Hello! I hope y'all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and coming up on Christmas. Sorry this update is so late, and thanks for the new favorite and follows! Enjoy! I hope y'all like it as much as I loved writing this story.

Chapter 13

The next morning, Nora woke to fingers running up her leg. Wiggling at the sensation, she grumbled softly at being woken. Arthur chuckled very softly, but his fingers continued their course. She wiggled again, and he drew her back against him firmly.

"Did I wake you?" he asked, dead serious.

"You did," she mumbled, glancing behind her.

"Oops."

His eyes were closed, but he had a smile on his face. She snorted a little at that, and looked back forward. He shifted ever so slightly, and his hand drifted further up her leg. He hummed against her, pressing a kiss to her back and took them away from what they should have worried about. It was amazing how easy this sort of thing came with him, after that first night. She didn't think she'd ever find this with someone.

They spent the very early morning tangled in the sheets, focused on each other. No one would have dared bother them, though she made sure to keep quiet. When they had finally finished, it was only after he was good and ready to be done. Any work that might have needed to be done today was in the back of her mind. Having turned to face him, Nora pressed her head against Arthur's chest.

"Good morning," he drawled, and she chuckled.

"Hmm," she hummed, pressing a kiss to his bare chest.

Arthur wrapped his arms around her, drawing her close. She stayed against him, lifting a leg so that she could be closer. It was an amazing feeling, to be skin to skin with someone. Nora didn't want this peace to end.

"You doing okay?" she finally asked, and Arthur slowly let go of her.

They shifted apart a little, and he sat up, leaning against the back of the bed. He ran a rough hand through his hair, but pulled her back against him. Nora settled against him easily enough.

"That boy hasn't done anything wrong," he rumbled. "This is our fault. We need to get him back it's just…"

"You're thinking about what happened to you?" she whispered, and Arthur nodded shortly.

"Well…don't," she murmured, kissing his palm as it drifted over her cheek. "You got out, you're here. You'll do what needs to be done. We'll deal with the rest as it comes."

"We?" he grunted, arching a brow at her.

"Yes," Nora muttered, and plucked a hair from his chest.

"Ouch!" Arthur hissed, rubbing the spot she had plucked hair from.

He moved suddenly, rolling them both easily. Nora giggled a little, but he leaned down and caught her lips. Her whole body melted against his, and Arthur groaned as he pulled away. He pressed another kiss to her neck, and laid there for a moment, their bodies settled together. Nora pressed her cheek against his. Sighing softly, Arthur slid out of bed, pulling the blanket over her as he did. Rolling to her side, Nora watched him clean up and pull on a fresh pair of clothes. It made her grunt, because she needed a few things.

"When you head into the city, can I come?" she asked slowly. "I need to buy a few more changes of clothes."

"Of course," he nodded, looking at her in horror. "Wouldn't want you walking around naked."

"Oh…shush," she laughed, sitting up.

He grinned again, and sat on the stool to trim his beard. Taking the chance, she also cleaned up and combed her hair. Part of her wanted her own space, but she wasn't sure how she felt about that. She didn't trust being alone out there with Micah around. Tying her hair off to the side, Nora brushed her teeth and cleaned her face. Pulling on her boots, she sat back on the bed and listened to the sounds around them. The birds always started singing at four in the morning, not that it was that early. The sun was just about up. Arthur cleaned off the table, finishing up what he was doing, and rose to his feet. He grabbed his weapons belt and pulled it on.

"Is…" Nora trailed off, frowning in irritation.

"Speak, woman," he rumbled, a tease in his tone.

"Is this okay?" she asked, gesturing to them. "You don't mind me staying in here?"

Arthur turned toward her immediately, and for a moment she wasn't able to read his expression. He looked at her for a moment, and then walked forward to squat in front of her. Reaching forward, he tugged on her ponytail gently, and then kissed her again.

"You aren't going to be staying anywhere else," Arthur replied, his voice a deep rumble.

Nora relaxed visibly, and Arthur's eyebrow rose just a bit. She had surprised him with the question clearly, but his answer was exactly what she needed to hear.

"Sorry I asked," she murmured, as he tugged them both to their feet.

"Nah," Arthur answered. "I get why you wanted to ask."

"Really?" she asked, looking up at him.

"We likely haven't shared space with anyone in a long time," he drawled, and she nodded. "So maybe it felt odd to you, and you didn't know how I felt."

"I didn't," Nora agreed. "But I do now."

"Good," he rumbled, looking down at her firmly. "You stay with me."

Giggling, Nora wrapped her arms around his waist. He held her as well, and she let herself have that moment. He did as well, clearly wanting it. When they parted, Arthur gave her a thoughtful look, and then reached over to her weapons belt. Handing it to her, he walked out of the tent. She put her belt on, and walked out after him. She was surprise to see that he had waited.

