No Time To Die- ARTHURMORGAN x O/C

part 22- Guilty As Sin?

                Arthur rides into camp, his eyes scanning the familiar surroundings, but something is off. He dismounts his horse, his boot sinking into the muddy ground as he searches for any sign of Claudia. He approaches her bed roll, a faint glow from the dim lanterns lighting his way, casting an eerie light on camp.Arthur hearts sinks as he spots Claudia. His boots creaking softly as he finds her lying motionless, her eyes closed, and her pale skin. Empty bottles around her, evidence of her desperate attempts to drown her sorrows. Arthur's gut twists with concern as he kneels beside her, gently shaking her shoulder. "Claudia... wake up."
She slowly opens her eyes, gazing up at him with a mixture of despair and numbness. "Arthur.." she whispers her voice barely audible.
Arthur's expression turns grim as he takes in her condition. He stands up, his mind racing with thoughts on how to help her as Claudia just turns her head away from him and goes back to sleep. He walks into Dutch's room seeing him lying on his bed with his hat covering his face. As the door creaks open, Dutch sits up taking the hat off his face.
"Arthur, you okay?" Dutch says rubbing his eyes.
Arthur takes a deep breath before speaking, his voice tinged with concern, "it's about today's robbery and Claudia, I feel like I should tell you."
"Go on son" Dutch swings his legs around looking up to Arthur.
"When we were running away, she bumped into Jesse, the law shot him and he died in front of her" Arthur's explains as his eye drop to the floor, his voice lacing with pain.
Dutch's face falls, his eyes filling with sorrow for his daughter. "Oh, that bastard" he whispers.
Arthur's voice cracks as he continues, "I had to carry her away, and now she is drinking like there's so tomorrow."
Dutch's eyes search Arthur's face, his expression heavy with regret. "I'll talk to her," he says finally, "I will try to get her though this."

Two days later, Claudia remains catatonic, lost in grief. Arthur watches over here, trying to find ways to reach her. He has brought her food everyday since but she hardly touched any of it, only drinking. As she stirs from her slumber she reaches for a bottle finding it empty, she gets up from her bed roll. Staggering over to persons wagon, opening another bottle to drink. Arthur rushes over and snatches the bottle out of her hand.
"What the fuck give it back!" She slurs trying the take it back from him.
"Claudia, we need to talk. You can't keep on living like this!" He yells throwing the bottle away. She looks up at him and turns around taking another one out of the crate. She smiles at him and takes a sip of the drink, he huffs as he gets angrier by the second. Claudia walks past him back to her bed roll, eyes from other camp members watching the two.
"It's not your fault Jesse died. You can't blame yourself for something that's was beyond your control."
"Don't you speak his name," She yells spinning around, her eyes puffy red, tears falling down, "It was my fault and you know that if I weren't there he wouldn't of died, so stop hovering over me like I'm your prized possession and just leave me the fuck alone!" Her voice slurs as she leans up against the pole of the tent, Arthur turns his head away trying to keep his tears in. He never expected her to snap back like that.
"And you think drowning yourself in alcohol is going to help? It's not going to change what has happened, Claud! It's like every time something goes wrong you go straight to the alcohol!" Arthur turns back around not ready to finish the conversation.
"Well it helped you didn't it, when that Eliza and your son died" Claudia snaps back, before she could finish Arthur swings his arm and punches her. She falls to the ground yelps in pain.
"You bastard!" Claudia cries, placing her hand on her holster. Her fingers hovering her gun. Arthur steps back noticing her sudden movements.
"Arthur that's enough, both of you knock it off" Hosea shouts pushing Arthur away, "Claudia go, clean yourself up and sober up!"
Claudia rolls her eyes at the old man as he turns away, she stumbles getting up tripping over her own feet. Arthur shrugs Hosea's hand off his shoulder.
"Dutch told me what happened, but you need to leave her be. I know she had no right bringing that up but she is not thinking straight and  you have got to stop acting like a child" Hosea yells at him once they have got far away from her.
Arthur looks away from Hosea's gaze, "I just don't want her to end up in a bad way."
"We all don't want that to happen but we don't go around yelling and swinging fists. Go and rest that hand it looks like it's bruising already." Hosea says, walking away from him; Arthur sits there taking in what happened. fool.