Our Handshake (Arthur Morgan X Reader)

VIII: Momma

(( So I don't really remember if I wrote in the story that Dutch killed Colm's brother, I'm pretty sure I did, but again, I can't remember. Also, I now realized that I fucked up the timeline. This event was supposed to happen earlier, but oh well... Anyways, I'm gonna do a time skip and get to the truly heartbreaking stuff. Sorry in advance))

Blackwater

1885

[Arthur's POV] 

I had finished my stew that was a bit spicy, and walked up the hill to the tree. As I was walking I heard Ms Grimshaw. "Y/N come down here and eat your stew! It's getting cold!" I continued walking up the hill as Y/N ran past me yelling, "Alright! I'm coming!" I smiled, chuckled and shook my head. As I got to the top of the hill I saw that Y/N had left her sketchbook. "Y/N, You left your-" I started to yell for her but she was already too far away. I'll just give it to her tomorrow. As I looked at the cover of the book, my curiosity was getting the better of me. I needed to look inside to see what she had been drawing.  I know I shouldn't, she had told me many times to not touch or look in it, but I just couldn't help myself. As I looked through the book I saw drawings of everyone in the gang. The one that caught my eye was one of me. Younger me, looking out at the view from the top of the hill. I realized that this picture is the one Y/N was drawing the day we met. I closed the book feeling a little guilty, knowing that I need to give it back to her.

{Y/N's POV}

I woke up this morning in my tent like usual, but something just didn't feel right. I felt as though something was off. Did I forget to do something? I helped Ms Grimshaw. I cleaned Moo. I helped mama make some dresses and clean up a bit. Why do I have this feeling? Too busy trying to think of what is going on and what's making me feel this anxiety, I bumped into someone. "Y/N you really need to pay attention to were you're going." Looking up at the person I bumped into, I saw Arthur. "Sorry Arthur, I just have a lot on my mind. I have this weird feeling like something is going to happen or like I forgot to do something." I said walking past him, still try to think. "Well did you lose something somewhere?" "No." "Maybe you left something somewhere. Something important." "Arthur, that's the same thing as losing something." I said, rolling my eyes and walking away from him annoyed. "Y/N. Maybe you did leave something somewhere. Something important to you. Something you don't ever leave anywhere or let anyone touch besides your mother." Arthur said. I stopped knowing exactly what he was talking about. My anxiety spiked. I turned around and saw Arthur holding my sketchbook in his hand. I walked closer to him. "Why do you have my sketchbook?" I asked with an attitude, annoyed, and anxious. Annoyed that I had left it somewhere, and that he had it. And anxious that he had looked in it. As I tried to reach for it, he held it over his head. "Arthur, are you serious right now? And you call me childish...Give me my sketchbook." I tried reaching for it again, but Arthur is a lot taller than me so, that didn't get me anywhere. "I will when you explain some of these drawings in here." He said with a slight smile on his face. I could feel my face getting hot. "YOU LOOKED IN MY SKETCHBOOK?!" I yelled, causing everyone in camp to look at me and Arthur. Mama heard and came over to see what we were arguing about this time. 

"What's going on over here you two?" Mama asked, putting her hands on her hips. "Mama, Arthur took my sketchbook and he looked in it." I said still blushing at the fact that Arthur most definitely looked inside. "I did not take it. I found it under the tree. You left it there last night after Ms. Grimshaw called you down for dinner." He said. "Okay well thank you for finding it but, that did not give you the right to look through it. You know that I don't EVER let anyone besides mama look in it." I said getting more upset by the second. "Arthur you looked in it?" Mama asked wide eyed, knowing what's in it. "Yeah I did. I wanted to know what was in here that I couldn't see. And now I know why." Arthur said smiling and his face slightly pink. I snatched my sketchbook out of his hands and told him a quick explanation of all of them going backwards. "This one is of Mama and Poppa talking and laughing. Ms.Grimshaw. Uncle. The tree. Moo. Mary with devil horns and a mustache." I said the last one with a little chuckle, and closed the book. "No, that isn't all of them. There's more and you didn't actually explain all of them you just said what they were. You didn't say why you drew them." Arthur said trying to get me to explain. "I drew them because I wanted to! You don't need to see them all again if you already looked at them! Thanks for finding my book." I said stomping away into my tent.

{Mama's POV}

I watch as Y/N walked away and turned back to Arthur. "Arthur you know how she feels about people looking in her book. Why would you look in it, knowing that she'd be upset?" I asked him with my arms crossed. "I did it because I wanted to see what she was drawing. I have seen her draw in the damn thing for years and I never got see what she was drawing. Her drawings are beautiful and some are funny. I wanted to know what she was drawing and now that I have I can see her talent. I just don't understand why she'd hide it from anyone, especially me." Arthur ranted on. "First, watch your mouth and your tone. You may be grown but that doesn't mean you speak to your elders in that kind of voice. Second, it's not my place to tell you why Y/N was hiding it from you. I do know why, but again it's not my place to tell you. You are just going to have to be patient and wait for her to tell you why. It's very important to her, for many reasons. Arthur, she's been heart broken for a long while now. You are just going to have to wait. I'm sorry." I stated. Arthur looked down at his boost in what I assumed was shame. He turned on his heels and walked to his tent. Suddenly I heard I heard a commotion coming from behind me.

{Y/N's POV}

I was sitting in my tent, on my cot. I can not believe that Arthur would look in my book when I specifically told him not to. I threw my book down when I heard yelling. It sounded Poppa. "What the hell is going on?" I mumbled to myself. I got up and opened the flap of my tent when I saw none other than Colm O'Driscoll and his men. "What the fuck are you doing here you son of a bitch?!" I said immediately noticing who's standing at the edge of our camp, yelling at Poppa. "Y/N, sweetheart, please stay back." My father says as he hears me. "Oh now Van Der Linde, let the girl speak her piece. She's got a mouth on her, don't she boys?" He asked with a chuckle. His men laughed and gave me disgusting looks. Colm started to walk closer to me, Poppa tried to stop him and Momma as well as Ms Grimshaw got in front of me. Momma on my right and Ms. Grimshaw on my left. "Yeah I got a mouth and it has a few words for you and your men. You can all go fuck off now, before I shove my foot so far up yalls ass, you can see toe of my boot coming out of your mouth!" Everyone looked at me with shock, including the O'Driscolls. I had a smile on my face as I looked out of the corner of my eyes at everyone. They were shocked but kind of smiling. "Now young lady, I just came her to return something to Dutch. Something I've been longing to give him for sometime." He says this as he smiles and reaches to his side for his gun. Before anyone could say or do anything I heard three shots and felt an intense burning in my side, followed by something warm and wet. I put my hands to my side, when I looked down I saw blood covering my hands as well as a big splatter on the top of my shirt. The next thing I know I was on the ground. I saw smoke for guns and the felt the rumbling of feet running. I looked to my left to see the O'Driscolls running while firing behind them and everyone in camp firing back at them. I looked to my right and saw something I never thought or ever wished to see. "Momma?" I mumbled. Seeing blood pooling around her. 

"Momma?"