Frowning Arthur is off the bed in an instant, jumping into his jeans and buckling up his gun belt up in an instant. Shrugging on his shirt he peeks out of the tent and curses.

"Shit. Stay here" He growls before disappearing out of the tent before you can say anything, but not before you see his hand twitch over his gun.

Scrambling from the cot you pull on your skirt, tucking in your shirt as you begin to feel dread creep under your skin.

What the hell was going on out there?

You hear more yells, but this time they're clearer, close enough for you to pick up the tell-tale twang of an Irish accent. Shit. Feeling your blood freeze, you hold your breath and sneak a peek through the tent flaps. The gang, whether knowingly or unintentionally have blocked the view of your tent as they face off against ten O'Driscolls, each laden with guns and ready to fire.

The camp falls silent as they settle into their standoff, the air heavy with tension as the clicking of gun chambers sets the tone. Dutch's voice is the first to break the silence, from your position you can't see him, but from knowing him you know his posture is self-assured and cocky, his hand most likely on his hip while his other nurses a cigar.

"Gentleman, to what do we owe the pleasure of this intrusion on such a fine day?"

"We're here for the woman." A voice you can't see responses.

"What woman would that be?" Dutch responds but you feel you already know the answer, your hands sliding protectively over your belly.

"Don't play dumb Dutch, Colm knows she's here and he wants her back. Said he's waited long enough."

The next voice isn't Dutch's, but Arthur's, as he practically spits and roars with anger, "You listen here you son of a bitch, she ain't got anything to do with Colm and if he thinks otherwise, I'll be happy to remind him. Now get the hell out of here before I put a bullet in ya!"

"He thought you'd say something like that so he's offering you a trade." You can't see, but the smile is evident in his voice.

Your ears pick up as you listen to the conversation continue, you stand on your tiptoes trying to see more through the slit in the tent. As you teeter on your toes you see the man who speaks for the group motion behind him, one of his lackeys brings forth a hooded man with his hands tied behind his back.

"She comes with us or he dies." He pushes the man to the ground and out of your view, all you see is the hood lifted in the air as the camp gasps.

"Hosea!" you hear Arthur cry, and you begin to feel sick as what is unraveling at your expense.

"Caught the old man alone by the water, said he was just a simple fisherman, but..." He laughs and it sickens you deeper to your core. "... every con man worth his salt knows old Hosea here. The man is somewhat of a legend...I'd be sad to see him go."

"Don't listen to them son, keep her safe." You hear Hosea's voice from the ground and cover your mouth to hold back a sob.

This was worse than you could have ever imagined, they were trying to bargain you for Hosea's life. How could you ever let him lay down his life for you, after all, he had given you both? The man was practically Arthur's father, this would surely break him. Realizing there was no option but to save Hosea you take a deep breath and step from the tent.

"STOP!" you scream as you step from the tent, the gang parts ways allowing you to see Hosea, bloodied and leaning over his side painfully.

"Y/N! Get back inside!" Arthur rushes to you, his body trying to block you from the O'Driscolls' hungry eyes but it's too late.

"Well, well well... Isn't this an interesting turn of events? Ol' Colm's gonna have quite the shock when he sees his girl up the duff."

Arthur turns and pushes you behind him protectively, his gun raised in an instant and pointing at the O'Driscoll holding Hosea down. "She's not his girl and she ain't going anywhere. Now do yourselves a favor and leave before I have any more blood on my hands.

The anger in his voice causes you to flinch, you peer around his shoulder to see Hosea pleading at Arthur with his eyes. Silently, begging him to choose your life over his, begging him to choose his family and the life it promises him. The way Hosea saw it he'd lived his life conning people, some innocent, some not so much, and now he'd been given an opportunity for redemption, a chance to give the only son he'd known a shot at the life he'd dreamed of for Bessie and himself.

Watching the gang, your family, standoff against the O'Driscoll's you realize there's no way out of this, not without bloodshed. You have to end this, once and for all. Placing a hand lightly on Arthur's shoulder you step around him, feeling his eyes whip around and follow you.

