. You'd better be ready to help. Dutch is counting on it."
"I'll tell you, but I'm gonna warn you right now… Uh… I ain't much of a fighter."
Sam raised a brow. "Then what did…" He paused. "Right, right… Colm only cares about numbers. You did save Arthur, so… I guess that's… something we have in common."
Kieran gasped. He managed to force a smile. "S-So…"
"Just be ready to tell me stuff when I ask for it…" Sam grumbled. "And… I guess… if Aurora likes you, you should be sure to take care of her when I'm not around."
The former O'Driscoll nodded. "Of course!" he said, excitedly.
"Good," Sam smiled momentarily, but then it faded. "But if she gets sick, or if I see one bruise on her, I'll call over Bill or Arthur to deal with you."
Kieran flinched. He nodded, staring into Sam's cold eyes. "Okay, okay."
"Sam, can I talk to you for a minute?"
The young man was leaving Kieran to take care of Aurora, when Abigail ran up to her.
"Miss Roberts?" said Sam. "Is something wrong?"
"It's just… How…" she stammered. "Could you maybe… do something with Jack?"
"The kid?"
Abigail nodded. "He seems to like you and Lily and he's been upset, and well, his father is…" she sighed, "useless."
"I'm… kinda…"
"He'd love to!" Lily came by just in time to interject and put an arm around her cousin. "Don't worry about a thing, Abigail. I mean, look! He helped my daddy raise me!"
Abigail grinned. "Thank-you."
"No problem!" Lily chirped, and she dragged Sam back to their tent.
"What are you doing?" Sam hissed, as Lily closed the flaps. She turned around and walked up to him.
"Look, Abigail's been really kind to me," she said.
"So, you do something with Jack!"
"I can't, because Sadie's gonna kill Pearson if I don't take her out somewhere."
"What about Brandon?!" said Sam. "We can't keep him waiting like this!"
"He's still in the area and there's no time limit," said Lily.
Sam huffed and crossed his arms. "You don't know that! He could just assume we're not coming and move on. And I don't think a trip to a place like Emerald Ranch to meet with a potentially shady person is for kids."
"Then don't go there tonight." Lily leaned onto the table near. "You said we're supposed to keep this a secret from the other gang members to lower the chances of O'Driscolls knowing we're a part of the gang to make them target someone else for now."
"Do you really think this is more important than finding the man who killed your father?!" said Sam. "We planned this!"
"And sometimes, plans change! This doesn't mean we're not gonna get him, Sam." She placed her hands on her cousin's shoulders. "Just let yourself relax… Besides, you're great with kids."
Sam sighed. "Am I?"
"Yeah…" said Lily. "Look at me."
"You're not a kid anymore…" And she gave her a playful push to get her off him.
"But we were raised together… and when Daddy wasn't around… You looked after me." Her hand raised up and touched the pendant on her neck. "And you still do…"
Before Sam could answer, Abigail was knocking on the tent's post.
"Lily? Sam?"
Lily reopened the tent flaps and saw Abigail with Jack kind of hiding behind her.
"Thanks again, Sam," said Abigail. "Jack, you remember Dr. Hawkeson, right."
"Yeah," said Jack. "Hi, Miss Lily."
"M-Mister…" said Sam. "I don't have a license." He walked over and knelt down to his level. "Hey, kid. You can call me Sam, okay?"
"Okay," the boy said, shyly.
Sam could see the kid's eyes darting around, trying to get a gage at his features. "Do I… scare you, kid?"
"Uh… a little," Jack answered honestly. "But not too much."
Sam nodded. Someone scared of him? Not in a million years would he think that. Then again he was still pretty much a stranger and Lily was always more approachable than him.
"You've ever been to Valentine?"
"No. Momma doesn't want me going too far from camp, and everyone's always busy."
"Well, I could take you there," said Sam. "There's lots of animals and we could, uh… see a theater show."
Suddenly, Jack's eyes lit up. "They have one in Valentine?"
Abigail smiled. "They had one back in Blackwater, too."
"Yeah, it's in a big tent." Sam stood up slowly and kept his voice gentle. "It should be appropriate for a kid like you."
"Can I go, Momma?" Jack immediately turned to his mother, who smiled.
"Well, sure you can," said Abigail. "Sam, you make sure he's back before the sun is gone, you hear me? And no trouble! Do you understand?"
