Partner (Micah Bell)

13. Trust

The next day Ashley and Micah arrived back into camp, barely sleeping at all the night before. Today was strangely peaceful in the camp, nobody seemed to be chasing any scores, nobody wanted to go drinking for the night, and nobody was fighting. It was a good day and that seemed to put everyone in a good mood, everything just seemed so relaxed. Everyone seemed to be sitting around the fire, playing games at the tables, or sitting at their tents.

Ashley spent most of the day sitting with other members of the camp, talking about nothing too important or playing with Jack. Just trying to settle down and get used to the new camp being their home, but the lessened heat from the Pinkertons seemed to be putting everyone in a more positive mind set.

The air was getting cooler as the sun began to set and the members in the camp just lazed around and shared pleasant conversation. All except for Micah, who had spent most of the day sitting outside of his tent and hanging around the outskirts of the camp. Ashley had noticed that he usually avoided the livelier parts of the camp.

Micah was now sitting on a long in front of the fire, on his own but enjoying his own company and getting lost in his thoughts as he often did. "You are so miserable" Ashley teased as she sat down beside him on the log.

"So why are you sitting with me?" Micah asked, smirking to himself and shaking his head.

"Because I'm tired and this is the quietest part of camp at the moment" she shrugged, actually being honest with him.

"Why don't you just go to sleep?" he asked, surely that would make more sense.

"Stop asking questions" Ashley laughed quietly and shook her head. "Can you pass me a drink?" she asked, pointing to the crate of beers that was sitting on the other side of him.

"Get it yourself" he taunted, smirking to himself again.

"Fine" she groaned before leaning over to grab a beer. She innocently leaned over Micah's lap and reached for a drink. Ashley glanced up without thinking but they both paused as their gazes met and they realised how close they both actually where. She grabbed a bottle of beer and quickly pulled away, taking a sip from the drink and glancing away as her cheeks burned red. Micah noticed the colour on her cheeks and smirked as he grabbed his own bottle.

"Alright then, tell me. How do you know Dutch?" Micah asked. This had been something that he wondered about since the day Ashley stepped foot in their camp, Dutch just seemed to trust her even though none of them had met her before.

"What do you mean?" Ashley asked, looking up at him.

"When you first walked into the camp, Dutch already trusted you and we only just met you. Did you know him before you joined us?" he asked again, making his question more clear.

"I met him once before, not long after my father died. I ran into Dutch when we were chasing the same score, I was young and alone, he thought that I was capable and he offered me a place in the gang. I rejected his offer. Ran into him some time later and the offer was still on the table so I took it. That's when he brought me to the camp" she explained, telling him the story and staring down at the bottle into her hands.

"...I didn't know your father died" he muttered, not knowing what to say. Micah knew that it would have been safe to assume that her parents had died but he hoped that she didn't want some sort of comfort. He wasn't good at that.

"I know you didn't. You don't know anything about me because you never asked" Ashley chuckled, trying to lighten the mood a little.

"Why did you reject Dutch's offer the first time?" Micah asked, changing the topic slightly.

"Because I was alone for the first time, it had always just been me and my father. It felt wrong to join a gang. When I saw Dutch again I realised that it was smarter to join than to stay on my own. Best decision I ever made" she shared, not knowing why Micah was suddenly interested in anything about her but deciding not to question it.  

"I hate to say it but you joining the gang wasn't a bad thing, I think I actually hate you a little less than the others" he teased, making Ashley laugh.

"I'm flattered" she rolled her eyes playfully, still laughing quietly to herself.

Ashley smiled at the man before returning to her drink. They sat and drank a little together, Micah getting lost in his thoughts again while Ashley watched the relaxed atmosphere in the camp. Micah took a sip from his drink and froze when he felt a light weight on his shoulder, he slowly lowered the bottle and glanced down to see Ashley's head resting on his shoulder.

"Black?...Ashley?" Micah asked but when he got no reply he knew that she had fallen asleep and fell against his shoulder. He had a feeling that she was going to fall asleep because of the way her eyes kept falling closed and she kept hiding little yawns.

Micah sighed but didn't move, letting her rest against his shoulder and deciding not to disturb her. He didn't see any harm in it. Micah felt a little uncomfortable at first, not being used to such a tender gesture or having somebody feel comfortable enough around him to even get that close. But he began to warm up to the feeling and relax. He couldn't fight the small smile that appeared on his face when he heard a soft snore escape Ashley, but he quickly returned his expression to the blank one that were used to from him. Slowly Micah began to return to his thoughts, only to be interrupted by someone talking to him. 

"Why are you messing with her?" Charles asked with a sigh, and Micah snapped out of his thoughts to look up and see Charles standing in front of him.

"I ain't messing with anyone" Micah told him, honestly but dismissively.

"You better not hurt her" Charles warned, he may not be Ashley's closest friend but they had always got along and been there for each other.

"How would I hurt her?" Micah asked, looking at the other man with an almost bored expression on his face.

"She obviously trusts you, don't take that lightly" Charles advised him. Did Charles think that Micah could change, that he could be good? Perhaps. Charles didn't necessarily think that Micah was a completely bad man, but Charles knew that he was a very sad man who took out all of his frustrations on the people around him.

"Stay out of my business, Redskin" Micah snapped slightly, finding himself thankful that Ashley was asleep and didn't witness him insulting Charles. He knew that his words had gotten under Charles's skin, he was the expert at pissing people off after all.

"You are not a good man, Micah Bell, and she will realise that" Charles warned him again before walking away, he has had a lot of unfortunate experiences with Micah and he didn't want Ashley getting mixed up with anything that Micah had in his mind.

Micah suddenly became aware of the other people in the camp. When he looked up and glanced around he saw Karen glaring at him, Mary-Beth smiling at them both, Arthur gave them a confused glance, Sean laughed when he saw them sitting together, and Dutch looked slightly proud for some reason unknown to Micah.

He was about to push her off of him and tell her to wake up but when he glanced down at her he realised that he just...couldn't do that. So he stayed still and let her sleep, taking a sip of his beer and

Micah knew that he wasn't a good man and he never claimed to be, he knew exactly what he was and accepted it. He never expected anyone else to accept it and he had become okay with that, but it did seem like Ashley was beginning to accept him for what he was. She was alright with the bar fights even if she acted like she was annoyed by them, he knew that it didn't bother her as much as she would have him believe. She accepted his argumentative nature and his temperamental and volatile behaviour and attitude. She still, for some god forsaken unknown reason, stayed.