Arthur Morgan did not intend to survive when he gave his hat to John Marston and stayed behind to gain his redemption. As he crawled towards his final resting place, he never intended to wake up again.
But he does wake up. Thanks to time travelers F...
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2023
Arthur and Charles leaned against the rough-hewn, wooden fence that encircled the largest paddock of the Double L's barn complex. Charles had propped one of his feet up on the lowest rung of the fence, and they both stared out at the snow-capped peaks of the Grizzlies together, deep in thought.
Arthur had been thinking a lot lately, in fact. It had occurred to him one day, in his living room, that he was content. Contentedness was a feeling he hadn't ever quite experienced before. There had been moments of it throughout his life, including the night he had nearly died way back in 1899, when he had been sure his life was finished and that John was safe, but those moments had been hard to come by and easy to leave, like smoke from the end of a cigarette as it burned quietly into red embers. Truthfully, this was the happiest Arthur had ever been, and he looked forward to living out the rest of his days here, with his growing family, in the most beautiful place on Earth.
In his home.
He just wished John was here to see it, the life he'd made for himself.
"You're quiet," Charles noticed, refusing to tear his eyes away from the outline of the blue, cloudless sky against the feather-white snow atop Mount Hagan.
Arthur sighed and removed his hat, using the brim to fan his sweaty face. Charles and his family were visiting this week, and although he was technically a guest, Charles wasn't one to sit on his hands. They'd been working cows together, and this bit of scenery-staring was a break, of sorts. "I was thinkin' about John," he said truthfully. "Been thinkin' about him a lot lately, in fact."
Charles nodded. "I see."
"Yeah," Arthur affirmed. "I just... I wonder if... If he woulda been proud of me, of all the things I've accomplished here. He saved this place, you know, even from beyond the grave. Without him, I doubt the government would have seen as much historical value in this place, and it would probably be Levi Cornwall's ranch by now."
A small smile crossed Charles's face. The eagle feathers tied in his long hair danced gaily on the wind, as though performing some long-known tribal dance for rain or game or something else entirely. "You know, John may not have ever said it, but I know he wondered such things about you when he started Beecher's Hope. It's uncanny how alike you two are."
Arthur shrugged. "We might be separated by time, but we're still brothers," he answered simply. "He was the closest thing to a blood brother I ever had. I just want to know if... if he'd be proud of me, that I left the life we all led, and that I'm happy and content with a wife and kids of my own."
Charles' grin widened. "Kids?" He'd noticed Arthur's use of the plural word.
Arthur grinned lopsidedly and nodded, turning to face Charles. "Uh huh. Tori's pregnant again. We found out a few weeks ago that we're gonna have another baby, but don't tell anybody. We ain't exactly announced it yet. Even Jackson don't know, even though this one was planned."