"Enough fighting, I'll go with you. Just..." your eyes cast down to Hosea on the ground, he looks old and frail for the first time ever. "...Just let Hosea go."

"Y/n..." Hosea, Arthur, and John all breathe your name at the same time, ready to protest, but you cut them off.

"This has to end, and I'm ending it now."

"Y/n, don't be silly." Hosea wheezes painfully. "Go with Arthur, start your life together. I'm-I'm ready to be with Bessie, don't worry about me-AH!"

Hosea falls face-first to the ground spluttering thanks to the revolver that connects with his skull.

"Enough talking, now lady you coming with us or not?" the Irishman spits.

Taking a deep breath, you nod your head, not trusting your voice with the tears that threaten to spill at any moment. Arthur could get you out of this right? He'd find a way; he always finds a way. You don't bear to turn and look at Arthur, hoping he understands you're doing this for him and Hosea, and that you will fight with everything you have once you know Hosea is safe.

But you never make the first step forward, Arthur's voice booms an unintelligible sound of rage as his arm pulls you back harshly, his thumb clicks back the chamber of his revolver and before you can stop him, he fires. Never one to miss a target, Arthur's bullet hits its mark square in the forehead of the O'Driscoll holding Hosea. He drops like a lead balloon, folding in on himself onto the ground.

The world is silent and appears in slow motion for a heartbeat while both gangs face off and catch up to Arthur's actions. It doesn't take long and soon gunshots and screams fill the air. Arthur is fast, pulling you harshly behind the food wagon and out of the spray of bullets that fly through the air, you watch while he fires off a few rounds taking down another O'Driscoll. The sounds are too much, and you sink to the ground, hugging your knees and covering your ears to block out the fight that rages around you. You can't stand any more fighting, any more worry of who you might lose next. You worry about Jack and Abigail, hoping John is as fast as Arthur at getting them to safety.

Arthur peeks back to see you curled up on the ground with your head low over your knees. This was the final straw, when this was over, he was taking you out of here, tonight. He just had to get the gang out of this mess first. Scanning the camp, he sees Sadie and Charles firing off against three O'Driscolls who've taken cover by the medical wagon, the horses by them rear and whinny in fear, trying to pull free of their restraints. Dutch and Lenny are behind the trees surrounded by four others who are closing in fast. Arthur tries to find Hosea, knowing he was still restrained and probably unable to get himself to safety with his limited range of motion, and that's when he spots him.

Hosea is being dragged back behind the trees by two of them, he kicks and fights as best he can, but he doesn't stand a chance.

"Shit!" Arthur curses, if he can't get Hosea to safety this fight will never end.

Eyeing John, who's squatting behind some barrels he calls over, hoping they can both flank the men together and take them down.

"John! In the trees, you take left, I go right!"

John's eyes follow where Arthur motions and catches up quickly, nodding in agreement and making his way over to the left side of the tree.

Turning back to you Arthur hesitates before squatting down and wrapping your fingers around his spare pistol.

"Arthur, no I can't!"

"Sweetheart, I have to get Hosea. You can do this, just stay here, and stay low. If they come around aim for the body, it's a bigger target."

He presses a quick kiss to your hair and before you have the chance to protest, he's gone, firing off bullets as he dives for cover. You sit frozen and waiting, feeling the cold weight of steel in your hands. You're not scared of dying, not really, what scares you most is losing Arthur or your baby. You don't think you can survive losing either of them. Turning onto your knees you peer through the wagon's wheels, watching as John and Arthur stalk towards the trees in perfect unison.

"Quit fighting old man, it's not you Colm wants any way it's her." The O'Drsicolls struggle and pull against Hosea's squirming as they try to make it to their horses.

Arthur nods over to John, letting him know it's time to make a move and in unison, they step from their cover. Arthur is quick, taking down the man at Hosea's feet but John isn't so lucky. His bullet grazes the other man's arm, causing him to yell, but not taking him down, he's fast and quickly pulls Hosea up to shield himself.

"Let. Him. Go." Arthur grits through his teeth, the anger and frustration practically vibrating through his body.