Sam nodded. "Yes, Miss Roberts. The kid won't get a scratch."
"You'd better…" Abigail then said, her voice raising a little. "Now, maybe Miss Grimshaw will get off my case for a little while. You behave for Mr. Hawkeson, Jack, okay?"
"Yes, Momma," Jack said with a nod. "Can we go now, Sam?"
"Yeah, just give me a minute."
Lily went to introduce Jack to Aurora while Sam just needed to prepare. He packed his gun into his holster, a few treats into his back along with some money, and then he walked over to the edge of the camp, by the cliffs. He stared down, where he tried to climb down as a little boy and saw the violets still growing there.
He picked them up.
Some time passed, and then Lily and Sadie were getting ready for another hunting trip. The widow wasn't sure what they would look for today, but since their camp was fairly big, they had plenty of mouths to feed, so food disappeared fast.
Then Sadie walked by Arthur's tent and saw a map just sitting on the table just next to his cot. On it were markings on some real legendary animals. Sadie was so interested, she didn't notice that Arthur and Micah came back to camp.
"That's not yours."
Sadie scoffed and stormed over to Charles. "Okay, so robbing and killing is okay, but looking at other people's maps is where we draw the line."
"It is when it's Arthur's," said Charles.
"What are you doing?" Arthur suddenly raised his voice to disperse the two.
Somehow, that alone was enough to wake up John, who had been sleeping into the afternoon. He sat up in his cot, hearing the idle chatter of Charles, Arthur and Sadie, and when listened a bit more, he heard Lily had joined in, as well.
"The bear?"
"Yeah, you said you didn't get to hunt it down with Hosea!"
"Well, we found it, but it shook up Hosea."
"Then let's get it ourselves! It'll be fun. Plus we have Charles. He's like an expert!"
"I also know it's not wise to hunt a bear without experience."
"Then come with us."
"Look, I either hunt a bear or I can find someone else I can hunt."
John heard a disgruntled sigh. "Fine. As long as it takes my mind off of goddamn Micah. We can go tomorrow. Charles?"
"Sure."
John rubbed his temples as he heard the excited laughter of Sadie and the giggles of Lily. He made to stand, hoping to get something to drink to take away the hangover.
For once, however, as he saw Abigail walking by, she wasn't with Jack, and she wasn't doing chores with him nearby. He looked back at the others. Looks like they were going to relax for the day.
"What about Sam?" said Arthur.
"He's in town with Jack," said Lily. "He'll be fine."
John sighed, wanting to kick down his own tent. He needed a drink. Just as he was about to get one Abigail walked by the table. She scoffed irritably as he was about to grab a beer and kept walking. Suddenly the man turned to her.
"You sent Jack off with Sam?!"
Abigail turned around. "Since when do you care?" she asked, irritably.
"He's practically a stranger."
"And he knows Sam better than you!" said Abigail. "You didn't make an effort, so other people will. Now, leave it!"
"You're one to talk! Why can't you just leave me alone?!"
"You're pathetic!" She turned away but then turned to him once more. "You're a pathetic man, John Marston!" And she ran off.
"Don't I know it!" he yelled. But he grabbed the beer and opened it, not understanding why he was upset about someone taking his wife's child for an outing. He made Micah back off from Lily and she repays him by taking Arthur out on a hunting trip? Not to mention Sam completely butted in last night and Arthur was acting like he didn't even exist. And now, nobody wanted anything to do with him except for maybe Bill and Javier, and he knew Dutch and Hosea always had his back.
Why couldn't he just get over it?!
Why was Arthur making a huge fuss over something that happened a year ago?
John walked over to his horse, Old Boy. After he emptied his beer he hopped on and trotted out of camp.
He had a bone to pick with Sam.
Sam's heart was warmed upon seeing the kid smiling at the small theater. They were showing the Story of Mr. Bear. He heard Jack's laughter and it had been a while since Sam had been to the theater.
"Poor Mr. Bear," Jack said, remembering to keep his voice low. "He was trying to warn his friends. But he survived." He covered his mouth to quiet his laughs.
"And that's why the bear hibernates. So listen to your elders, and do just what you're told." The film concluded and there was a round of applause. Jack clapped along and Sam just leaned back. The party last night was fun, but he admitted to himself that Lily was right. It was nice to relax for once.
Sam held Jack's hand as they walked out of the theater.
