bakerstreet | pic prompts.

"Bounty hunter huh? Well if you see any of us on your list, kindly avoid tryin' to take us in" he said with a chuckle "Could stay with us on the ranch, always need another hand" he said.

He halted Khan to let her get herself cleaned up a bit before waltzing into their place covered in blood before leading on.

The new sign had been set up on the entry way into the ranch and the whole place spread before one with houses about-the Marstons being the largest-stables, chicken coop and more.

It was a wonderful sight that still made Arthur smile a bit at seeing.

"I'll think on it," Sadie stated to the offer. She found it interesting that Arthur had taken the reins on so much. Telling Dutch what to do, and not the other way around. It seemed like the bear of a man had found himself a foothold on authority and leadership. It looked good on him.

As they rode into the ranch, Sadie had a look around, a little astonished that all this had sprung up within only a few months of their parting ways. She gave a low whistle and hopped off her horse, leading her towards the stables to which Arthur was headed. It was certainly something Sadie hadn't quite expected, even though Arthur had told her just what to expect.

John was sitting on his porch, the lanternlight high as Abigail tended to his wrist, his eye swollen from the punch to his face. A similar scene was playing out with Dutch in the nearby shack of a cabin. In a twist, it was Dutch being chewed out by Hosea for his recklessness, while the muffled shouts of Colm were able to be heard in that shack.

John looked up when he saw them approach, and patted Abigail with his good hand, pointing out Sadie to her. "Might wanna go say hello," he suggested, trying to get out of being cared for and fussed over. It didn't work.

"Arthur," Sadie said in a hushed tone, "This is incredible. I hope you know that. It took Jakey and me a year to build half of what you got."

Edited 2021-08-24 18:07 (UTC)

Arthur led the tired Khan to his stall, taking off his gear but Kieran took over to brush and give his horse and Sadie's some TLC after the long rough day they'd had.

"Well to be fair, there's a lot more of us here than just you and Jake." he pointed out, "Most of us sleepin' on bedrolls still but it sure beats sleeping in tents all the time, especially when it's rained."

He led the way over to the biggest house to check up on John, "You okay Marston? Ain't gonna lose that hand are yea?"

Sadie wasn't going to argue that, it had been a little over a dozen people - by her count - that had gone together when they'd parted ways. It was still a marvel to see, however, and she wouldn't hold back saying so. "Furniture can come later, what matters is a roof." She followed Arthur up and greeted John and Abigail, then Abigail ushered her into the house to help her find some less gory clothes, lightly scolding her for distracting her husband in the middle of of a fight, but that slight came across more about John's bad attention than her being there.

"I can move my fingers, and I ain't bled out," John assessed, not saying that it hurt like hell to move his hand at all, or telling him that it was taking just as many stitches as his face did to close this wound. He was looking pretty fucking pale however, having lost quite a bit of blood, and he was already refused alcohol by Abigail.
"Doctor wife said I ain't gonna be let to work til I can pick up a fork. She okay?" He asked, motioning with his chin over to the door that Sadie went through.

Edited 2021-08-24 23:48 (UTC)

Arthur chuckled and gave his shoulder a pat. "You heal up. Fortunately we got everything built already so no need for another hand in that regard. You can still feed chickens so don't get too cozy rocking away just yet"

His expression turned serious and he looked toward Dutch's cabin where he and Hosea were keeping Colm too.

"Yea she'll be okay, think she got the main bastard who hurt her and Jake. Figured it'd be okay for her to stay here long as she needed. Sadie suggested we turn Colm in, but we ain't got need for money-funny to say aloud ain't it?-and I know he'd rat us out to the authorities if there was even a chance at savin' his own neck. Pinkertons can be bought and cut off, but if the US Marshalls get wind of the fact we planted them documents within the O'Driscolls' camp..." he sighed and scratched the back of his neck, "What I'm sayin' is, we have to make sure Colm dies."

Edited 2021-08-24 23:56 (UTC)

"Damn good thing he's wanted alive or dead," John pointed out, reaching down for his tin cup of cider, taking a drink. "Kill him, toss his body at the sheriff. We don't need the money but we don't need his rottin' corpse on the property, neither." He couldn't believe the amount of money they had would last them all very long, but the price on Colm's head was just as high as the one on Dutch's.

Something that Sadie had immediately picked up on only just came to John.

"You was callin' the shots back there, and Dutch was listening."

It was a definite change, one which John couldn't really find as being a bad thing. Arthur had once been nearly as temperamental as John had been, when they were far younger, but he'd grown into a levelheaded man, and a leader in his own right.

John didn't realize he'd been calling the shots, too. He just did what was needed in the moment, and that was it.

"Good point, could do that." he agreed. Definitely wouldn't be burying the bastard here, that was for sure.

Arthur looked at him at that then shrugged, "Just was callin' things as I saw them. Happened so quick when Sadie threw a wrench into things that I went with what I felt right."

He got up and gave his shoulder a tap, "Come on, let's go see our old friend before Dutch kills him." Partly wanting to get this over tonight, but also wanted to move off the subject. He could lead a fight or robbery just fine, however filling Dutch's shoes here when he left was not something he wanted. He'd seen what leadership had done to the man.

Edited 2021-08-25 03:09 (UTC)

Finishing his cider, John stood and decided not to point out that Arthur was the one giving orders from the morning on. It wasn't going to sway Arthur, and there was no reason to try.

