Out Of Time

Macomb's End

Sam had spent the night outside by the girl's cart, though she hadn't gotten much sleep.  She left early in the morning before anyone was awake to go get the photos from the studio.  When she got them, she looked them over.  Sam smiled despite still being angry with Arthur.  They did make a cute couple, after all.  She left the studio in search of breakfast and she found a decent French styled cafe deeper into the city.  She opted to sit outside on the patio to enjoy her buttered croissant and coffee.  It was delicious.  When she finished, she left a good sized tip and left the restaurant to go back to camp.

By the time she reached camp, people were getting ready to leave for the bank heist.  She dismounted and walked over to the men. 

"So, you boys ready?" she asked.

"Almost," Hosea said.  "Just waitin' for Arthur."

Sam sighed and looked over at all the boys.  "Well, good luck."

Sam walked to the house when Arthur stepped out in his dashing three piece suit.  He halted with his eyes widened when he saw Sam.

"Hi," he said quietly.

Sam frowned at him.  "Hi."

Arthur cleared his throat.  "You uh...I couldn't find you earlier.  You go and get our pictures?"  Sam nodded and pulled out a photo from her satchel, handing it to Arthur.  He took it and a soft smile formed on his face.  "You look nice," he said, handing it back to her.  "You better hang on to it for safe keepin'."

Sam put the picture back in her satchel and looked at Arthur's puff tie.  It was crooked.  She automatically approached him and started adjusting it.

"You're tie is all askew," she uttered quietly.

"Oh."

Sam fixed the tie and brushed his arms down awkwardly.  "Well, good luck."

"Thanks."  Sam went to walk past but he grabbed her hand.  "Wait."

She stopped and turned to face him, looking irritated.  "What?"

Arthur neared her and held her face with his palms, looking into her eyes before placing a soft kiss on her forehead.  "I love you."

Sam shrugged him off with a glare.  "Yeah, yeah.  Just be careful, you idiot."

She turned and walked into the house, ignoring him when he called after her.  She waited a bit before she heard the men leave the area and she came back out.  She was going to do chores to keep herself busy.  She started with grooming the remaining horses, spending extra time with Orion.  She kissed his muzzle and he neighed softly in appreciation.  As time went by, Sam started feeling a little guilty about not saying "I love you" back to Arthur even though she was still pissed off.  She kept shaking her head to keep her mind clear of the pit in her stomach from the remorse, but it kept coming back.

Sam kept herself distracted for the most part with the chores.  She brought hay to the horses, then she went upstairs to start packing up her and Arthur's stuff.  She stuffed clothes into.a chest but folded up her dress neatly to put it in the chest.  When it was full, she began dragging it out of the room.  Damn, that thing was heavy.  Sam lugged it down the stairs and out of the house to the wagon her and Arthur were supposed to share. 

"You need help there, sailor?" Mr. Pearson asked her.

"Yes, please," she replied. 

Mr. Pearson trudged on over and helped her lift the chest.  "So tell me, was your father in the Navy?"

"Yeah.  Heh, word sure gets around fast, huh?"

"Yup."  They both grunted as they lifted the chest onto the wagon.  "I could tell you stories about my time in the Navy, sailor."