It wasn't easy for Arthur to pinpoint the exact emotion he was feeling as the trio approached the trail to Willard's Rest. Excitement, to see you again, to hold and feel you in his arms, heavy with the swell of his unborn child? Fear, of what may await him there, betrayal and concern for your safety? Regret, for leaving you, for failing to protect you. Thoughts and emotions tormented his head, and he pinches his nose in frustration, feeling the tell-tale beginnings of a headache.

"This the way?" Sadie's voice drags him from his inner turmoil, and he grunts a positive response, following her onto the trail.

Not far now he realized.

Charles's eyes never left Arthur the entire journey, since their conversation last night Charle's had begun to worry about what they may find at the cabin, and how his friend would handle whatever may greet them. He couldn't admit it to Arthur, not with his current state, but Charles was worried too, you were his friend, but he knew if they lost you, he'd lose his friend to his grief too.

"Is it that obvious?" you groan, sliding a hand down your face in embarrassment as Charles chuckles at your rising blush.

"If it makes you feel any better, I don't think he's noticed." He smirks at your eye-roll know full well you saw straight through his lie. "Okay okay." he concedes holding his hands up in defense. "He may have noticed, but you should talk to him about it, he may look like a brute, but I promise you he won't bite..." he watches your face carefully, fighting the smile threatening to engulf his face. "...unless you want him to!"

You punch him roughly in the arm before groaning loudly and burying your face in your hands. Ever since joining the camp you'd always had Arthur in the corner of your eye, but he was with Mary, so you had resided to just enjoying the view, albeit with a little jealousy whenever you had seen the pair together. Your mind was envious at the way his hand would lie protectively against her waist when she came to visit.

But that was then, now Arthur was single, a painful breakup with Mary turning him into a workhorse as he distracted himself, taking every job, no matter how gruelling, and you hadn't failed to notice the effect it had on his body. The work sculpting his already fit body to one that held the power of an ox; and as he slung the last of the hay bales to the horses you couldn't help but stare, and apparently, you'd failed to employ your usual subtlety; Charles had caught you staring.

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Charles knew Arthur had feelings for you, even when he was with Mary, but the gentleman he was, he would never act on them, instead, he swallowed them down, only confiding in Charles about them after a few too many whiskies by the fire.

"The new girl, she's really...uh...something isn't she?"

"Yea, Hosea was really impressed with her work on the stagecoach, he thinks she'll be perfect for the job in Armadillo."

Arthur nods, his eyes watching you closely while you talk to Karen and Mary-Beth, getting to know the girls. The whiskey bottle hanging inches from his lips was forgotten. Charles eyed him curiously, sensing Arthur meant something else.

"She got any family?" Arthur continues, breaking himself from his trance and gulping a large amount of whiskey, trying to burn away his thoughts.

'Don't think so, she said she lost them recently."

"So, no husband?" Arthur asks nonchalantly but Charles isn't a fool.

"No, she said she never had one." Charles sees Arthur's shoulders drop, seemingly relieved, he smirks and decides to play with his friend. "She seems to be getting close to Javier though."

"Oh, yea? She doesn't seem his type?"

"Maybe not, but I saw the two of them sneaking down to the river late last night."

Arthur's back straightens instantly, and his head snaps up, eyes meeting Charles's only to find him staring back with a goofy grin. Realising Charles had seen straight through him he huffs out a laugh and shakes his head, hanging it low in embarrassment.

"For an outlaw, you're not very subtle." Charles slaps Arthur on the back, amused at his friend's embarrassment.

"Yea but I should know better than that. I'm with Mary."

It was no secret how the camp felt towards Mary, finding her snobbish and demanding, Charles wouldn't be sorry to see their relationship end but he knew Arthur was loyal to the bone.

"You're only human Arthur, she's a beautiful girl. You're allowed to look."

"That's the problem..." Arthur's eyes find yours across the camp and you smile at him sweetly, unknowingly causing his heart to flutter. "...I can't stop looking."

