Hosea and Dutch had sat down in the leader's tent and closed it off to anyone by lowering the flaps. Once Dutch had finished explaining what he found out, he just waited for Hosea to criticize him or something. He had told him everything, his words were kind of slow as they came out of his mouth, and saying her name was something that was almost foreign to him.

Saying it out loud made it sound a little ridiculous, but Hosea couldn't ignore the facts. Moreover, Dutch just couldn't ignore the suspicions he had when he first laid eyes on Sam. He wanted to see what was in that pocket watch. There were nights where Sam would be asleep with it clutched in hand, but he never found the will to just take it and check. Besides, it was also always attached to Sam's person with a golden-like stealing was tolerated in the camp, even if it was from him, and Miss Grimshaw would make sure of it.

Hosea processed what he had said to him. At first he wasn't sure what to say, but in a way, it made some things add up.

"So Sam… He may be…" Dutch could barely make eye contact, and the man never had trouble with that. The older man continued. "What… And if this is true, what will you do, then?"

Dutch shook his head. "Nothing. I already have sons."

"If that's the case, then why have you focused so much of your time and attention on this?" Hosea gestured to the pile of newspapers and clippings on the desk nearby. "Or, why did Sam's uncle decide to spend so much time keeping an eye on us?"

Dutch didn't answer, because he knew Hosea had more to say. It had been many years since he had lost Annabelle. Just when he thought he was reaching a conclusion on closing that chapter of his life by finally getting to Colm, this happens.

Still, even with all the evidence piled before him, none of it was one hundred percent concrete. He needed to see that boy's pocket watch.

"I know you miss her, Dutch, but you have to admit that Annabelle, even if she was one of us, kept many secrets. Even from us."

Dutch stood up immediately. "But, not from me! She told me everything, since we were kids! Sure she flitted in and out of the camp on adventures sometimes, but she always came back with the goods to hold us over for weeks." He smiled, briefly. "Arthur doesn't fall too far from that."

"It was a year, Dutch," said Hosea. "She once disappeared on us for one whole year. Did you ever wonder why?"

Dutch sighed and rolled his eyes. He didn't want to be too loud, or he would risk letting someone hear what they were talking about. "What do you want, Hosea? You want me to go out there and tell him when he gets back? Then what? You want more unnecessary drama? Like this?"

"This isn't unnecessary!" said Hosea. He then shrugged. "But this ain't my decision, Dutch. It's yours. All I'm saying is that the boy never knew his father, and you can leave it as such, but I'm sure he barely even knew who his mother truly was. That cousin is all he has left, but it doesn't have to be."

Dutch was still silent. Hosea knew that he couldn't convince him one way or another, but he knew that eventually he'd make a decision on his.

"You're scared," Hosea said, blatantly, "because of what happened to her, but that's okay." Hosea placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "You have Arthur, John, and me. And you have the rest of the gang at your back. Find out the truth, and if your suspicions turn out to be correct, then let yourself love him, like the other sons we have. You're always telling us about how we should live for freedom and love." When he got no response, he turned to leave Dutch be, not before stopping by the entrance, and placing a hand on the post. "Practice what you preach, Dutch…" Putting a hand over his mouth to stifle a cough, he left the gang leader be.

"I'll think about it…" Dutch finally said, softly. Somehow, he was sure Hosea heard him.

"I-I-I seen the newspaper."

A man stood by a somewhat pretty red-headed lady. The top layer of her hair was tied back with a little hat with red ribbons on her head. They sat under a small cliffside by Cumberland Falls, a place on the furthest corner of West Elizabeth near the river that connected to New Hanover.

"They're saying you're a black widow."

"W-Why, I'm nothing of the kind," the woman replied.

"That means you kill your sweethearts."

"Where do they get such nonsense? You're my sweetheart," the woman said, sweetly. "Now come over here… come here. Willy weren't my sweetheart, he was a bully, okay? And he got what was coming. Now, you gonna come over here and romance me?"

