Arthur has been riding hard for days, fuelled by the conversation with Mary and the frustration of having no leads. Pulling into the woods outside of Rhodes he sighs, defeated and tired, he doesn't remember having felt this tired before, the emotional weight heavy in his chest and his body aching from the hard ground, he was right back where he started, and yet, no further forward.

Sitting back against a tree he draws his hat low, ready to take a nap in the afternoon sun before heading into town in chase of leads. He was close to the old camp and the urge to return caused him to feel both dread and longing, torn between his desire to be with his family and the betrayal he felt from his father.

His mind wanders, as it often did, back to you; he missed the lazy afternoons you'd spend together. A memory resurfaces of a particularly pleasant afternoon he'd spent with you in Blackwater. He'd been out on a job with John and Charles for most of the day and when he returned to camp, hot and aching, he wanted nothing more than to relax with you in his arms. He'd found you sat on the riverbank enjoying the cool flow of the water on your toes, you looked like an angel to him, so he stopped in the treeline, leaning back against a tree he crosses his ankles and just admires you. Your long hair caught the breeze and swept back from your face revealing a light smile as you watched the fish swim around your feet. Arthur felt like the richest man in the world being able to call you his and moments like this, where he could just watch you be yourself were his favorite.

"Hey, you're back!" your eyes spotted him in the treeline and your smile stretched wide across your face.

Matching your smile, he pushes from the tree, dropping beside you and drawing you close into a kiss. He'd only meant to greet you with a peck, but you tasted so sweet he couldn't help but deepen the kiss. You sighed into his mouth and brought your hands up to his chest, holding him close against you. Bringing his hand up to tangle in your hair, he runs his tongue along your bottom lip, slowly requesting an entrance. You oblige meeting his tongue with yours and causing him to groan with pleasure, the button of his jeans beginning to strain painfully against his growing erection. You pull away and he chases your mouth, eager to continue the kiss, but you smile and push him back, slowly unbuttoning your blouse.

He looks around, conscious that you were both out in the open but too invested at the moment to care too much. It never bothered him to be seen naked but the thought of Javier or Sean seeing you bare was a different story, he was extremely protective of you, and your body was for his eyes only. Settling his sight back on you he sucks in a breath as you sit before him topless, he can't help but reach for you. Guiding you back against the long grass he rakes his eyes over your form, slowly memorizing every detail.

"Arthur please." You sigh and flutter your eyes closed as he trails his calloused hand down your waist.

"You're perfect." He whispers.

"I'm not perfect, nobody's perfect."

You giggle as he positions himself on his knees between your legs, hiking your skirt up to your waist and slowly peeling down your undergarments.

"Well, then you're just perfect for me."

He didn't allow you to respond as he licks a broad stripe up your core causing you to roll your eyes back and fist your hands in his hair, knocking his hat to the ground. His tongue slowly kitten licks your clit in just the way he's learned will drive you wild and you instantly begin to writhe underneath him. This was his favorite part, where you began to wiggle and grind against his mouth, he encourages you to chase your pleasure by sucking gently on your nub.

It has the desired effect, and your legs begin to tense and tremble around his head and he feels you begin to pulse against his tongue. Not one to let your pleasure be short-lived he continues to work you through it, pulling every wave of pleasure he can from you. Wiping his mouth, he sits back on his knees and takes you in, a light sheen of sweat coats your skin, and your chest heaves, your hair is wild, and a blissed smile paints your face.

Crawling up your body he-

"Goddamn, it horse!"

He swats away Bodecia as she knocks his hat to the ground and nuzzles his hair. He must have drifted off to sleep and was sorely disappointed to be woken from such a pleasant dream. Dropping his head back against the tree he groans and rubs his face, he's painfully hard in his jeans and there's no way he's relieving himself out here.

"You're lucky I ain't made you into glue yet." He scowls at her, but she continues to force her muzzle into his hair, annoying him further and causing him to stand.

"The hell has gotten into you girl?"

She offers him a nervous whinny and he frowns; something was upsetting her, and he wasn't sure what. Looking around he scans the area for the source of her concern and that's when he hears it.

"Do you think he's capable of doing that?"

"He's lost his goddamn mind Charles, he's capable of anything. I just hope they're far enough away."

"Well, then we should try and find them, warn Arthur what he's planning."

Charles and Sadie look like they've seen a ghost as Arthur walks towards them with Bodecia in hand, she whinnies quietly in a greeting to her friends, Taima, and Bob.

"Warn me about what?" he half-smiles at the relief of seeing his friends again.

They both freeze and stare in disbelief at Arthur's sudden appearance. They thought he was miles away, having not seen him in days and now here he stands before them. Sadie is the first to break the silence, rushing forward and pulling him into a tight hug.

