No Time To Die- ARTHURMORGAN x O/C

part 47- Old Flames

                Claudia kneels beside the wooden fence, brushing down the coat of a weary horse. The steady rhythm of her strokes calming her restless mind, but the tranquility of the moment is shatters when she hears the unmistakable thud of the Counts hooves approaching. She looks up, her heart racing, ready to greet familiar faces, the sight that met her eyes was tinged with trepidation. Claudia's eyes narrow as they meet her father's, the distance between them palpable. Dutch's presence stirs something within Claudia, a mix of confusion, resentment, and longing for a bond she had wished for her entire life but had never known.
"Where have you been?" she asks, her tone flat as she straightens up, trying to project an air of indifference even as her pulse quickened.
Dutch shrugs, attempting a smile that didn't reach his eyes, "Just came back from visiting an old friend," he says casually, like he wasn't about to drop a bombshell that would rattle what fragile foundation of a relationship they had.
Claudia's brow furrow, "who?"
He pauses for just a moment, as if he is choosing his words carefully, "I went to see Colm O'Disscol swing to his death."
The words land heavily in the tense air between them, and Claudia blinks, struggling to process, "Colm? He got arrested?"
Dutch nods, his expression unreadable, "Me, Arthur and Sadie went. That bastard fell to his death right in front of my eyes, we only had to stop a couple of other O'Driscoll."
"You didn't even think tell me! After all that sick man did to me, all I wanted to do was to see him die!" Claudia yells, throwing the horse's brush to the floor.
"He killed my Annabelle, and has terrible stuff to this gang!" Dutch snaps, his eyes fixating on his daughter, "if I took you today, there would have been a massacre!"
"Him and his gang killed my mother, the mother of your child!" She cries taking a step forwards, "he made my life a living hell, and you didn't think to fucking tell me!"
"Okay, calm down. It's complicated enough!" Dutch gives a dry laugh, his shoulders sagging down.
The mention of her mother from his mouth shoots a bolt of pain through her, "What do you mean complicated? You never even told me he was arrested! You just anticipate that I'm fine, that this doesn't affect me at all?"
"Claudia, it's not—"
"He killed her, Dutch!" she cut him off, feeling anger rise like fire in her veins, "He killed Elenor! And tortured me! Don't you dare act like this is just some newsflash." Her voice cracks, revealing the wound that still festered deep within her.
Dutch's expression shifts, He seems taken aback by the intensity of her reaction, "I know what he did," he says, his voice lowering, "But Colm O'Disscol also killed Annabelle, the woman I loved before your mother."
"And what difference does that make?" Claudia snaps, fury coursing through her, "You still should've told me. You should've made me understand why this mattered." She steps closer, the distance between them shrinking, the tension thickening around them like a noose, "Why didn't you come back?"
He runs a hand through his hair, a habit she recognises all too well—an exasperate move, like he was trying to lose the weight of his own choices, "I needed to, I had no choice! You're focused on the past when you need to be looking at what's happening now. We've got more pressing issues than what Colm did fifteen years ago."
"More pressing issues?" she echoes incredulously, "You think it's easy for me to hear about your little vendetta against someone who shattered my life? You left. You just left! For years! I've been carrying the burden of your choices. And now this? You think it's just water under the bridge?"
A bitter smile twists his lips, "You don't know what you're talking about, Claudia. I had to make choices for survival."
"Survival? Is that what you call it?" she shot back vehemently, "Leaving your child behind? Leaving me behind! If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have to deal with every specter of my past!"
"Enough!" He suddenly explodes, his voice rising with an intensity that reverberated around the campgrounds, "Enough of this! You think you know pain? You think you understand loss? We don't have money. We're all going to die if you keep fixating on your bitterness! The world doesn't owe you absolution, Claudia."
Claudia recoils as if she had been physically struck, her heart racing from his harsh truths, "You're really saying that to me? After everything? You act like I'm to blame for your failures! I just wanted a father! I just wanted you to care!"
Claudia sees not the man she yearned to know, but a stranger filling with wounds and anger, a man at war with himself and the world.
"Your mother, Elenor, was a foolish woman to hold onto me," he spits, the words laced with venom, "She was obsessed with something that was never real, and you want to hold me accountable for that?"
"I want to hold you accountable for abandoning me and the woman you loved!" Claudia shouts back, her voice trembling with emotion.
Dutch stands tall, but his expression finally cracks, a glimpse of the man beneath the bluster and bravado.
"You're no daughter of mine if you can't see the truth!" he barks, an icy chill radiating from his words, "You're just another disappointment."
"Disappointment?" she echoes, her voice shrill with betrayal, "I'm a reminder of your cowardice, a source of shame for you! Go on, Dutch. Walk away. You have a talent for it."
"Maybe I will!" He turns abruptly, mounting his horse again and gripping the reins tightly, the look of pain and anger mingling in his eyes before he turned them away from her.
Claudia stands rooting in place, the fiery remnants of their argument still simmering in the air, the tendrils of unspoken words swirling between them like ghosts of their fractured relationship.
"You alright?" Sadie asks, her voice steady but gentle.
Claudia stands silent for a moment, feeling the weight of everything that just passed between her and Dutch. The unfulfilled wishes, the empty words, the memories like shadows tugging at her heart. "I'm fine," she finally replies, her voice barely above a whisper, "I'm used to it."
Sadie watches her, she feels a flicker of sympathy for the young woman standing there, alone among the horses.