Pearson was awake and cooking, the smell of sausage hit her nose and Nora sighed. Arthur smirked as he headed toward the coffee pots. Nora went to see if Pearson needed any help, but the cook shooed her off after handing her two plates of food.

"Oh, we're spoiled today," she teased, looking at the hotcakes and sausage.

"Hush. Woke up, and I wanted to cook," he replied with a grunt, but Nora saw him smile. "Now go away and let me finish."

Grabbing two forks, Nora headed over to Arthur and handed him his plate. He'd make two cups of coffee, so they sat at one of the smaller tables. Nora listened as everyone slowly started to wake up. The smell of food was likely what woke them, along with the sun which had now finally risen fully. Arthur had positioned himself at the table so that he could see the woods, and his eyes scanned the area slowly. She finished her breakfast rather quickly, not realizing how hungry she was. She took care of her dishes when she was done, and Arthur's too once he was finished.

Wanting to see Khan, Nora headed that way after brushing her hand along Arthur's back. He gave her his attention long enough to see where she was going, but he was waiting for Hosea. She found Khan grazing with Arthur's paint, who still needed a name. Maybe he had one. She gave them both some oats which they were happy to receive. Kieran had taken Khan's saddle off last night, which she was grateful for. Grabbing her brush, Nora set to work on grooming him. His coat was beautiful in the summer, and she got all the dust off him, made him shine. Patting his neck when she was done, she sighed softly. Khan leaned toward her, turning his head and lipping at her hair. She smiled, and ran her fingers up his forehead.

"You're a good boy," she said softly. "Thank you."

He didn't reply, but his eyes softened a little. That was all she needed. Turning, she groomed Arthur's paint as well, and thought names over.

"Do you have a name?" she asked, and the gelding looked at her.

"Cash," he said, his voice soft.

"Cash," she replied, and smiled a little. "Fitting."

She made sure he was well taken care of before she headed back into camp. Nora had been so lost in thought during her grooming session that she'd realized a good amount of time had passed. John, Dutch, Hosea and Arthur were sitting at the camp table talking, most likely about what was going on. Heading that way, she picked up on their conversation before she got there.

"They boy will be fine. But…well of course Marston's scared rotten. We killed all those people, stirred up all that trouble, and for what? Nothing," Arthur said firmly, planting his boot on one of the stools.

"No," Dutch muttered firmly, looking at Arthur. "No, not for nothin. For livin. Now, we get that boy back, and we go. Trust me."

Nora hid how she really felt about that. For living? No, they had killed that family as revenge for taking Jack. It was easy to see that. She didn't exactly disagree, but had he not played both families, none of this would be happening. There was commotion at the front of camp, drawing her attention.

"Hey Dutch!" Lenny called. "We got a problem."

"Not a problem," a man said. "Visitors."

Turning slightly at the voice, Nora watched as two Pinkertons walked into camp. Even though they were at gunpoint, they moved like they owned the place. Arthur turned to face them immediately, as Hosea and John rose to their feet. Nora moved toward the table quickly, to keep her face out of sight.

"A solution. Good day fine people," the man kept speaking as he walked over, his partner beside him. "Mr. Van der Linde. Mr. Matthews I presume…and who are you?"

"Rip Van Winkle," John replied coldly, his hand on his gun.

"Huh…good day sir," the man replied, his expression flat. "Agent Milton. Pinkerton Detective Agency. This is my partner, Agent Ross. Ahh, Mr. Morgan, nice to see you again."

"To what do we owe the pleasure, Agent Moron?" Dutch asked, not even rising to his feet.

"I don't know if you are aware but this, this is a civilized land now," Milton replied, glancing over the camp. "We didn't kill all them savages only to allow the likes of you to act like human dignity, and basic decency was outmoded or not yet invented. This thing…it's done."

"This place," Dutch murmured, rising to his feet. "Ain't no such thing as civilized. It's man, so in love with greed that he had forgotten himself and found only appetites."

"And as a consequence that lets you take what you please, and kill whom you please, hang the rest of us?" Milton demanded, taking a step forward.

Dutch was bigger than him, and he also took another step forward. The gang leader looked deadly, facing down Milton. Nora noticed several of the gang had gathered around the two men, their stances ready. Arthur shifted very slightly, drawing her attention. His hand rested on his gun, but he was pointing just behind himself. Nora had to admire that for a moment, but she stepped forward in silence. He moved again, bringing her effectively into the cover of his body.

"Who made you the messiah to these lost souls you've led so horribly astray?" Milton asked, and Dutch smirked.

