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Chapter 9

"Hey," Arthur rumbled, jerking her from her thoughts.

"Hey yourself," she replied, staying on the rock she'd occupied. "How's the shoulder?"

"Good," he answered, rolling it for her to see. "Doesn't hurt much."

She nodded, clearly pleased and watched him run his hand through his hair. It had grown out longer than he wanted, but it didn't make him look shaggy. Being right handed, he'd been able to at least keep his beard trimmed during that time. Nora smiled a little, and scooted over when he came to join her against the rock. She'd been picking dirt out from under her nails, and he waited comfortably until she was done. It seemed the quiet was exactly what was needed.

"You're grumpy," she said, finishing up her nails.

"What gave that away?" Arthur asked, and she snorted.

"You're frowning more than usual," she offered, and the frown only deepened. "See? So, what's wrong?"

"The usual," he muttered, waving his hand in dismissal.

"Want me to poison anyone?" Nora smiled, making him laugh.

"Not yet," he grinned. "But I'll let you know. Actually, I was wondering if you wanted to go on a hunting trip."

"Sure," she nodded, not having to think about it. "It'll do you some good too."

"Pearson said we were getting low on meat," Arthur sighed. "No one else volunteered, so I said I'd go."

"All right," Nora sighed, and hopped off the rock. "But you need a haircut first."

"What, you don't like the flowing locks?" he asked, tossing his hair about.

"Oh sure," she grinned, as he joined her. "I can leave it, if you'd like."

"No, hell please cut it," he groaned, and she laughed.

They walked over to his tent, and he sat down on the chair. She threw a towel over his shoulders, and grabbed the scissors. Nora was pretty good at cutting hair, well decent at least. In this world, one had to be good at a lot of things, and she'd made sure to be that. Getting to work, she took her time and made sure to keep it similar to what she'd first seen him with. That would make him happy.

"Shit, you might have to give us all haircuts," John grinned, walking by.

"For a price," Nora snorted. "You sure could use one John."

"Ha!" he laughed, and kept on his way.

"There, done," she smiled, finishing his neckline.

"Thank you very much," he sighed, waiting till she'd brushed all the hair off him. "Don't look like a mess huh?"

"Well, you looked silly with long hair and a short beard," she grinned, making him snort.

"Funny," he chuckled. "Let's get moving then."

"Okay," Nora agreed, and grabbed her things.

It seemed the haircut, and getting out of camp was just what the man needed. They hadn't even left camp yet and he seemed happier. Heading out toward the horses, Nora saddled Khan and packed what they needed for the trip. He did the same, and the frown began to disappear. Khan lowered his head when she patted him on the chest, making a soft happy noise. His muzzle found her hair, making her chuckle.

"And just where are you two off to?" Micah asked, sauntering over.

"Huntin," Arthur replied, glancing over his horse's back at him.

"Huntin?" Micah asked, smirking. "You sure?"

"Are you deaf?" Arthur asked shortly. "You heard Pearson is low on meat. Since you ain't helpin, I figured we'd go."

"Oh so it's my fault?" Micah asked, bristling. "Wasn't that long ago you were laid up…"

"And you were just so busy during that time weren't you?" Nora asked, glaring at him. "So helpful to camp, huh Micah?"

"Anyone ever teach you to respect your betters?" Micah hissed, turning toward her.

"Of course," she smiled. "But you ain't one."

"Why don't you go back to Dutch, since you're so useful," Arthur drawled, his voice low. "Or I'll show you how injured I still am."

Nora watched Micah fume for a long moment, and then he snorted with laughter. Turning like nothing had happened, he stalked off, heading in the direction of Dutch's tent. Nora rolled her eyes, but caught the irritated look Dutch gave Micah. She grinned when she looked at Khan, and sighed. Getting into the saddle, she waited for Arthur to join her. He led the way, Arthur's paint jumping into a happy trot. Khan extended his gait to keep up.

"So, where we going?" Nora asked, as they left the trail behind.

"Ringneck Creek," Arthur answered, taking them onto the main road, away from Rhodes. "It's dense, and the creek attracts all sorts of animals. We'll be protected, and it's not too far of a ride."

"Okay," she nodded.

"I can't be gone long," Arthur sighed. "Just for the night. Bill is working on something with the Gray's and wanted me to tag along. Two days, maybe less. There was something to do."

"So, you and Sean burned the Gray's field…and stole horses from the Braithwaites, and tried to pin the blame between the families," she observed, and Arthur nodded.

"Dutch is trying to make us look innocent, as always," he muttered.

"How do you feel about that?" Nora asked, and Arthur sighed.

"We're sure as shit gonna get caught," he replied. "Dutch thinks their stupid as shit, but then again he thinks I am too. This…I don't think this is gonna end well."

"Did you try telling him that?" she questioned, and Arthur gave her an irritated look.

"Course I did," he replied sourly. "Micah just said I complain too much and Dutched waved his hand. I'm just worrying too much."

"Fucking idiots," Nora muttered.