"Jesus Morgan, where have you been? We thought you'd all be far away from here by now." She pauses and looks behind Arthur as if searching for someone else. "Is Y/N with you?"

Arthur scratches the back of his neck, feeling a sense of shame for having to admit he left you again, even if he did so both times with good intentions.

"She uh, she's up North with John and Abigail, she's safe."

Sadie's face falls and Arthur doesn't miss the look exchanged between her and Charles. Suddenly feeling a deep urge to explain his reasons for leaving you he fumbles through his words.

"I had no choice, it wasn't safe with Colm around, so I sent her North while I took care of him."

"Arthur- "

Charles tries to speak but Arthur mistakes his interruption as a scolding and he continues, becoming increasingly angry at their judgment and his frustration.

"I. Didn't. Have. A choice." He grits out through his teeth.

"Arthur- "

"I couldn't risk losing her again!"

"Arthur!" Charles yells this time with urgency, he grabs Arthur's bicep and stares at him sternly.

"WHAT!?" He practically growls at Charles.

Sadie speaks but her voice is sad and low. "The O'Driscoll's ain't around here Arthur."

"I know that now." He sighs defeated and tired from running in circles.

"Arthur, listen to me." Charles's voice is direct and steady as if explaining something to a child. "The O'Driscoll's aren't around here because they're headed North, and we think Dutch is guiding them there, he knows about the cabin."

The wind is knocked from his lungs when he realizes what Charles is saying. Dutch wouldn't do that, would he? Sure, he was mad at Arthur, and maybe even a little controlling of him, but he would never hurt Y/N like that? Especially if she were carrying his child, Dutch knew how hard it was on him when he lost Isaac, he would never willingly put him through that again.

"He wouldn't" he whispers, staring at the ground.

Sadie shakes her head and bites her lip. "I didn't wanna believe it either Arthur but when you left, he was real mad. Kept going on about loyalty and how you'd lost your way. Said Y/N was blinding you from your family, he said something about killing two birds with one stone."

Arthur's head snaps up, "What do you mean kill two birds with one stone?"

"We think Dutch may be using Y/N as a truce. Colm gets her and forgives the money Dutch stole." Charles replies calmly and clearly but his deep baritone voice does nothing to calm Arthur.

Sadie and Charles watch nervously as their friend processes the information, his chest beginning to heave rapidly with anger. Suddenly and silently, Arthur turns and mounts Bodecia, snapping her head around and point her North.

"Arthur, wait!" Sadie calls desperately whilst mounting Bob and trotting after him, Charles following suit behind. "What are you going to do?"

He doesn't look back, his eyes focused and narrowed on the road ahead.

"I'm gonna get Y/N and kill Colm... and then... I'm gonna kill Dutch."

Sadie and Charles share a look, exchanging both worry and questions silently. Charles closes his eyes defeated and offers Sadie a small nod; trying to keep up with Arthur's rapid pace she spurs Bob on.

"We're coming with you."

____________________________________

"He's holed up in Van Horn."

You pull your ear from the door and Charlotte frowns in confusion, not understanding your fear.

Colm was close. And Arthur was so far away.

"Y/N, what's wrong?" Charlotte whispers.

"Colm's close, he must have followed us up here and if he knows we're here we're in trouble."

"So, what should we do?"

You pause, you had no answer to that question, but whatever you decided, you now had to consider the safety of the life growing inside of you. Taking a moment, you think carefully through your options. If you run, as you had originally planned, Arthur would have no idea where you were and it posed a risk to your unborn child, but if you stayed, Colm could easily walk back into your life and the thought of being in his grasp again made you shudder. The bigger question, however, was could you trust Dutch? He hated you but he was still like a father to Arthur. Sure, he'd pointed a gun at you, but the man has just lost his closest friend and confidant, emotions had been high and although you didn't condone his actions you could somewhat understand his pain.

Closing your eyes, you take a deep breath and push the door open, walking to the kitchen slowly. Upon seeing you John's eyes widen, questioning what the hell you were thinking. Dutch, hearing your entrance turns and smiles, the smile makes you sick to your stomach and you briefly worry if you've made a mistake.

"Hello dear." His eyes wander to your swollen belly and you protectively cover it with your hands. "You're practically glowing."

You knew you looked like shit, but Dutch's silver tongue never failed to compliment a woman with just what she needed to hear.

"So, Colm knows where I am?" you question.

"I don't know dear, but he's nearby which I'm sure you know means trouble. I came here to warn Arthur so he could protect you, but John tells me he's not here?"

You raise your chin, trying to portray the confidence you didn't have. "He headed West. So, what's your plan?"

Dutch nods, mulling over the information of Arthur's absence. "Well..." He strokes his goatee in a way you'd grown to despise. "I suggest we head West too, try to meet up with him."