"Tell your friends!" the ticket man said.
"Did you have fun, Jack?"
"Yeah!" he said. "Valentine isn't as big as the other town, but I kind of like it."
The two walked into the general store.
"Welcome back," he said. "It's been a while." He looked down at the kid following Sam. "Who's the little guy?"
"This is Jack," said Sam. "Hey, why don't you have a look around for something and I'll buy you it?"
The boy nodded. "Okay!"
The camp wasn't low on food, but it was nice to have something on hand for himself when he needed it. He got some coffee, fruit and some other canned goods. Jack walked up to him with a chocolate bar and Sam happily took and paid for it.
Jack was already digging into it once they stepped out of the store. Leading Aurora on by the reins they walked back up the main street. Briefly, Sam recalled what happened the other day, but pushed the thoughts away. He sighed, being unable to think of the good memories, now sullied by the attack and Archie's abandonment.
They made it to the church. Jack looked up at Sam, curiously.
"Why are we here, Sam?"
"I just need to pay my respects."
"Oh. Okay." He followed closely behind. Sam left Aurora hitched nearby, but kept looking back every few seconds, just to make sure no one tried to take her again.
Sam approached his uncle's grave, glanced at his aunt Violet who was buried beside him.
"Hey, uncle…" he said softly. He wasn't sure what to say without upsetting the child he had nearby, so, after kneeling, he just set the flowers down, splitting them evenly amongst the two graves.
"Those are pretty flowers…" Jack commented, softly.
Still on his knees, Sam leaned back from the graves and smiled, even if only a little.
"Thank-you."
"You had an uncle and aunt, too?"
"Of course. Almost everyone does." Sam pulled down a gulp, hoping the kid wouldn't ask about too much, mostly because he wasn't sure how to explain it without traumatizing him. "I lost my aunt a long time ago, but my uncle died not too long ago."
"Why?"
"Because…" Sam paused, trying to come up. "There are bad people in the world, Jack. They're the ones who took him from me. That's when Lily and I met your Uncle Arthur and Uncle Dutch."
Jack tilted his head. He seemed curious and eager for answers. "Don't you have a momma and papa?"
"Not everyone has one, kid. My mother died when I was young, but a bit older than you. I never knew who my pa was."
Sam just stared blankly at the graves for a little bit. He wasn't really sure why. Maybe part of him just wanted to stay close to his late uncle as much as he could. The afternoon, however, was starting to leave, and the young man knew he had to have the boy home before it was dark and Abigail tore him a new one. Before he could get up, Jack, remembering what his mother told him, walked up to Sam and gave him a hug.
"Well, you have the whole camp as your family now," said Jack.
Sam smiled. He looped an arm around the child and hugged him back. It was somewhat comforting to have the genuine affection of a child. They were honest, and didn't have the need to lie… at least not yet.
Sam then looked down the road and noticed some odd figures walking towards them. They looked like they were from the ranch and had eyes for Aurora.
Shit… Sam thought. He released the child and then stood.
"Mr. Sam, can I… I mean, may I use the restroom?"
Sam sighed in relief. Phew! A way out.
"Yeah, let's go to the hotel," said Sam. "They might have one open. But let's get there quick!" Jack excitedly lifted his arms and let Sam pick him up. Grabbing Aurora's reins, they hurriedly made their way down the street. He hitched Aurora at the post, put Jack down and took his hand as they made their way into the Saint's Hotel.
"Well, if it isn't Sam," said the owner. He still knew him from the time his mother would stay whenever she was in town. He also gave Sam a job or two sometimes. "How can I help you?"
Sam lowered Jack back onto the floor.
"Just a restroom for the boy."
"First door down the hall on the left."
"You gonna need help, Jack?"
"No. I'm a big boy. I can do it!"
Sam smiled. "Okay." And the kid raced down the hallway. Sam quickly turned to the clerk. "Hey, if he comes back out, can you watch him for a bit? I'll be right back."
"Sure," said the owner.
"Thank-you."
Sam raced back outside and stood by his horse, Aurora. He looked around, not seeing those men from the other day. It was just his luck that they'd show up the moment he decided to come back into town.
Such was his… or Valentine's curse…
It was then that at the saloon, that he saw a familiar horse hitched at the post. He squinted, seeing that it was Old Boy, John's horse. What the hell was he doing here?
"Where is he?"