"I been thinkin a lot," Arthur said suddenly, drawing her attention. "Since you warned me of that ranch. Thomas Downes died just before that whole shit show with the O'Driscoll's. I had to go…collect. It made things clear, when I took that money. I didn't want to, but Dutch wasn't having it. I'd have been slowly dying if it wasn't for you. Gave me a new look on things. This whole thing with Colm really nailed it down. The gang…we're making a mess of things."

"Well…things like that usually do it for ya," Nora agreed quietly.

"I've been needing to talk," he admitted. "Writing ain't helping, and I didn't want to lean on Charles, or anyone. I've already questioned them enough."

"I think you'd be surprised with Charles," Nora said, looking at him. "He's been questioning Dutch too, he just hasn't said it outloud."

"He observes much more than I do," Arthur sighed, and pushed his gelding into a canter.

They arrived at their camping spot shortly before sunset. It wasn't a far ride, just under an hour, but they had left a little later in the day. Ringneck Creek was a nice spring fed creek that started in the middle of the woods and emptied into the Kamassa river. The woods surrounding the creek added protection for wildlife. Arthur wasted no time in setting up camp, making it large enough for the both of them to fit in.

"After this, I think it would be a good time to say good bye to each other," he said, drawing her surprise. "I'm fine now, just need to keep working myself up. This is as good a chance as any to see you off."

"What? Now?" she asked, so surprised that he lifted his brow with the same emotion. "Sorry, I just…got used to it I guess."

"Don't," he warned, setting up a small fire pit. "Don't get comfortable with us."

"It's not that," Nora shook her head, and shook out her bed roll. "Trust me…Bill and Micah? Can't get too comfortable with them around, especially with me being an outsider. No…I…it's you I'm not fully happy with leaving."

"Think I can't take care of myself?" he rumbled, glancing her way.

"It's not that either," she grunted in irritation. "I know the only reason you got caught by Colm was because you got caught off guard. I just…I don't know, I have a bad feeling."

"I've had a bad feeling ever since Blackwater," he admitted, and it came from somewhere deep in him. "Dutch hasn't been right since he killed that woman. Something…something isn't right."

"Then why is it so bad to have someone at your back in case it went sideways?" Nora asked, frowning at him.

"Because you don't need to get killed," he replied hotly, standing up fully.

Even though he'd been horribly wounded, the moment he could work, Arthur had worked. Because of that, he'd kept up on weight and muscle. She'd seen him chopping wood and lifting hay bales at night. It was a weakness to not be seen as fit out here, and weak he was not. When he had stood up, Arthur had taken that one step across the fire pit and into her space. Nora tensed at the intrusion, and Khan also lifted his head from where he was grazing.

"How chivalrous of you," she said dryly, and took a small step back.

"I'm serious woman," he snapped. "This isn't a joke. If this goes bad, I don't need you getting caught in the middle of it."

"It's not a joke," she agreed angrily. "Which is why you will need all the help you can get! I'm not helpless!"

"I don't want you getting killed," he growled, his shoulders tightening.

"Well, I don't want you dying either," she answered, her shoulders dropping.

Over the last few weeks, they had spent a good chunk of each day together. He hadn't felt comfortable with her sleeping anywhere other than his tent. Nora hadn't blamed Arthur for it, he felt responsible for bringing her into this mess. Taking care of his wounds everyday, and helping him when needed had given them plenty of time to talk. Whatever had been safe to talk about at the time, they talked about it. Even then, Nora had noticed that Arthur had been careful.

Still in her space, Arthur kept his hard gaze on her face. He was upset, and Nora didn't blame him. The last month had been hard on them. He didn't want another body to be his fault. Trying to think of it like he was, Nora slowly relaxed. He was a man. A man who needed to protect those he cared about, and he had that bad. Nora reached out and laid a hand on his chest. She didn't have to reach far. Clenching his jaw, Arthur reached up and grabbed her wrist quietly, and bowed his head.

"I can't…"

"Shush," she chided, and he narrowed his blue eyes on her again. "I'm going to show you why I'm not helpless."

Arthur squeezed her wrist, and Nora didn't miss the small shake to his shoulders. She had misjudged how frustrated he had been. Moving her hand to his cheek, she gave it a firm pat which eased the tension. A smirk came to his lips. It wasn't that Arthur was frustrated with her, he was frustrated with the fact that he may not be able to protect her the way he wanted. Or anyone he cared about for that matter. When Arthur let go of her, Nora sighed.

"Turn around," she ordered. "I need to take off my clothes, and well…you're not allowed to see me like that," she teased, and he grunted.

"Yet," he muttered, making them both freeze.

"Arthur Morgan!" she hissed, taking a moment to recover.

"I can't help it, I'm a man!" he said, throwing his head back to laugh.

His shoulder relaxed, making her grumble at him in irritation. Arthur gave a dramatic show of turning around, giving her his back. She took a few steps away from him, and went to stand in front of the tent. Glancing around the area they were in, she focused. No one else was here.

"Don't shoot, okay?" she asked, looking at his back.

"So, what am I looking for?" Arthur questioned.

"A wolf."

This is where things really start to change. From here out...this has been a labor of love. So enjoy it!