The man kept thinking about the newspaper, and held it out to her. "It says there's other fellers, it says it right there, in black and white."

"Y'all talking about Frank and Henry." The woman frowned. "And Howie. I just had bad luck with my menfolk, is all."

"Bad luck?"

"Until I met you. You turned my world around."

The man sighed and scratched the top of his head. "Oh, you're a conundrum, missy. A real conundrum."

"I'm just…" The woman looked up at him and smiled. "I'm just a lady, is all."

"Ellie Anne Swan?" a loud voice then boomed. They saw a man coming around the hill.

The woman stood up immediately. "That there is a bounty hunter, get him!"

The man backed away and stood near the fire. He looked at both the woman and the bounty and with some slight reluctance, pulled out his gun. That's when he was tackled from behind by none other than Sam, who had snuck in from the other side. They fell to the ground. That was when the woman pulled out a knife.

"What kind of man are you?" she then snapped, as Sam tied up the struggling man. "All you men are useless." That was when the bounty hunter in question, who was actually Arthur, easily took the knife from her and threw her to the floor, getting out his lasso and tied her up.

"Thanks," said Sam.

"Sure," said Arthur. "You okay?"

"Yeah."

"What you got me into, Ellie Anne?" the man asked, nervously.

Sam stood up, leaving the man where he was and turned to the tied up woman who was struggling against her binds.

"Ellie Anne Swan, I presume? You're under arrest for the crime of matricide." He turned to the other man. "As for you, you can just struggle out of those binds while we take her back for questioning."

Arthur hoisted the woman over his shoulder.

"Rot in hell!" Ellie Anne hissed. "Rot with the rest of them."

"Uh-huh…" Arthur said, rolling his eyes. "Now come on!"

"Don't you manhandle me."

Sam waved a little goodbye at the tied up man and then followed behind Arthur.

"Goodbye, my sweet!" the man called as they wandered off to their horses.

Ellie Anne Swan married a man hoping to inherit money, but all she inherited was barely anything and a massive debt. And now, with the other men she has taken down by luring them into a false sense of security, she was finally behind bars.

Arthur and Sam accepted the payment from Sheriff Malloy and went on their merry way back to camp.

Dutch had been deep in thought since his talk with Hosea, but he tried to keep himself together. He had a camp depending on him. They were still working on finding a way of unloading those bonds they stole from Cornwall. He remembered the warning Hosea had said, and remembered the burnt town of Limpany. If he recalled correctly, the abandoned town wasn't too far from where they were. Lightning never struck the same place twice, so he hoped this would be true when it came to where the gang was hiding.

It was getting late, however. The sun was going down soon. Sam was surprisingly punctual since his talk back when made him swear to never threaten Arthur again, and usually would say where he was going, where, and when he would be back. Javier had told Dutch about a homestead of strange folk that looked good to rob. John was talking about the train Mary-Beth found out about. Bill hadn't really found much, but when he went out, he usually came back with something.

Dutch breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Sam riding back into camp. Arthur was on his new horse that he and Sam purchased together. After enough going around between them and some of the other campers, Arthur settled on the name, Soliel, for his new mount. The sun was setting and Charles, and John were getting ready to patrol for the night.

The pair were hitching their horses. John walked by, and Sam waved at him and he waved back. Arthur didn't even make eye contact, and was the first to start walking towards Dutch to report back.

"And where have you been?" said Dutch.

"Working," said Arthur. "Bounty hunting." Sam was going to join them, but already saw Arthur reporting to Dutch, so he took it as an opportunity to go take a break already and headed towards his tent. According to Lily, not many people needed any medical treatment today, so she was helping the girls with their chores, so Miss Grimshaw wouldn't destroy her. Sam glanced at Dutch's tent every few seconds as Arthur explained what they did today, then he saw him go to the campfire to relax.

"Kieran came in with some rope burn around his wrists and ankles," said Lily.

"Oh, that," said Sam. He sat on his cot sharpening his knife. "Arthur was showing me how to tie a rope on someone, so he let me use Kieran to practice on."