The cabin pulls into view late that afternoon, and from the outside, all appeared as it had the last time he'd been here, the grass lush and green, the sounds of the forest peaceful and optimistic. Following Charles and Sadie's lead he slowly dismounts taking in a breath of the sweet air; this was supposed to have been your home together, a home for you both to raise a child, perhaps get a dog as he'd had before, maybe a cat too; whatever the version of domestic bliss he imagined it felt so far from his grasp.

The door to the cabin slams open and Arthur is quick to grab his revolver and take aim, his old habits hard to shake. Charlotte's scowling face greets him from the other end of a shotgun which is aimed directly at his head.

"I'll give you five seconds before I ki-Arthur?" she lowers the gun; his eyes frantically shifting from his face to Sadie and Charles behind him who hold their hands up defensively.

Arthur's gut spurs into overdrive as he senses something drastically wrong. Firstly, Charlotte was always protective of the homestead but never to this extent, something must have scared her to force her into defending the place so aggressively. Secondly, where were you... and John for that matter? Surely, John wouldn't have left Charlotte to defend the place alone? If he had, he'd kill him for it later.

"Charlotte, what's going on? Where is y/n?"

She shakes her head, tears spilling over her already red and swollen eyes. She surges forwards and buries her head in his chest as he envelopes her with his arms protectively. Charlotte and he had grown close through his visits, but he saw her only as a sister figure, her heart still very much belonging to her dead husband.

"I'm so sorry Arthur. There were too many of them, they would have killed me." She hiccups, sobbing into his shirt.

"Hey...shhh. I need you to calm down and tell me what happened." Even though his heart is hammering against his chest in fear, he speaks calmly, stroking her hair gently to soothe the woman soaking his shirt with tears.

Drawing back to meet his eyes she swallows deeply, trying to find the words. "It was a man, with dark hair and a mustache." Arthur instantly goes rigid. "He came looking for you, said he wanted to help you kill some guy. Y/N got scared when she heard the name... Conner? No. Colin?"

"Colm" Arthur grits, his grip subconsciously tightening on the revolver he still holds.

"I think so, it all happened so fast. She went to talk with the man, but he came here with a group and they took her, and John, and everyone! Even that poor little boy! I'm so sorry Arthur, I hid, there were so many of them!"

Arthur steps away, his face paling in shock as he realizes what had happened. Dutch really had sold you out and now he was reliving this nightmare for a second time. For a brief second, he wondered if this was the universe's way of punishing him for his sins, for all the men he'd killed and the money he'd stolen, but if that was the case, why were you the one suffering?

Emotions finally get the better of him and he lashes out, no longer able to contain the pain inside him he punches a nearby tree, screaming in rage as he pummels the trunk, enjoying the sting and bite of the bark cutting his fist. Exhausting himself he rests his forehead to the wood, panting from the exertion.

"Which way did they go?" his jaw ticks still with swallowed anger.

"Arthur there something else you should know." His eyes snap to meet Charlotte's and she cowers back against Sadie who'd moved to console her.

His face wasn't the Arthur she knew, instead, he'd been replaced with a murderous outlaw. Swallowing her fear of causing another outburst she continues.

"It's about the baby." All eyes are on her as she continues, Sadie and Charles dreading what was about to come. "Y/n, she- she started bleeding. We took her to a doctor, but she needs to rest, he said she won't carry the baby to term but there's hope if she rests. I'm sorry Arthur, I just needed you to know what you're walking into."

The outlaw doesn't say anything. The only sign of his recognition of her words is the deepening frown set on his brow.

"Which way did they go Charlotte?" Sadie asks, her own voice on the verge of breaking.

"West, but that's all I know."

"And Dutch, the dark-haired one. He go with them?"

"No, he left after them, but I don't know where he went."

The group is still for a moment as every one allows the air to settle, each of them unsure of how to move forward. Charles is the first to break through the silence as he addresses Arthur.

"How do you want to play this?"

For the first time, Arthur didn't have a plan. He felt completely helpless and consumed with grief and fear.

"We can try and track them; their trail should still be fresh?"

Arthur looks up, his murderous outlaw glare briefly replaced with a look Charles has never seen before and it takes a moment for him to realize it's fear, he had never seen him look so scared.

"I can't lose them, Charles. She has to survive this."

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