"I ain't going back to Colm empty-handed, it's either old man or the girl!" the man's voice shakes in fear as he presses the gun to Hosea's temple.

"You ain't gonna make it back to Colm if you don't let him go!" John's rasping voice fails to hide the anger and fear he harbors.

"I'd rather die than face Colm empty-handed!"

The man roars a wordless yell and Arthur watches helplessly as he pulls the trigger, Hosea's head snaps to the side as blood and skull splatter across the man's face! Somewhere Arthur hears John cry out and fire, taking down the man in a clean shot, but Arthur is frozen. He stands with his gun still raised as he watches the man who raised him to fall to the ground lifeless. His father was dead, the only man that had ever truly cared for him was dead.

John drops by Hosea's body in an instant, screaming and shaking his limp body as if to wake him from a deep sleep.

"HOSEA!"

Arthur turns slowly as he hears Dutch yell, he'd seen the whole thing from his position and realized his partner was now gone. Suddenly, the camp falls silent. Like a bubble had burst, the gunfire stops, and the last of the O'Driscolls flee to safety.

"Dad," Arthur whispers as he lowers his gun.

You see Arthur drop to his knees and at first, you worry he's hurt, but then you hear him yell. He screams into the air and you begin to sob, Hosea was gone, and all because of you. Scrambling to your feet you run over, throwing your body around Arthur's as you begin to sob, he doesn't move, like a rock he is solid and frozen, his eyes never leaving Hosea's body.

The men begin to gather around and still Arthur doesn't move.

"He's gone." Dutch whispers as he places a hand on John's shoulder. "He's gone." He repeats a little louder this time. "He's goddamn dead!" He yells, the anger becoming more evident. "HE'S DEAD BECAUSE OF YOU!"

Your head snaps up and you realize his gun is pointing directly at you.

"He's dead because of you, you goddamn whore!" Dutch's gun shakes in his hand.

"Dutch..." the men speak together in shock, not knowing what to do next.

Arthur raises his head slowly and see's the gun trained on you, slowly he stands maneuvering you behind him. "Put the gun down Dutch." His voice is calm, tired almost.

"She's the reason he's dead Arthur!"

"I said. Put. The. Gun. Down." He pushes you back further, completely shielding you, so the gun is trained on him instead.

"Everything that's happened, it's because of her!"

Arthur has heard enough. Not caring about the gun, he lunges forward, knocking Dutch to the ground, his fists connecting heavily with his face.

"This is because of you! She was taken because of you! This whole goddamn fight is because you took his goddamn money!" Each sentence is punctuated with another blow.

John and Charles are the first to intervene, pulling Arthur from Dutch who curls over spitting blood on the ground. Arthur is breathless, his chest rising and fulling as he struggles against their hold.

"You are going to get us all killed Dutch and I'm not waiting around to let it happen! I'm done, I'm taking Y/N, and I'm gone. Tonight."

"Arthur." you and John speak together, both of you realizing that this was it. You were finally done and leaving.

Arthur shakes himself loose from their grip, taking one last look at Dutch he turns and wordlessly takes your hand, leading you to your tent and away from the scene.

This was it, you were finally getting out, but at what cost? Arthur had lost Hosea and now he was losing his family. Colm had proven he wouldn't stop coming after you so how long before he caught up to you both? As if Arthur had read your thoughts he stops before entering the tent, tears fill his eyes as he turns to face you.

"Pack your things you're leaving tonight with John."

"What do you mean?" you frown, not understanding what he was saying.

"There's a cabin North of Annesburg, John knows about it. Have him take you, Abigail, and Jack there."

"Arthur, what are you saying? What about you? I'm not leaving without you!" You begin to yell and pound your fists on his chest.

He grabs your wrists and pulls them gently from him as a tear falls down his cheek. "John will keep you safe, you and the baby."

"Arthur no, please." You begin to sob.

"I have to end this." He kisses your lips, and you feel his tears wet on his cheek. "I'm going to kill Colm and end this."

And with that, he walks away.