"Oh."

"The man by Cumberland Falls pulled a gun out, so I pinned him down. He was lucky not to end up like Ellie Anne's husband. I'm sure he's fine now. So, we all set tomorrow to meet with Brandon? We've waited long enough."

"Oh… uh, yeah…" said Lily.

Sam raised a brow. "What is it?"

"Arthur, Charles, Sadie, and I…" said Lily. "We were gonna hunt this huge bear Hosea saw."

"What?! And how long is that going to take?"

"I don't know…" the girl's words began to slow. "A few days, maybe?"

"A few days?" Sam repeated. He was looking at her with his brows furrowed and his eyes focused on his cousin. "Didn't I just say that we've delayed long enough?"

"I know… but Sadie's in pain, too. She lost her husband and her home burned to the ground. If hunting makes feel better, we should let her."

"But she lost it to O'Driscolls, too! She could come with us!"

"But would I tell Charles and Arthur?"

Sam shrugged. "I don't know."

"Look, we planned all this while you were out with Jack," Lily then huffed. "I'm not gonna just cancel it, now."

"I was out with Jack, because you forced it on me."

"I forced it on you because Abigail is my friend, and it looked like you had a good time, anyway. You took today to go bounty hunting with Arthur!"

Sam rolled his eyes. "That's not the point!" He stared for a moment and Lily was staring right back at him. The young man raised his hands in surrender. "Fine. Enjoy your hunting. I'll go by myself!" He stormed out of the tent.

"By yourself?!" said Lily. "Are you crazy?"

Sam stared up at the sky. There were some clouds up there, but he wasn't too worried… for now.

"Well, you can't come with me, now can you? Ugh…"

"Sam!" Lily yelled, but he had already walked out of the tent to get a drink. He had planned to go see Brandon tonight, but with Lily planning to go hunting, there was no other choice. He would go only by himself and with his horse, Aurora. While the gang somewhat knew what was going on, Dutch reminded him to maintain his discretion to help get the O'Driscolls off his back.

Sam knew the risks he was taking, but he took them all the time when he stole. His hand shook as he picked up a bottle of whiskey, while his mind went back to what happened that night.

As he took a big swig of his drink he just hoped that there wouldn't be a repeat. Once the bottle was empty, he placed it with other empty bottles. He had a Lancaster repeater on his back and his Volcanic Pistol at his side. They were cleaned up, fully loaded and ready for action.

Sam made sure Aurora was all brushed and prettied up. Kieran had already taken the time to feed her. She probably preferred Kieran to feed her at this point, because Sam knew the man spoiled her with treats, even after telling him that he was trying to keep her fit. All he needed now was his satchel, which he picked up really quick and then he was off to tell Dutch where he was headed.

"And you're sure it's safe," said Dutch. They were standing inside the tent for privacy to maintain discretion.

"I ain't sure," Sam shrugged. "But Seamus is in the know. If this Brandon feller is or isn't who he says he is, either he knows, or at least I will before it's too late."

"Arthur told me that Seamus runs a fence of some sort." Hosea was taking a load off in Dutch tent.

Sam shrugged. "Something like that. He's who I go to pawn off things I've got, like jewelry and such… Others have come with wagons that they just need gone. So they give them to him and he pays well."

Hosea nodded. "Interesting… Dutch, maybe Arthur and I should check this out, while Sam takes care of his business. Getting his help will make us easy money."

"What about Lily?" said Dutch.

"She said something about hunting a bear with some of the others," Sam grumbled. "She has to get ready for that, so I guess I'm going alone."

Dutch frowned. Not even he was sure what could await him and Sam was still pretty new to this, and his brawling still needed work. He couldn't help, but worry, even though Lenny, a young man who was younger than Sam, had been in worse trouble.

No. He knew why he was worrying. He gazed into Sam's gray eyes and sighed.

"Mount up," he then said. "Let's go."