"I'm nothing but a seeker, Mr. Milton," he smiled coldly.

"You ain't much of anything more than a killer, Mr. Van der Linde," Milton answered firmly. "But I came to make a deal. It's time. You come with me, and I give the rest of you three days to run off, disappear and go live like human beings some place else."

"You came for me?" Dutch smiled. "Risked life and limb in this den of lowlifes and murderers, so that they might live and love? Ain't that fine."

"I don't want to kill all these people, Dutch," Milton replied. "Just you."

"In that case," Dutch smirked, lifting his hands and stepping forward. "It would be my honor to join you. Excuse me friends...I have an appointment to keep with…"

He didn't even finish his words, because the whole gang had readied their weapons. The loyalty that his man inspired was dangerous, and a bit ridiculous. Nora knew he'd never give himself up for them. Nora found her hand on her gun simply because if the shooting started, she wasn't about to be caught unaware.

"I think your new friend should leave now, Dutch," Susan said, glaring as she cocked her shotgun.

"You're making a big mistake," Milton snapped, glancing at everyone. "All of you."

"Yeah, dreadful," Dutch chuckled, smiling at the man. "We have got something. Something to live and to die for. How awful for us, Mr. Milton. Stop following us. We'll be gone soon."

"I'm afraid I can't," Milton smiled. "And when I return, I'll be with fifty men. All of you will die. Run away from this place, you fools. Run!"

"Come on!" Lenny snarled, walking forward and shoving the man.

"Get your damn hands off of me, boy!" Milton snarled, and shoved his way through the group.

"What now?" Arthur murmured, stepping forward.

"We get outta here, and quick," Dutch murmured. "Any ideas?"

"I know a big ol' house. Hidden in the swamps outside of Saint Denis," Arthur nodded. "I'm sure they'll find us eventually, but it'll buy us a few days."

"A few days is all we need," Dutch nodded, turning toward him.

"It's a spot out by Shady Belle," Arthur rumbled, putting his gun away. "Lenny and I got into a dispute with the previous occupiers. Place is well hidden."

"Good. John, you and Arthur ride out to make sure no one else has moved in," Dutch nodded. "Lenny, go follow those fools outta here and make sure that they leave. John, we'll get Jack back and we'll get gone. The rest of you, get packin!"

The whole gang quickly dispersed to start packing. Nora shoved some hair out of her face, glancing toward Arthur when he gestured for her. She walked with him, and he walked over to his horse to saddle him up.

"You gonna be okay?" he asked, and Nora frowned at him.

"I think I can pack up a camp," she replied. "I'd much rather ride out, but I'm left with little choice."

"Should have left when I told you to," he rumbled, tightening the girth on the saddle.

Nora put on the bridle, and thought that over for a long moment. She glared at the ground. Sure, they had been intimate, but should she leave? Did he really not want her here? Arthur turned toward her, moving his horse so that they were blocked from sight.

"Do you want me to leave?" she asked, not looking at him.

She lifted her head to look at him, and watched as he struggled with whatever decision he was coming to. She didn't want to leave him, or those she'd grown to enjoy in the gang. She knew it had been only a matter of time before things went sideways. He wasn't alone, but that wasn't good enough.

"Yes, I want you to leave," he admitted, and she couldn't stop the hurt that flashed across her expression. "But only because I want you safe. I want you to disappear and at the end of this, I'll find you. But no…no I don't want you to go. You're too far in to leave now, ain't ya?"

"It's too late," she agreed, as he stepped forward.

He stood inches from her, and reached out to grab her fingers. She gripped them back, and he lifted her hand to kiss it. Lifting her own gaze, Nora met his.

"Then, I suggest you get packing," he rumbled. "I'll see you later."

Nodding her head, Nora let go of him and stepped back. He swung into the saddle, and she forced herself not to watch the men ride off. Khan walked over quietly, sensing that something was happening. She patted his neck, and saddled him up quietly, just to be ready.

The camp had exploded into activity as everyone began to pack the wagons. They had done this many times. Nora decided to start at Arthur's wagon. Not long after, Sadie and Abigail came to help her. They were able to finish it rather quickly, and then moved on to the next. It took them a good few hours. Kieran had begun to hook horses up on the wagons that were done. Dutch was impressed, because he had said it usually took longer. Helping Kieran check over the wagons one more time, Nora went over to Khan. Swinging into the saddle, she looked at Charles who walked over.

"You all right?" he asked, his voice low.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied.

"Good," he nodded, and patted her leg.

John rode into camp not long after, letting them know that everything was good and ready. It was easy to see how pleased Dutch was. She ran her hand over Khan's neck and inhaled softly.