I'm a free man, maybe. I don't trust the Pinkertons to keep their word for long, and as soon as I can get west away from them, the better.

I'm going to gather Hosea, John's family, and anyone else who wants to go, and head west. We can find land, become ranchers. Live like decent folk, and not need to run anymore.

--------------------------

Arthur turned down the lane to Shady Belle, a perfect alligator pelt strapped to Dakota's back, a smile on his face. "Who's there?" he heard from Sadie.

"Arthur!" he shouted back. "Glad to see you feel good enough to stand watch."

"They can't keep me down long. But Arthur, I should warn you, Micah's been talking to Dutch about you disappearing."

"What do you mean?"

"He says he saw you with Pinkertons. That true?"

"Long story," he sighed. "Come talk to me after you get off shift."

He slid off Dakota and pulled the pelt with him, carrying it to Mr. Pearson. "Ah, Mr. Morgan, you're back!" Pearson greeted.

"Think you can make something out of this? I've got the meat, too."

"We'll have alligator stew tonight! Thank you, Mr. Morgan." But any more conversation was quickly stopped by a shout from across the camp.

"ARTHUR!" Dutch stormed across the camp, a smug looking Micah trailing behind. "Where have you been?"

Arthur didn't miss the way both Dutch and Micah had their hands on their guns. "Up north helping a friend. Ran into some trouble, had to take the long way back. Why?"

"Then you want to tell me what you were doing with Pinkertons?"

The crowd gathered around them, and Arthur had no doubt that they had been subjected to days of ranting from Dutch and Micah's incorrect analysis of the situation. "Excuse me?"

"Micah saw you with them in Annesburg!"

"Well, did he leave out the part where I was hit over the head? Thanks for the rescue, by the way."

"Didn't seem like you needed it, cowpoke. Just strolled on out of there a free man, then disappeared. Where'd you go, Morgan?"

"You should know, if you were the one following me."

"Figured I would see you back at camp. You certainly took your time." Micah's right hand tightened around his revolver, the left moving to his second gun as well.

"I'm not stupid enough to lead Pinkertons back to camp! Any idiot who tried to follow me is probably still lost in the Grizzlies!"

Dutch, who got tired of observing the exchange, demanded answers. "What did they want?"

"You, of course."

"And what did you tell them?"

"Nothing."

"And they just let you go?" Dutch said, taking a step forward.

Arthur stood his ground. "I told them some information I learned from Colm, just before Sadie killed him. Colm had a deal with them, Dutch. He was going to get his bounty cleared if he brought you in. Probably would have gotten himself arrested, too, but that doesn't matter now. But I convinced the Pinkertons that y'all knew about it, and if I went missing, you would tell all the papers and the politicians that their lawmen can't make arrests with the help of even nastier outlaws. And that since I took care of Colm for them, and his bounty was much larger than mine, no one would confess their little secret if they let me go."

"And they did, just like that?"

"Just like that. Took a little trip around the mountains to make sure I wasn't followed, and came back here."

Dutch still looked skeptical, and for once, Arthur didn't blame him. He barely believed it himself, except for the fact that it happened to him. But Micah?

Micah was livid.

"He's lying, Dutch! I bet the Pinkertons are on their way right now!"

"You be quiet, Mr. Bell! You've been with this gang for what? Six months? And you think you have any idea about us?" And there was Miss Grimshaw, stepping in to stand up to Micah and Dutch, and Micah turned slightly and backed up a step. A perfect position to draw his guns and aim that at both Arthur and Susan. And he couldn't let that happen. "Arthur's been with this gang for twenty years, Dutch, you really think he would betray this gang?"

"I ain't lying! Just because you would sell this gang out if it was in your best interest, Micah, doesn't mean I would!"

It got the result he wanted. Micah abandoned any thought Miss Grimshaw and turned towards Arthur. "What did you say about me?"