"W-Wait," said Sam. "Y-You want to g-"

"Yes," Dutch then said. "Is there some sort of issue with that?"

Sam shook his head. "No. Of course not. I'll get the horses." He left the tent, looking up at the sky again as he walked towards the horses.

Hosea stood up slowly, and Dutch walked over to open the tent back up before getting ready.

"Don't say it, Hosea, because I know what you're thinking." The older man just chuckled and walked past him.

"I ain't saying anything, Dutch."

Charles told Lily that they would need much in terms of bait or supplies, since they had enough food back at camp. Lily didn't want to be too cocky, and bought some provisions at the store, restocked on a bit of ammo and remembered to buy anything people back at the camp requested, while she was in the town of Valentine. Besides, they would have to bring their own stuff when they hunt that bear tomorrow.

It was going to be dark soon, meaning the store would have to close up for the night. She'd rather not be out while it was, but then realized that no one would ask or see what she was up to at night. She saw the old clinic across the street. It had been boarded up and the law had forbidden anyone from entering since it was still a crime scene.

She thought about Archie, and wondered how he was doing. She wondered how Mr. and Mrs. Downes were doing. She knew Sam was mad at them, but she wasn't. And Archie, well… Her heart always skipped a beat at the thought of him.

"There ain't no use in worrying about what he and other people think. If you wanna see him, then go see him."

Lily remembered Abigail's words clearly. She had some time before having to go back to camp, and she did have her own horse now. She had excitedly spent all morning yesterday grooming the new animal and trying to come up with a name. She hadn't thought of one yet, but he was proving loyal. Sam gave the gift of having her own horse, and therefore, having a method of going wherever she wanted, whenever.

So, she decided that she would…

That was, until she saw a familiar shadow outside of the shop. She looked around for the shop owner, who had gone to get something really quick. She looked back at the window and saw that figure was gone. Lily shivered. She rubbed her eyes and decided to pay for a small drink to calm her nerves. After picking up some flowers, she waited for the clerk to return to pay him. It was going to rain soon, and she didn't want to get wet.

She had everything packed and stowed it on her horse. She took the usual route to get out of town, but stopped to make an offering at the graves.

"Hello, Lillian."

Lily looked over towards the church grounds and dismounted her horse. She heard a voice, like they were close, but the graves were behind across the church grounds. With a squint, she could see, despite the oncoming darkness, and saw what seemed to be a very well dressed man standing where her late mother and father were.

Lily hoped they were just visiting and nothing else, but just in case, she grabbed the cattleman revolver from her saddle and walked over with it hidden.

The man was tall. He wore a top hat and black suit that didn't have even a speck of dust or dirt on it, and not even a thread loose. When Lily approached, he stepped aside to let her offer the flowers.

"Lillian Hawkeson, I presume?" Once he said that, she looked up, seeing his neatly combed mustache. He didn't look like a threat, but the girl still felt uneasy. How did he know her name?

"Yes, that… right?" she said. "Do I know you?"

"Your father was a great man," the man said. "It's a shame he had to go the way he did."

"Uh… yeah…" said Lily. "Were you a patient of his? I don't think I've seen you before… and Daddy always made sure I remembered faces."

"Do you remember Annabelle's face?"

"Uh…" Lily was taken back a little. "No…"

"Then why would you remember me?"

"Uh… Okay… So… Why are you here?"

"Just passing through really… but listen. If you feel like doing something despite what someone else says… there's no reason not to. You can make your choices, or let someone else make them for you."

"Uh… okay?" said Lily.

"Trust me…" the man said, as he began to walk away. "It might save a life someday… I'll see you around."

Lily shivered as he walked away. She had barely noticed how cold it suddenly got, but it quickly vanished. She spaced out for a bit, focused on the graves and confused. Once she snapped out of her stupor, she mounted her horse again, but instead of going back to camp, she made a beeline towards the Downes' Ranch.

