The Lucky Ones - Arthur Morgan x Reader

Chapter 5

A couple of weeks later and HorseShoe Overlook really felt like home. I knew everyone there, I had gotten used to the routine and the system of how things worked. The camp really did feel like a family.

It was late afternoon and I was carrying hay bales to the horses as part of my chores when I saw Micah walking up to me and immediately quickened my pace. "Hey y/n. Need a hand with that?"

"I'm fine thanks." I replied without looking at him. He had a handlebar moustache and scruffy shoulder length hair. He didn't seem like the type to regularly wash. I could feel his eyes on me as I bent over to put the hay bale down and it made me feel sick.

"You know I'd love to take ya out ridin' some time." He said and put his hand on his belt, looking at me with hungry eyes.

"I'm really rather busy I'm afraid." I could think of many things I'd rather do than go riding with Micah Bell. I began to walk away and he followed.

"Oh come on. I'm better than Arthur." Micah insisted and I frowned. What did he mean by that? What did Arthur have to do with anything?

I didn't really know what to say but Sadie swooped in to my rescue. "She ain't into you Micah! Now run along!"

Micah gave me a look up and down before walking off. "Thanks." I sighed. "I'm actually disgusted."

Sadie laughed a little. "Ignore him that's what everyone else does.

Our attention was caught by Jack throwing stones at Kieran, obviously Kieran couldn't really do much to a six year old boy. Abigail rushed over "you leave that poor man alone!" She scolded him and took his hand to take him away.

"But he's an O'Driscoll, you always said they were bad!" Jack replied innocently.

"He's not an O'Driscoll now come along! I am so sorry Kieran." She sighed and pulled Jack away. Sadie burst into laughter and I couldn't help but find it mildly amusing aswell.

Sadie and I sat by the fire and chattered for a bit when Arthur came over to us "Wanna go fishing y/n?" He asked me.

I smiled and nodded. My brief exchanges with Arthur even it was just a "good morning." made my day. I wanted to be with him all the time. He wore a blue shirt with the top button undone and his brown leather jacket that he had leant to me the day I met him "Let's go."

"Follow me I know a spot." He told me as we got on our horses.

We rode off South to Flat Iron lake, it was a huge lake, so huge that the other side wasn't visible. The sun was slowly lowering in the sky painting it golden orange and the light shimmered across the water. "How are you finding camp?"

"I like it." I smiled. "The girls are lovely. Everyone was very welcoming. I don't like Micah though."

He chuckled and pulled out his fishing rod, I did the same and attached a bit of cheese. "Not many people do. Did he say something?"

I cast out my line. "He asked me to go out riding with him, I think I'd rather swim with the alligators in Lemoyne." I chuckled.

"I don't blame you." Arthur smirked. "I don't trust him but for some reason Dutch likes him."

"He looks at me like I'm a piece of meat." I frowned.

"Hey if he gives you any trouble just yell for me okay?" Arthur said looking over at me.

"Thank-you, I can look after myself though." I didn't like the idea that I needed a man to save me after years of total independence.

"I know but ya shouldn't have to." He shrugged and something tugged on his line. He struggled and pulled and then quickly reeled it in. "Now that's a fish." He smiled and showed me the big trout.

"Well done." I smiled, I felt a tug on my line and quickly reeled it in without much struggle. When the fish came out of the water I saw it was a little tiddler dangling off my rod. "That wouldn't even feed little Jack." I sighed and threw it back.

Arthur chuckled and tossed me a lake lure "Use this instead."

"Thanks." I caught it, attached it and cast again.

"Does your horse have a name yet?" He asked me.

I nodded. "Dolly. First name that came to mind."
He nodded and then I felt a tug on my rod, the fish that I reeled in this time was a big largemouth bass. "Look!" I smiled.

"There you go." Arthur smiled. I walked over to my horse to put it in my saddlebag when I heard a voice.

"Well well, Arthur Morgan." I looked over to see a bald man with a thick Irish accent talking. O'Driscolls.

"I'm sorry mister you got the wrong guy." Arthur lied.

"I sure as hell don't." The man pulled out his pistol and pointed it at Arthur. He hadn't yet spotted me. "I'm sure Colm would love to see you."

Arthur didn't look over at me, so as not to give me away. I had to do something fast. There could be more hiding. I took a throwing knife out of my saddle bag, it flew through the air silently and planted itself straight in the back of his bald head. The man fell to the floor dead.

Bullets streaked through the air from the bushes right at us. There were more of them. Those O'Driscolls travelled in packs.
Arthur ran pulled me behind a rock for cover. "Can you shoot?" He yelled over the noise of the gunshots, our backs pressed against the cold stone as bullets flew over our heads.

Could I? I could hunt well but deer didn't shoot back. "I don't have much other choice." I yelled back and loaded my rifle.

Arthur was fast. He only came out of cover for a second to shoot and then he was right back, every time he did a man went down. I attempted to copy him. Get up, shoot, get back down. It was hard to even see them until they started pushing up and the men emerged from the undergrowth. There were ten of them and two of us. I had never even killed a man until today, I would have felt bad but these men killed my father. Everything was a blur. Get up, shoot, get back down. Get up, shoot, get back down until the gunfire stopped. I leaned against the rock to catch my breath.

"Damn O'Driscolls." Arthur grumbled. "Are you hurt?"

"No." I shook my head. "Are you?"

"Course not." He replied like it was a silly question. "We best get out of here before anyone sees us." I got on my horse a little shaken up. That was my first gun fight. "You okay?"

I nodded. "Yeah I'm good." I didn't want to make a fuss.

"No you're not what's up?" Arthur spoke gently to me, he always grumbled and made sarcastic comments so his gentle tone was quite a contrast to his usual self and it took me off guard.

I sighed "I've never been in a situation like that before. If you weren't here, I think I'd be dead."

"It's alright you'll learn." He shrugged. "I been doing this a long time."

"Do you ever get scared?" I asked him. Our horses were walking slowly down the path and he was right next to me.

Arthur was silent for a while like he was actually thinking about it. "I guess...sometimes. This life is all I've ever known though. After a while it's all the same."

"I don't really like the sound of gunshots." I chuckled because I knew it sounded stupid, I still heard the shot that killed my father when I was asleep.

"That's another thing you'll get used to." He told me. "You don't have to come out on jobs."

"No I want to." I shook my head. "It's kind of fun and I can't stay in camp forever. I will not live a life of cleaning."

Arthur smiled a little. "Well John and I have a lead on a train robbery and a good plan to go with it. When the time comes you're welcome to join."

"So you don't mind having me along then?" I smirked remembering his reluctance to bring me out for the stage coach robbery.

"Maybe you ain't so bad." He chuckled and looked over at me. "As long as we stay far away from any shops."