"I said, if anyone here was a rat-"

Micah lunged forward, abandoning the thought of a gun and instead wrapping his hands around Arthur's throat and squeezing down. People were shouting, hands were coming up to pull Micah away from Arthur.

And Arthur fought, clawing at the hands and driving his fist into Micah's stomach. He was desperate to break free, to have this fight end differently than the his last with Micah, to win. But this time he wasn't alone. The others pulled Micah away from him. His knees hit the ground, and there were hands on him, too, roughly patting him on the back through his coughing.

"You're alright, Mr. Morgan!"

One deep breath, then another, and another, and Arthur felt the panic beginning to subside. Miss Grimshaw was behind him, Charles and Javier were wrestling Micah away. Dutch was yelling at everyone, Micah and Arthur included.

Susan pulled Arthur up by the arm, leading him away from the camp, glaring daggers back at Dutch as she did.

"I swear, I have no idea why Mr. Van der Linde keeps that idiot around!"

"Where's Hosea?" he gasped.

"Mr. Matthews is in town with Lenny still. I must say, I wasn't sure that boy was going to make it, but he's doing rather well now."

"Lenny's still alive?" Relief flooded his body. "I have to see him."

"You will, but for now you sit!" Miss Grimshaw easily pushed Arthur down onto a log.

He sighed. "I have to go, Susan."

"You can talk for a minute."

"No, not that. I mean, leave this gang."

He expected her to yell. Tell him he was an idiot, maybe, or slap the back of his head and tell him to be sensible. He didn't expect the gentle hand on his shoulder, or the soft, "I know."

"You do?"

"Of course I do. I've seen you talking with Hosea. I know you haven't been giving nearly as much to the box. Something is going on, I'm not an idiot, boy."

That brought a smile to Arthur's face, if only briefly, but it fell away when he glanced to Dutch. "You going to tell Dutch?"

"No."

"I'm not ready to leave just yet. I want to make sure folks are safe, first."

"You taking people with you?"

"Everyone, if I could. Except Micah. But I haven't asked anyone yet. Well, I mentioned it to John, and I think he'll come with me. Hosea knows, but he hasn't said for sure if he will join me. As for the others, I'm not sure. I bet Kieran would go with me. Sadie, Charles. Sean probably would, too."

"I think more people would follow you than you think. You've always taken care of the people and they've noticed. If Kieran goes with you, then Mary-Beth will as well, she's quite smitten with him these days. Sean and Karen are quite the pair. You probably won't get Tilly though. She's spent a lot of time in town, and I think there's a man!"

"What, Lenny?"

"No, some fancy lawyer she met. She seems really happy."

Arthur stood after a bit, and said, "I should really meet up with Hosea. Thank you, Susan."

"Someone has to be there for you boys!"

Everyone stared at Arthur when he walked towards the horses, despite the fact that he had just returned. Arthur figured he deserved a night in the hotel in town, to get away from Micah. Kieran smiled at him from the horses. Charles walked over from the fire. "You heading into town?"

"Sure, want to come with? You too, Kieran? Want to go into town and see the height of society?"

"Let me just saddle Branwen!"

The three trotted towards Saint Denis, taking their time. Arthur shared his plans to drink in the saloon and spend the night, saying the three of them deserved it once in a while. But they also went slow as Arthur confessed his plans to leave.

"I want to do what Dutch's plan was. The original plan, before he started talking about Tahiti. I want to go west, buy some land, settle down as ranchers. Or something. But just a place where we can be safe and happy."

"What kind of ranch are you thinking of?" Kieran asked.

"Livestock, probably. I can't see myself growing crops. I would like to raise horses, I think."

"That would be nice."

"And I wanted to know if you two wanted to go with me? Because this thing with Dutch? It's going to end, and it's not going to end well."

"I agree," Charles said. "Dutch's plan with Tahiti seems ridiculous. Impossible. And after what just happened with Micah? He listened to what that bastard said all week before you returned, seemed to believe it no matter what the rest of us said."

"Thank you, by the way, for pulling Micah off me."