The sun had just gone over the horizon, but the faint colors of purple and orange could still be seen. Arthur, not wanting to leave Hosea alone, tagged along to Emerald Ranch with Dutch and Sam. The younger of the two men said nothing to one another about Sam's "secret" mission. Arthur knew what he was going there for… somewhat, and knowing that Arthur wasn't into the revenge game, for whatever reason, Sam knew that he would just keep out of it.

They hitched their horses by the barn, and Sam stepped forward, gesturing them to stay back.

"Let me do the talking," said Sam. "Seamus!"

"Sam. Got anything?"

"Uh, not today…" he said. He walked up to his desk beside the barn. "Listen, uh… I've got some people who are in the market to do some business."

"So, you just told them without checking if they would keep their mouths shut?!" Seamus snapped.

"No… They're… Well, I wouldn't say good people… but trustworthy enough… They'll get you the stuff you want or need! I promise! I've been loyal here for years."

Seamus sighed. "Alright… By the way, there's someone who's been hanging around here and they want to see you. Blue eyes, blonde, and a red handkerchief. Sound like anyone you know?"

"Not personally, but yes. I do. Thank-you, Seamus." And he gestured for Hosea and Arthur to approach. Sam stared up once more at the dark sky, but could still make out the clouds. They were clustered pretty close, but since Lily couldn't come, he would have to make do without and just pray it would just be rain and nothing more.

He heard murmuring and then Dutch snapped Sam out of his trance with a pat on the back. "Let's go, Sam," he then said. "Where is he?"

"Y-Yeah…" Sam said, hesitantly. "The bar… That's where he said." Dutch could see it in the distance, and waved at Hosea and Arthur, before going on their way.

"Where did you meet him?" said Dutch.

"Valentine. I saw him and he was turning in a bounty, but he seemed like… uh, he wasn't that all the time, kind of… He also seemed to know who I was, but I've never seen him in town before. I'd be careful, if I were you, Dutch."

"Don't worry about me. I can handle myself. Let's just hope this man keeps his word about telling you where one of the men on your list are."

"Yeah…" But Sam kept looking up, like he was in some sort of trance. Dutch looked up, too, but all he saw were clouds. He was about to say something when they both heard a rumbling noise that made Sam jump. "S-Sorry…"

"What…?" Sam just kept walking, but was looking a bit sheepish.

"You haven't eaten?" said Dutch.

"So…? I'll get something later…"

The older man rolled his eyes and just kept following Sam. They made it to the old saloon. It looked like it hadn't been given the proper maintenance in a long time. The roof was dilapidated, and the paint was smearing off. There were broken barrels and shattered bottles on the porch.

Despite that, there were still people hanging around, but seemed cautious. They looked up and stared at the odd pair briefly before resuming whatever activity they were up to: Drinking, smoking, relaxing across the road by the abandoned general store. A warm light was inside of the old saloon, just like all that time before… that incident last year.

It was quiet, though. It wasn't as lively as Sam remembered. In fact, there was barely any food or alcohol to go around, and the woman at the counter was barely paying attention to her surroundings as Sam and Dutch approached her.

Actually, she looked like the woman who was accompanying Brandon the day they met.

Sam was pale at what he saw, and Dutch wondered why. He saw where his eyes had fallen. There were three bullet holes still in the wall and dried up blood was still on the floor. Perhaps, he'd get some answers later…

"Excuse me, miss," said Dutch. The woman just, still sat in her chair, glanced up briefly, before turning back to her book. "Miss?" She looked again and then stood upon seeing that Sam was next to him. Seeing as her eyes landed on Sam, he stopped staring and got to talking.

"Rose, right? We're looking for Brandon? You were there, right?"

Rose tilted her head. Then raised her hands up slightly, her shoulders shrugging, like she didn't know what he was talking about. It was then Sam remembered.

"Listen, I'm supposed to tell you…" He suddenly felt the eyes of the few other people hanging out inside the saloon on him, "what a… discouraged man… I am."

Dutch just looked at Sam and raised a brow at him. Rose, on the other hand, stared for a moment and finally smiled, with a nod. She gestured for Sam to follow and Dutch was right behind him as he did.

