Sign of the Times (Arthur Morgan x Reader)

Chapter Twenty Four

(L/I): stands for the initial of your last name. (e.g. 'Miss A', or 'Miss M')

"Arthur...?" I mumbled, pushing the door open with my good shoulder as I carried a couple of hot bowls of stew with me.

"You should try to eat somethin'..." I mumbled. He was sitting on his bed, writing in his journal, and he quickly closed it as I walked in.

"That boy Kieran... he saved my life, he did..." Arthur mumbled, folding his hands in front of him. I placed the bowls down, and turned towards him, remaining silent.

"He saved my life, but I couldn't save his... I think Mrs. Adler fought braver than any of us." Arthur said, and I nodded.

"She's... driven by powerful forces I hardly understand... I've seen that look in her eye once before... she ain't afraid to die." I said, taking a seat next to him on the bed.

"That's what love will do to a person." Arthur said, and I nodded in agreement. I hesitated for a moment before reaching for my own journal down beside the bed. I flipped it open to a familiar page and pulled the photograph out that was inside.

"Love... is a very powerful force, Arthur. People see it as this tiny, fragile thing that has to be protected no matter what... but true love... 'real' love... it can drive people to do things they normally wouldn't do." I said. I handed him the photograph of my mother in her nursing uniform that she wore during the war.

"My mother dedicated herself to saving people's lives. She never held a gun, not once." I said, and Arthur hummed in thought.

"The day that Colm came to collect from my father..." I smiled in a sad manner as I folded my hands in my lap.

"She killed both of the men that Colm had brought with him." I said. Arthur turned towards me, his eyes wider than they were.

"How'd she... I mean..." Arthur began to ask, but I guess he decided against it. I swallowed a lump in my throat, and took back the photograph, looking it over for the millionth time.

"Colm backed her into a corner, stabbed her in the gut... it was... slow and painful." I said, remembering the look my mother held on her face as she lie in the grass, slowly bleeding out.

"Jesus..." Arthur mumbled, exhaling slowly.

"I'm... sorry." He said, stretching his neck to look at me.

"Don't be. It wasn't your fault what happened to my mother, and it wasn't your fault what happened to Kieran. It all falls back on Colm." I said, standing from the bed now.

"Don't shoulder burdens that aren't yours, Arthur... trust me." I said, resting my hand on his shoulder.

"The day's comin' soon. We'll make the bastards pay." I said, my brow furrowing slightly.

"If we get the chance... we surely shall." Arthur nodded.

"We should get ready... Dutch and Lenny are meeting us at the trolley station in Saint Denis." I said, slipping my hand from his shoulder. Before I could drop it completely, Arthur grabbed it, and stood to his feet.

"(F/N), listen..." He said, pausing as though thinking through what he was about to say.

"I know you can fight, shoot, and all that, but..." He paused again, his blue eyes meeting mine, silently pleading with me.

"I mean, I know I can't stop ya when the fightin' starts... I know, just..." He paused once more and sighed in an exasperated manner.

"I'm... I ain't so good at this..." He admitted, and I smiled warmly before cradling his cheek in my hand and leaning in to press my lips to his briefly.