"It gets worse, Arthur. Dutch has been saying things to John. Keeps... reminding him that the gang comes first, before family. He hasn't outright threatened Abigail or Jack, but I'm worried."

Kieran agreed with Charles, and as they approached the bridge into Saint Denis, Arthur said quietly, "We need a place to set up a new camp, best to go north of here. I've been talking with Chief Rains Fall about a route through the Grizzlies so we can avoid Blackwater and head west, but if we want to avoid a shootout, we need a place that we can lay low and regroup. Start thinking of places in Ambarino."

"We will," Charles said.

Charles and Kieran headed to the saloon, but Arthur turned Dakota to the doctor's office. He hitched Dakota and walked inside. The doctor greeted him warmly when he entered and directed him to a side room.

"We were able to move your friend in here, since he is doing so well. You may be able to take him home soon, though I suggest staying near a doctor if you are able, just in case."

"Thank you, doctor. You do good work."

He knocked on the door before opening it, and there was Lenny, looking way too skinny and sick, eyes blinking slow, but a smile spreading across his face when he realized that Arthur was there.

"Arthur!" Lenny said, and Arthur was at his side in two strides.

"Hey, kid! You're looking better than when I last saw you."

"I heard you got Jack back all right. Thank you!"

"Yeah, it was no problem. The guy only wanted to get paid."

"I wish I could have stopped them."

"No, Lenny, don't think like that. You did good. If you hadn't spotted them take Jack, it could have been hours before we realized what happened."

Tilly was sewing, and Hosea was there, too, whispering with Trelawny in the corner. "Oh, good to see you, Mr. Morgan," Trelawny said. "How would you like to spend an evening with me? Hosea was telling me that you bought yourself quite the suit!"

"We attending something fancy?"

"Indeed! A high stakes poker game that should go rather well in your favor. Herr Strauss is working on some of the details as we speak."

"Actually, I need to talk to you all about something."

"Arthur, what's wrong?" Hosea asked.

"Micah accused me of ratting on the gang, and he almost convinced Dutch of it too. But Micah tried to attack me-"

Hosea stood quickly, moving towards Arthur. "What! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine! But Dutch, he just stood there and watched. I think Miss Grimshaw is going to try to talk some sense into him, but I can't stay in camp much longer."

"Why did Dutch think you were a traitor?"

"That's the other thing I need to tell you about." He pulled the papers he got from his satchel. "I got picked up by Pinkertons. It's fine!" he said in response to their panicked expressions. "They let me go, on account of our killing Colm O'Driscoll. I even got our bounties cleared. You, me, and John."

Hosea read over the papers, signed by Agent Smith, exonerating the three of them. "Arthur, this is incredible!"

"We can leave, Hosea. I still want to avoid Blackwater, but we could get somewhere no one will remember us! Some people want to go with us, too. I've already talked to Charles and Kieran."

"I want to go with you, too," Lenny spoke up. "But I don't think I can travel just yet."

"I'll stay in Saint Denis with him," Tilly said. "You can go, get settled, and send for him later."

"What about you, Miss Tilly?"

"Well," she blushed, "I've met someone. I'm not sure if it will go anywhere, but I want to give it a chance."

"I'll also stay here to help them. This city seems to suite me," Trelawny said.

"Thank you," Arthur said. "But Hosea, I'm worried about John and his family. Charles mentioned some comments Dutch has made, and I think they need to get out of here first. We probably shouldn't leave all at once, but there's a couple living up north of Annesburg, and I'm thinking about sending John and his family up to them."

"I understand. But before I go, I want to try to convince Dutch to see reason, just one more time. We've been with Dutch a long time, Arthur. I can't just throw that away."

"I know," agreed Arthur. "But I want to make sure John, Abigail, and Jack are safe first."

They said goodbye, Hosea looking worried, Tilly and Trelawny determined, and Lenny a little sad. And Arthur went to the saloon, hoping to forget for just a moment what was about to occur.