𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐒𝐊𝐄𝐘 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐆 | Arthur x Mary-Beth

6 | Hopeless

The sun is setting in streaks of orange and pink when Mary-Beth and Arthur ride into camp. They hadn't spoken much on the ride, but it was a comfortable silence, Mary-Beth was too exhausted to talk, her head drooping and grip loosening on Arthur's waist.

But when Arthur hitches Artura and helps her down, a smile spreads across her face at the sight of camp.

"Mary-Beth!" Tilly calls, rushing over and wrapping Mary-Beth in a big, suffocating, hug. Karen follows, stretching her arms around the two. "We're so glad you're okay." Karen smiles ruefully, pulling away from the embrace.

Grimshaw strides over. "Oh you silly girl." She scolds, but her eyes are glistening as she hugs Mary-Beth.

John and Charles ride in to camp as Dutch joins the small welcome group. "Mary-Beth, very relieved to see you." Dutch smiles, clasping her hands in his. "Ladies, could you help her get cleaned up? And get the reverend to look over her injuries."

The women usher Mary-Beth away, each with a hand on her back or arms, as if they're too afraid to let her go.

"Well done Arthur, Charles, John, for bringing her back alive, not unharmed though it seems. Poor thing. Where'd you find her?" Dutch asks.

"O'Driscolls picked her up from the saloon." Arthur grumbles, matter of fact.

"Shit. I am sorry to hear that." The leader shakes his head sadly, he has an idea of what that might've meant. "I trust you took care of them well?"

"Sure did." John chuckles, lighting a cigarette between his lips. "There was a massive camp of them Dutch, hit the jackpot, really."

"Very good." Dutch smiles. "No Colm?"

The men shake their heads.

"Oh well. Good on you boys and thank you." He turns to walk back to his tent.

John and Charles give Arthur a nod and start heading off in the direction of the campfire but to his surprise, Arthur clears his throat. "Uh thank you, John, Charles. It uh... means a lot."

John snickers with a knowing glint in his eye. "Okay buddy."

Charles smiles. "Of course."

Arthur wanders back to his lean-to. As he takes off his gun belt and satchel, he hears the girls fussing over Mary-Beth next door in hushed voices.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Asks Tilly.

"Yes. Well, I'm a little sore where I was hit, but other than that, I'm just a bit shaken up is all. I pretty much got off scot-free, thanks to Arthur."

"So he does fancy you." Karen chuckles. "I thought he was put off by your kissing but guess not." There's the unmistakable sound of Tilly swatting Karen.

Arthur feels like he shouldn't be listening, this all feels like information he shouldn't be hearing, and doesn't want to hear. But they're not being as quiet as they think they are.

Arthur watches Reverend scurry after Susan, marching across camp towards the girls lean-to. Their conversation comes to an end but Arthur still feels as if he's eaves dropping so he makes his way to the campfire and joins the others.

As per usual, the gang has taken any chance to celebrate, meaning that the group that usually sits around the camp fire getting drunk, is getting even more drunk. Arthur drops onto a seat and joins in on the merry singing, accompanied by Javier's guitar.

"Here, Morgan." Bill thrusts a bottle into Arthur's hand and he obliges, taking a swig.

Arthur leaves after one beer, when the singing is already bordering on incoherent, as he remembers painfully what happened the last time he got drunk.

The singing still carries to the rock at the edge of Horseshoe overlook, but it sounds much more pleasant from here. Arthur watches lazily over the view, exhausted from the afternoon.

"Hey." Mary-Beth says quietly from behind him. Arthur spins his head around. "Can I join you?"

"Sure." Arthur says. She sits down beside him and they sit in silence for a moment. "Thank you." She finally says. "For everything today, seriously Arthur, thank you."

"Of course, it was nothing." He waves away her thanks.

"No Arthur it was. And I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for everything this last week. I've been silly and childish and... a fool." The words rush from her mouth all at once, as if they've been pent up inside her. "And I know now that all of it, all we did, was nothing. It didn't mean anything more than what it was and I should've known that, but I'm okay with it now."

"No, no, Mary-Beth." Arthur stops her, a pained look on his face. "What I did was not okay. I should not have lead you on like that." Each word is difficult to get out. "Because I care for you, I do. I just wasn't thinking." He admits.

Mary-Beth doesn't look any less confused or sad than before, if anything, she looks more so. "Oh. Okay."

"Just... you've still got hope, you got your whole life ahead of you, and this," he gestures around at the camp. "Is just a chapter in your life."

"What are you saying?"

"You don't wanna get close to me, I'm angry and dumb and hopeless. This is it for me." He says as if he'd accepted it a long time ago.

"Arthur, no." Mary-Beth shakes her head in retort.

"It wasn't a question Mary-Beth." He stops her. "I'd just pull you down with me... and I care too much about you to do that, so..."

"So?"

He just shakes his head. "It can't... it won't happen again. And if I were you, I would get out of here as soon as possible." He doesn't meet her eye, his gaze on the dark horizon.

Mary-Beth lets out a minute sigh beside him before getting up and leaving without a word.

Arthur's heart is heavy. He rubs his eyes, exhausted, and gets up to return to the campfire.

He'll be having a second beer after all.