Sign of the Times (Arthur Morgan x Reader)

Chapter Twenty Seven

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: HA-HA! Two uploads in one week! Honestly, I was so excited for this chapter that I wrote this rather quickly so there may be a few errors or confusing parts. That'll all be edited once I get the time. Hope you all like this chapter, and as usual, thank you so much for reading!**

*Arthur's POV*

"What now?" I asked, huddled next to Dutch, hiding behind some crates.

"Well, at least we got some gold." Dutch sighed.

"Sure... this boat ain't going to Tahiti by any chance?" I asked, and Dutch scoffed slightly under his breath.

"I don't know..." He admitted. My eyes scanned around a bit before they stopped on (F/N) who had moved herself into a crevice between two other crates. She was silent and seemed to be deep in thought.

"John, Lenny, Hosea... that wasn't good." Dutch said, and I shook my head in agreement.

"I know... so what we gonna do now...?" I asked. The sound of someone coughing suddenly caught our attention. We turned our heads to the left to see a feller that looked like a fisherman step up to the side of the ship.

"Guess I'm gonna introduce myself to the captain. Give him some of this gold to secure his silence... and find out where we're heading. How do I look?" Dutch asked, turning back to look at me.

"Like a shifty, no-good killer on the run from the law." I mumbled. Dutch's shoulders bounced slightly as he chuckled.

"Ain't that the truth?" Dutch muttered before standing up and stepping out into the open.

"Excuse me, sir!" Dutch greeted in his usual charismatic voice.

"Hey, who are you?" The man demanded.

"Forgive me... a stowaway. Can I see the captain please? I come in peace." Dutch's voice trailed off as the man led him off to talk to the captain. I sighed, shaking my head slightly at the ridiculousness of all of this.

"He works fast..." (F/N) spoke up suddenly, and I turned my head towards her. She had rested her head back against the crate, her eyes half closed as she hugged her knees into her chest. I wasn't sure what to say. After everything that had happened today, I wasn't sure if there was much I could say to make her feel better.

I shifted closer to her as she slid her eyes completely closed.

"You said to come and find you if things went south..." She mumbled. I sighed, and wiped a hand down my face.

"(F/N), I'm... I'm sorry..." I mumbled. She moved her head forward and opened her eyes, those big, soft, (E/C) eyes staring straight through me.

"Arthur, I'm sorry... maybe if I had been faster... Hosea wouldn't have-" I stopped her short by quickly taking her face in my hands.

"Now, don't you do that... don't you put that on yourself. There was nothing any of us could've done... for Hosea, Lenny, or John." I assured.

A tear squeezed out from one of her eyes and I quickly wiped it away with my thumb. She shuddered suddenly, and I could tell she'd been holding back for quite a while. I pulled her head into my chest as she gathered my shirt into her trembling fist. She covered her mouth with her opposite hand, and I pulled her in close as she began to sob.

I felt horrible. This whole job had gone to shit. John got arrested, Charles had taken the fall for us and was now running from the law, Lenny was dead, as well as one of the men who raised me. Things couldn't get much worse.

(F/N) had calmed down enough to where she was now partially asleep in my arms. Of course she was exhausted. This kinda thing would take a huge toll on anyone, but she always tried to put on a brave face.