Rose turned off the lights in the saloon. With two claps, some of the other patrons put out the low lighting lanterns nearby. After that, she opened the trapdoor, and waved at them to follow.

Sam's breath was a bit shaky as he descended down the steps, but if he was going to follow a stranger into the unknown, he was a little relieved that Dutch was with him… even though he was probably one of the most well-known outlaws around. He kept his hands curled up into fists, but Dutch could still see them shaking.

They walked for some time until they went up a flight of steps and were near a door. Slowly, as to not alarm her two guests, she got out her keys and unlocked the doors. Then with both gloved hands she pushed them open, and they were greeted with an actual running and lively saloon underground. Music was playing, people were dancing, drinking and chatting, portraits were on the walls and the lights on there and on the ceiling were just right enough brightness.

Dutch and Sam could smell it in the air. There was a reason why this place was underground. Other than the smell of freshly cooked meat, there was also the thick scent of moonshine.

"So this is where Seamus gets moonshine," Sam whispered.

Rose let out a tiny huff that sounded like somewhat of a laugh. She waved to the rest of the Saloon and then held up a finger for them to wait until she returned. Then she went through some other doors very quickly.

"Well, I had no idea this place existed near Emerald Ranch," said Sam. "I wish I had planned this out better, but I didn't really have any leads."

Dutch nodded. "That's just how it goes. Sometimes, you've got to act, even if you don't have much to work with." Sam was a bit confused, so just to try and blend in, Dutch guided the young man over to the bar to sit, where an older woman was setting up empty glasses as they approached. Her hair was gray, tied back in a bun, her eyes were green, wore a long gray sleeved shirt and long black pants. She was using a cane to walk around, but was still pretty good at moving things with one arm. One half of her face looked messed up from what Sam could only guess, with his experience, was some kind of terrible fire, but made note not to stare or comment.

"Welcome," she said. Her voice was a bit gruff and stern, but there was some kind of warmth underneath. "What'll it be?"

"Just a couple of something to drink," said Dutch. He quickly looked at Sam who was covering his abdomen gently. "And some food for the boy." The gang leader, smirked, ignoring the tiny glare Sam was giving him by calling him a child.

"Rose makes a fine stew. I can have it out in a jiffy."

"Some that then, if you please."

"Right away…" She poured some moonshine in two glasses and slid them across the counter for them. Sam was smiling excitedly and unknowingly jumping a little bit in his chair. It wasn't until Dutch placed a firm hand on his shoulder did Sam realize he was being a child and stopped.

The food was out eventually, and the stew smelled delicious. Sam excitedly picked up his utensil and scooped up some into his mouth.

And he immediately registered the familiar taste of beef and the perfect amount of spiciness. It reminded Sam of home, and the last meal he and Lily shared with his uncle. He sighed, but continued chewing and eventually gulped it down.

"What's wrong?" said Dutch. "Don't like it?"

"No, it's fine…" Sam said, solemnly. "It's great, actually." He was still hungry, anyway, so he kept eating. They took in the decor, while they waited for Rose to return with Brandon. The secret saloon was lively and friendly, with only the occasional drunkards, and small fights that never really escalated into anything, but both Sam and Dutch couldn't help but feel that something was off.

Dutch got up to walk around a little while Sam finished eating. Some of the ladies were eying him and Sam rolled his eyes before turning back to the counter. He wondered what was taking Brandon so long.

"You get along well," said the woman at the counter. "Is he your father?"

Sam glanced over at Dutch who was starting to walk back towards them. He then turned back to the food bowl. It was emptied of everything, as he realized how hungry he was after the first bite.

"No," Sam responded.

"Uncle, then?"

"No."

"No, he wouldn't, would he? After all…"

Sam was about to ask for a refill on his drink, but what the woman said to him next stopped that. In fact, it almost stopped his world as he wondered how she knew about this. Dutch was in range when he heard it, as well.

"Your uncle was murdered before your eyes."