After petting Aurora's snout, Sam turned to the source of the voice, which was no one other than John Marston.
"John?"
"I said where is he?" the outlaw repeated.
"Who?"
"Jack?"
Sam scoffed and rolled his eyes. "What do you care?"
John walked up to him and pushed him away from Aurora. The horse whined, jumping a little on her hind legs. "I said where is he?!" he almost shouted. That's when Sam pushed him back. "Would you stop stepping into my life?!"
"Your life?" Sam said, raising a brow. "What? Taking Jack out for an outing is stepping into your life? Arthur always told me how you kept saying the boy ain't yours! So, why do you care?"
"It's not that!" John snapped.
"Then what is?"
"It don't matter. Where is he?!" He reached for his gun, not intending to shoot him, but hoping to at least intimidate, but then he realized it was gone.
"Looking for something?" John looked up to see his own gun in Sam's hand. He was smiling like the smug little thieving bastard he was. He put it in his bag, before anyone around them saw and got worried. "He's inside the hotel, using the restroom. We were about to head back anyway."
"Hey, you!"
Sam rolled his eyes. "Not again…"
It was those three men from the other day.
"Who are they?" said John.
"Nobody…" Sam grumbled. "Jack!" he yelled. "You ready yet?" When he got no answer, he assumed he was still busy.
"Didn't get the message last time, 'ey kid?" said one of the men. "Just move on, already!"
Just their mere presence was making Sam's ribs ache. He tilted his head over to John. "Shut up for minute… and we can forget this squabble."
John rolled his eyes. "Why?"
"Stop being an ass!" Sam hissed. "Or do you want a child to walk out to see a man getting beaten up?"
And with that, the outlaw reluctantly nodded and Sam passed him his gun back from behind. John stepped forward while Sam stayed near his horse.
"Hey, lay off the guy!" John said, raising his voice. "He was just here to run some errands."
"Not our problem!" said one of the men. "He needs to leave!"
"The only one causing a disturbance right now, is you! So, how about you three get out of here, before someone gets hurt?"
"We're all gonna get hurt as long as that thieving bastard sticks around," one of the other men said.
People were starting to stare. Sam tightly gripped the saddle on Aurora. His hands shook as the men began to spew more insults.
"Leave!"
"No one wants you here!"
"Get out!"
His mind flashed to what happened yesterday. The poor dead horse that Arthur cared for that he found in the mountains. Being kicked to what he thought would be his death or at least until he passed out, if it weren't for Arthur's kindness. His poor uncle...
All he ever did was get pushed around. That was why he stole. That was why…
He could not stand by…
And when he felt a rock hit his back, he just lost it.
"WOULD YOU SHUT THE HELL UP?!" Sam then shouted. He didn't even give them a warning. The rookie outlaw pulled out his revolver and just opened fire. He wasn't intending to hit anyone, but the bullet whizzed past the heads of the annoying men and hit the posts on the porch where the general store was. The men were scared shitless and ran away. Other civilians ran, too.
"Oh my god!"
"Where's the law when you need them?!"
Sam huffed, trying to catch his breath.
"Holy shit…" John mumbled. "You were gonna…"
"No, I wasn't…" The young man put his gun away and held his shaking gun hand. "I wanted to, but…"
John stormed over and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Let's get out of here before the law shows up."
"Sure…"
"How do we explain this to Jack?"
Sam just nodded and stormed back inside. Jack had just walked out of the restroom, and it seemed the owner had run up stairs from the gunshots.
"Sam? What was that noise?" he asked. "Oh, hi, Pa!"
John sighed. "Hey, Jack…" he tried to sound excited, but it just came out a bit flat. Yet, somehow he was disappointed when the kid started hiding behind Sam, as if he were a total stranger to him.
Sam nervously laughed and held the kid's hand. "Nothing you need to worry about, but then he stopped himself before they walked out the door. "Listen, before we go back to camp, do you want to see something cool?"
The little boy nodded excitedly. "Okay."
"Good. Now, close your eyes and no peeking!"
Jack did as he was told and Sam picked him up like he weighed nothing and they headed back outside.
"Where are we going?" said John. "We can't lead them back to-"
"Shhh!" Sam hissed. "You'll see."
The three rode out of town just as the police were making their way down the street. Jack was none the wiser, laughing to himself at how fast they were going while keeping his eyes covered.
"Go faster, Sam!" Jack cheered.
