𝐂𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐔𝐩 ✧ 𝐑𝐃𝐑𝟐

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐍𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧.

The following morning Audrey woke to the throbbing pain of her head. She reached a hand to where her head had bled, meeting the soft material of a bandage wrapped around her head. She sighed, shifting her head to look around to see Arthur sitting across from her in a chair he had dragged in. His fingers held a pencil, the pencil shifting over the paper of his journal as he wrote whatever was on his mind. Audrey wondered what he wrote about but she knew journals were personal, she had one herself back home. Arthur felt the feeling of eyes on him, his eyes flicking up over his journal to see the woman laying in her cot staring at him. 

"How long have you been here?" Audrey asked him. What if he had no sleep? He should sleep. Audrey guessed by the bags developing under his eyes he was with her the whole night.

"Since we got back," Arthur responded, tucking his journal into his satchel before standing up from his seat, stretching as he did so. "You don't remember much, do you?" He asked, making his way towards her. Audrey sat up, throwing her legs over the side of the cot as she moved over to make room for Arthur to sit with her. She shook her head as he sat down.

"I remember everything before Colm attacked me, everything after that though... not really," Audrey frowned at herself. "Am I going to be okay?" She asked, turning her head to him with a concerned expression. Arthur chuckled lightly, giving her an encouraging nod.

"Yes, you probably suffered concussion," Arthur explained, Audrey pouting slightly at his words. She had heard of concussion and how it affected some people quite seriously. "What's that look for?"

"Some cases of concussion can be serious, Arthur," Audrey explained.

"Well, does your head still hurt? Are you forgetting things we just spoke about?"

"Well... no. My head hurts a little but nothing as bad as what it was," Audrey explained, Arthur placing a hand on her shoulder.

"You should be fine then. I ain't no doctor but I'd say it ain't too bad," Arthur explained. Audrey laughed softly. 

"Who wrapped my head?" Audrey asked curiously, pointing to the bandage around her head. Arthur grinned.

"I did," he answered. Audrey raised her eyebrows in surprise causing a scoff from Arthur to erupt. "If you've forgotten, Miss, I am a bad outlaw who has suffered from many wounds. I know how to take care of myself and others," Arthur reminded as Audrey rolled her eyes.

"Well you can't be that bad if you look after people," Audrey pointed out. Arthur didn't know how to react to her saying that so he just continued to look stumped. Audrey chuckled, grabbing his hand from her shoulder and squeezing it in hers. "You know, you can admit that you're not as bad of a man as you say you are."

"You haven't seen the things I've done, Audrey," Arthur stated. That was true. 

"Yes, but I've seen the things you have done. You've saved me a few times already, you help look after all these people," Audrey motioned outside the tent, appreciation glowing in Arthur's eyes. "I understand that you kill people and I don't agree with that but that doesn't stop me from falling in love with you and it doesn't stop me from seeing the good you do for others," Arthur's eyes moved away from her, Audrey thought she could see sadness glint in his eyes for a second before he moved them away.

"I still don't think I deserve you," Arthur muttered. Audrey frowned before laughing, thinking he was joking.

"Arthur, stop saying that," Audrey chuckled, Arthur looked back at her with a more serious look this time. Audrey's laugh quickly died down. 

"What's going to happen when you become an author?" Arthur asked her, his voice stern. Audrey frowned in confusion. 

"What? Why are you-" She was cut off by him.

"You will have to leave. You can't be riding with a gang and expect to become an author," he stated. Audrey stared at him in disbelief. "I don't want you getting killed. I don't want you to be in a gang, Audrey. I've seen too many people die for it and I want you to be happy," Arthur's voice was stern as he spoke. He sighed. "Last night when Colm attacked you... the other day when you killed an O'Driscoll... I will not let any of that happen again. This is hurting you and it's all because you want to be with me." Audrey's eyes trailed to the ground, shaken by Arthur's words. She hadn't even thought about what would happen when she becomes an author. She didn't even think about having to leave Arthur and possibly ending their relationship, she was so happy with him she hadn't even thought of all of that. 

"Arthur, I," Audrey paused, her hands shaken as her emotions began to run high. "What are you saying?"

"I'm trying to say you need to leave," Arthur managed to speak the words he was trying to form. Audrey's eyes found their way back to him, staring at him. She didn't know what to say but her heart was breaking. "Once Colm has gotten over you, you need to leave. You need to leave this...me," he explained. Audrey's head moved away slowly, turning away from him. She looked back at him when Arthur placed a hand on her chin, pulling her back to look at him. "I'm saying this because I love you and I want the best for you," he explained, looking deep into her eyes. Audrey hoped this was all a dream and she would wake up but it wasn't. She was staring at the sad eyes of her lover who was staring at her tear-filled eyes. "We agreed right at the beginning that you would leave when this is done," he recalled.

"But I don't have a home now. So what, I go live on the streets?" Audrey scoffed, growing angry. Before he could answer she shook her head, stopping him. She forced a smile. "You can try to push me away, Arthur. I've told you once before, I know what I want. We don't even know if I'll get this damn job so why are you so bothered about my future when it's not happening yet?" She snapped, her eyes narrowing. As her eyes narrowed, tears managed to slip out. Arthur buried his head in his hands, strands of his hair sticking out between his fingers as he took a deep breath. "I understand you want me to be happy, Arthur. I do. But you need to understand that I'm happy with you," she placed her hands on his arm which he suddenly moved quick, gripping her arms in each hand. Audrey gasped slightly in shock, swallowing back the fright he gave her. She stared into his eyes that stared angrily at her. Her eyes were soft, staring at him all until she watched his eyes calm down. He let go of one of her arms to wipe away the tears on her cheeks before pulling her towards him, kissing her. She immediately kissed him back, their lips crashing together. Arthur broke from the kiss, resting his forehead against hers, his breathing slightly heavy. 

"I guess I just don't want you to get hurt again," his mutter almost a whisper. With the arm that wasn't contained, Audrey placed her hand on his cheek, smiling.

"I'm here, that's all that matters," she assured. Arthur shook his head before removing his forehead from hers.

"You're not though. You're not here," Arthur muttered. "You don't know what shit I do when I'm gone," he sighed longly. "You want to be here? Like here? Then you need to know what I do and what I'm capable of doing." Audrey sat in silence, her hands resting in her lap. "Tonight I'm robbing a train, if it goes well I won't have to kill anyone but I may have to hurt some," from his brutally honest truth Audrey winced, hating the thought of him hurting innocents. "I kill people that piss me off. I've lost count of all the people I've killed. The other night I robbed a house with Hosea, threatened a man with a knife to his throat that if he says a word I'll be back for him. This is what you're here in. You don't know the shit we do," Arthur opened up. "You still want to be here?"

Without hesitation she nodded. She knew he was what she wanted. She couldn't tell what Arthur was thinking but he got up from the cot, placing a kiss on her bandaged forehead before leaving her. Audrey' stared at the rough ground as her hands rested on her knees, her world fading around her as she got lost in her thoughts. This was what Arthur had been warning her about and now that she knew what these people were it scared her. She felt her nails digging through the material of the dress she was wearing from last night, her nails digging into her knees. Her jaw clenched in anger. She was mad that her feelings didn't change for him after everything he had just told her. She was mad at herself for still loving him. She refused to believe we is a bad man because of how caring he is to everyone here, including her. How can he be two different people?