The camp hums with the sounds of evening, the crackling fire, the rustle of leaves in the wind, and the distant whinnies of horses. Claudia moves methodically, her hands working but her mind far away. Each chore feels like a mechanical repetition; the dishes clanking as she scrubs, while the horses shifts restlessly under her ministrations.
Tilly, ever the bright spark in the camp, approaches Claudia with a glimmer of excitement amidst the gloom. She holds bag of mail rummaging through the letters, she frowns, her brows knitting together.
"I can't seem to find Arthur anywhere, he must be out," she says, her voice lacing with concern, "Could you give this to him when you see him?" With a flick of her wrist, she presents Claudia with a letter, its envelope worn and creased, marked by the path it had taken through mud and rain.
Claudia takes the letter, as she turns it over, a long piece of hair. Her heart races with apprehension as she weighs the possibilities. She brushes past Tilly and makes her way to her bedroll, her fingers trembling slightly as she tucks her knees up to her chest.
With a deep breath, she pulls out her pocket knife, the metal glinting in the fading light. She pries open the envelope, and her eyes scanning the elegantly flowing cursive within. As the words fall into place, the world around her blurs, and her pulse quickens with confusion and rising anger.
"Arthur!"
The sound of his cough, a rough, familiar noise, breaks her reverie. She looks up just as he hitches his horse, his face lighting up with a smile that once made her heart flutter. Claudia storms towards him, the letter clutching tightly in her hand.
"Who is Mary?" she demands, her voice firm and edging with hurt.
His smile falters, replacing by confusion, "What are you talking about?"
She thrusts the letter into his chest, watching as his expression shift to one of realization.
"It's not what you think," he sighs, running a hand through his hair, a familiar gesture that only fuels her fury, "I don't like her."
"You expect me to believe that?" she shoots back, indignant., "If it's not like that, then why did you receive this?"
Frustration creases his brow, "Claudia, I haven't seen her in ages. This was just to help her out. We were together a long time ago—over 15 years now."
"I don't care about the past!" she retorts, the letter burning in her palm as if it were a live coal.
His agitation sparks, and he steps closer, his voice rising, "You know, I could say the same about you! You never seemed to care about us, about what we could have together. You never showed interest until now!"
Her heart twists painfully at his words, "I'm not the one who got a letter from an old flame," she scoffs, the defensive wall around her heart erecting higher.
He clenches his fists, emitting a low growl of frustration,  "I have loved you, Claudia, ever since you stole my horse when we were 16!" Her breath hitches, and the tears she had been holding back threatens to fall. He closes the distance between them, the anger in his eyes softening into something far deeper, "I've never stopped. I've always wanted you, but you... you never looked back."
"Arthur..." she starts, her voice barely above a whisper.
He steps forward, his own emotions surfacing, raw and vivid, "I want to marry you, Claudia. I want a family with you. I want to grow old with you," he confesses, each word rushing out like a cascade of water breaking through a dam.
She shakes her head slightly, as if trying to clear the fog of uncertainty, "Are you serious?" she asks, her voice trembling.
He nods slowly, sincerity etching on his features. He steps forward and opens his arms, an invitation for comfort,"I mean it," he says softly, "I've always meant it."
"I'm sorry, Arthur," she murmures, pulling back slightly to wipe her eyes. She feels exposed, yet somehow safe in his presence, "I shouldn't have reacted that way."
"Hey, it's okay," he says, his hands resting on her shoulders, grounding her to the moment, "I get it. I'm still here. I will always be here, I will always be around."
The weight of the day fades as they sit together by the dying fire, the world quieting around them. The stars twinkle overhead, she leans against him breathing in his familiar scent, a mixture of gunpowder and a hint of cedar.
"I've thought about us a lot," Claudia admits after a long pause, "What it would be like if... if we could truly be together, forever."
"Then let's figure it out," Arthur replies, his voice steady and comforting, "No more secrets, no more hesitation. I want to start anew with you."
Claudia sighs, the cold air touching her, "Did you go with Dutch today?"
"Yes but he told me he told you about it, and that you didn't want to go" Arthur responds wrapping his arm around her waist, the warmth projecting off him.
"He is such a bastard"