"She can't travel Dutch, the baby, it's too risky. Plus, we're not going anywhere with you, in case you'd forgotten, you pulled a gun on her."

You'd almost forgotten John was there, but you were thankful for his presence, somehow with him there you felt protected. Dutch glares at John but then quickly collects himself.

"Not my finest moment dear and I was hoping for the opportunity to apologize to you about that. John, could you please give me a moment alone with Y/N?"

John catches your eye, silently questioning what you wanted him to do, you nod, letting him know you'll be okay.

"Fine, I'll go tell Abigail and Keiron we're staying. Y/N don't stay up too long, okay? Remember you're on bed rest."

You nod and watch him leave, turning back to Dutch and reminding yourself to be confident. You were safe, Dutch would never try anything, not here.

"So, your pregnancy isn't going too smoothly?"

"We'll be fine as long as I rest as much as possible."

He nods, crossing the kitchen and pulling out a chair, gesturing for you to sit. You oblige and he takes the seat opposite.

"I owe you a number of apologies my dear, for everything. I welcomed you into this gang and promised to keep you safe, but I fear I let my protectiveness for my son blind my judgment and I put you in harm's way myself. I value loyalty in my men, but I failed to offer the same courtesy to you and for that, I am truly sorry. I don't know what has possessed me these past few months, pride, ego, maybe even jealousy. Whatever the excuse, Arthur is my son and by extension, you are my daughter."

You don't know how to respond. On the one hand, his apology seems sincere, but on the other something is still screaming at you to make him leave. Opting to proceed with caution you focus on the next steps.

"So, what do you propose we do? I clearly can't travel far..." You gesture down to your belly, "But we obviously can't stay here, not with Colm so close."

He strokes his mustache, mulling over his options. "Well, this does complicate things but I'm sure we can figure this out. How many wagons do you have?"

"Two, one we brought with us and I think there's an old one in the barn, but we don't have enough horses."

He waves his hand as if this wouldn't be a problem. "I have a spare horse with me, I knew you'd lost yours and figured I needed a peace offering. If we fill the wagon with blankets, do you think you can travel a short distance? There's a cabin Hosea and I used to use as a stopover, it's not too far West, we can hold up there while John and I find Arthur, and if the time comes you can have your baby there, Colm will have no idea where we are, it's well hidden."

You were hesitant to move but the pressing threat of the O'Driscolls didn't leave you with many options and if you were honest Dutch's plan seemed as good as any right now.

"Okay let's go."

Dutch's smile makes your stomach roll, but you swallow down the feeling and push from the chair, turning to your room to collect your things.

"Let John and I gather your things up, lets get you comfy on the wagon first." He holds out his hand to you and you reluctantly take it, still not feeling completely stable on your feet.

"Okay, but please don't forget my tonic, otherwise this baby's going to greet the world far too early."

He leads you out the door, supporting your weight as he guides you outside. "We definitely don't want that dear. Let's keep this baby safe as can be."

Walking onto the porch you freeze; you felt like you were going to vomit.

"You bastard." You scream, turning and pummelling him with your fist, he easily overpowers you, pulling your back tight to his chest and guiding you forward.

Abigail, Keiron, and John sit on the ground, gagged and struggling against their bonds, guns pointed at their heads. Jack sits sobbing on a horse, a man clutching him tightly as he wriggles.

"Now now, remember your condition, we wouldn't want you hurting the baby." He grits struggling to keep you still and moving forward.

"FUCK YOU!" you spit as he pulls you to a stop in front of your friends, you see the tears streaming down Abigail's cheeks and the sheer terror in Keiron's eyes as he realizes who the men are.

"You always were a feisty one, it's so good to see you again dear."

Colm steps from behind his men and you feel your heart stop, Dutch had sold you old out to Colm, and worse, he'd sold out John, Keiron, and Abigail too. You begin to cry, feeling overwhelmed and helpless. Colm reaches out and brushes away your tears, cupping your cheek gently before moving his hand to your belly. His touch lingers over your scar and you feel physically sick.

"I'm sorry about the bullet wound, but you'll have plenty of time to forgive me."

"We're even now, right? You'll forget about the money?" Dutch snarls behind you and Colm stares at him with distaste.

"I suppose."

"And the baby?"

Colm's eyes flash to your stomach before meeting your eyes. "When it's born, it's yours. Tell Morgan whatever he needs to hear so he won't come looking for her."

Dutch releases you leaving you within Colm's reach. "She mentioned a tonic, something about the baby coming early."

They continued as if you weren't there sobbing in front of them.

"Don't worry, we'll make sure she gets everything she needs; you just focus on keeping Morgan off our backs.

"I've got it covered, I have a plan."