"Okay…"
John glared at Sam, seeing the boy having more fun with the newbie gang member. He shook his head, wondering why he gave a crap so much.
They left out of the southside of town, but didn't take the path back to camp. Instead, Sam rode behind a giant hill that was also a rock formation called Citadel Rock.
The sun was setting and once they were at the top, both John and Sam could see a view of the town, the wilderness around them and the mountaintops on the horizon.
"Okay, Jack," said Sam. "You ready?"
"Yeah!" the boy replied, excitedly.
"Open your eyes!"
Jack moved his eyes and gasped, nearly falling off the horse if it weren't for Sam holding him. "WOW…" he said. Sam moved to get down and then help Jack, as well. He walked up as close to the edge as possible, until Sam held him back a little by grabbing the collar of his shirt. "I can see all the little houses. He turned to see where the camp was, but it was shrouded in a field of trees.
Jack then looked down and saw some flowers at his feet. "Can I take these flowers for Momma?"
Sam looked at them to make sure they weren't poisonous. He smiled. "Yeah, they should be fine." And the boy excitedly got down on his knees to pick them. The older man looked around, seeing that John had dismounted his horse and was just smoking near them.
Keeping an eye on the child, Sam slowly walked up to him. "Hey," he said, softly. "Uh, I didn't think-"
"Yeah, you didn't, did you?" John then snapped.
"What's your problem?"
"I ain't the one bonding with Jack."
"What do you care?!" said Sam. "Arthur told me that you kept insisting the kid ain't yours. Abigail put me up to this because he was upset about something. Do you want no one to help her with him, you selfish idiot!"
"I ain't the one meddling people's lives."
"What? You think I'm meddling in yours?"
"Well, Arthur started acting like I don't exist."
Sam shrugged. "Well, to him you might as well not. You left the gang."
John rolled his eyes. "Not this again… I came back!"
"And you expected him to just move on like nothing happened?" said Sam.
The outlaw stopped his yelling then and there.
"Just like with Abigail and the gang, you abandoned them!" The young man rubbed his arm and turned back towards the cliff. "And, you know… there's no worse feeling…" When he heard John's disgruntled sigh, he stopped. "But… I guess I have no place to interfere, huh?"
"Yeah, you don't," John answered immediately.
Sam frowned, starting to grimace. He swallowed. "Then, don't expect Arthur to just take you back immediately as his friend."
"We… We was more than friends, Sam." He walked up so he was right next to him and they were both watching Jack pick flowers. It looked like he got distracted by a ladybug. "We was brothers."
"And you left your brother…" said Sam. "I don't know what was going through your head back then, but it hurts, no matter what the reason."
John turned his head towards him. "How do you know that?"
"Because… that's what my mother kind of did… but, I know she loved me… in her own way…"
John watched Sam as he took out his pocket watch. He checked the time and then closed it, but not before running his thumb over the engraving. He heard a tiny sigh, before tucking it away.
"But just because I knew that, didn't make it any less painful."
For some reason that knowledge tugged at his heartstrings. He wasn't sure what he wanted, but he didn't want to be someone who just leaves a kid.
Was Jack Marston really his kid? He didn't know. Or, maybe he did, and he was just in denial, and maybe thinking everything would just go back to normal was too much to ask, at least for right now. He shook his head. He shouldn't be blaming Sam. He just lost his uncle and his home. If anyone was going to befriend him, he was glad it was people like Arthur and Charles, and even Sadie, not Micah.
"Well, we should be heading back," said Sam. "I don't want Abigail to knock me into next week."
"A train," John then said.
Just as Sam was making his way to Jack, he stopped. "Huh?"
"Uncle told me that Mary-Beth said something about a train with wealthy folk rolling through Scarlett Meadows… I could use your help."
"You… You want me… to help you?" said Sam. "Rob?"
"That's what I said, didn't I? You in, or what?" He pulled out another cigarette. "Won't be easy, though, but I need your stealing skills."
"Really?" Sam was still a little peeved he could go rob that stage coach. "Sure. Tell me about it when we get back."
John nodded. "Deal."
"Look, Sam!" Jack walked up to him and handed him some flowers. "Here. You can give this to your uncle and aunt." The little boy had split the flowers and gave half of them to Sam.
"Thank-you, kid," said Sam. "Let's get back and give your flowers to Abigail."
"Okay..."