He had splints on his hand, wrapped in a clean, dry bandage. He didn't know what else Abigail had wanted to do for it, but he figured if the bandage was on, it was just about as done as needed. He turned his arm around to look it over, glad that he'd still have use of his hand - or would eventually. A scar wasn't a big deal, but he was going to need help in the mornings to load the wagon and get Jack off to his school. He'd ask Sadie if she'd want to come along and do that, if Abigail didn't ask first.

Dutch was for the most part patched up, and he was puffing on a cigar, scowling and ruminating on the events of the night, and even further on the fact that there was not just an O'Driscoll, but The O'Driscoll stinking up his cabin. "Good, you boys're here. Let's get this over with. I believe our guest has quickly worn out his welcome. Abigail see to your wrist, John?"

"Yeah, she says I ain't allowed to do much work 'til it heals." It was somehow more begrudging the second time he said it than the first. He was going to be bored to tears again.

"And Sadie's doin' well? She stayin' here a while?" Dutch asked as he slowly got to his feet, favoring his good leg. That lasted about three seconds before Hosea was sassing him back down into his seat. "You aren't goin' anywhere, Dutch. I know you want to see the end of this, but 'til you get some rest, some real rest, you ain't going anywhere. Let the boys handle this as needs handlin'."

Dutch looked petulant for just about five seconds, about to yell that this needed doin' right away, but he simmered down and grumbled, "Fine. Boys. Bring him to the orchard, tie 'im up, get what you need outta him. We'll take care of him at dawn."

Arthur was grateful John dropped the subject as they walked over. He was surprised Dutch was listening to Hosea the nursemaid when he usually put up a stink about being fine regardless of his injuries.

"Don't think any of us is gonna rest until he's dead and off the property, but, sure, let's see what old Colm is willing to spew." he said, stepping into the cabin and dragging the older man out, hauling him up onto his shoulder like a rolled up mat, shrugging off any help from John as he was injured and he had it handled anyway. Arthur was pretty sure he'd gotten physically stronger since becoming a bear. Colm felt like he weighed as much as Jack.

He carried his wriggling ass over to the tree line, not wanting to pollute their good orchards with his nasty blood and tied him to the tree.

Dutch would've raised a bigger stink than he did if it wasn't for the fact that when he stood, the sharp, blinding brightness of pain radiating up from his thigh was enough that, sure he would have been able to hide it, but barely, and he didn't have the energy to argue with Hosea, who most certainly would have shouted him down. He was in no mood for an argument after a big fight, and besides, Colm's fate was already decided, and the point of contention of the when was negligible at best.

Hosea gave Arthur a look. "We'll rest just fine with him tied up. I will make the argument we keep him alive. Maybe without hands or a tongue, but..." He gestured a 'what can you do' sort of shrug. "Ain't up to me. This is you boys' thing." Primarily Dutch's.

That's what set off the little bickering between the older men, and John just snuck past to get to the shack. "C'mon, Arthur, let's just get this done."

Once they got the bastard to the trees, John shook his head, pulling out his offhand gun. Why did that asshole have to go stab his dominant hand's wrist? This was going to be a mess for months. Again. Whatever, he was over it.

Colm stared daggers at them both, and when John pulled the gag off him, he tossed it aside, and spun his revolver in an effort to keep himself from being too antsy.

"You said you was bein' chased by Marshalls. Now, I know you. We both know you, Colm O'Driscoll. Was you lookin' for us?"

"Why would I ever want to look for you pieces of shit?"

"Wrong answer!" And John punched Colm with the butt of his gun.

Edited (adding because distraction made me a moron) 2021-08-25 06:41 (UTC)

Arthur looked back at Dutch at that. Colm was a scumbag and had been a thorn in their side for years, but resorting to that sort of brutality was...

For a moment he recalled how Dutch wanted to geld Kieran, and before that he'd shot a woman in cold blood. That weren't how they did things, that was O'Driscoll ways. Dutch's slow soak into violence was unsettling. Whatever Colm's fate was, he'd ensure he'd die, quickly. If not for Colm's sake but for Dutch's.

He noticed John favoring his offhand and knew it'd be a long road to recovery despite being patched up pretty quickly. A hand or arm injury was hard in their line of work, though at least hopefully shooting folk wasn't going to be a priority like in times passed.

Arthur turned his attention on Colm after John struck him. "Now now Colm, no lies." he tsked, he looked to John, "Did they search him yet?"

"He didn't have nothin' on him." John leaned forward, looking down at the man who, for whatever reason, was always greasier than any of his men. "Try and make this quick, O'Driscoll. You'd be better off just tellin' us why you and your men was up here."

"We're headed to Canada. The Marshalls, they're huntin' us, saying we stole federal papers in that train job. Don't know how you fuckers done it, but I know it was you who got 'em on us for that." Colm was still looking like he was trying to glare a curse onto both their souls.

John turned to Arthur, looking to see if he believed the man. "I think he mighta been scared of more than the law. Might be, he was scared of a lady he wronged too. Too damn proud to say so."

"That blonde cunt? She don't scare nobody." Well that right there was a lie.

Arthur punched Colm for insulting Sadie.

“Quit lyin’. You don’t give half a damn about your men unless you’re using them to protect your sorry ass. So why was you and so many of them up here? There’s no way it’s coincidence you landed yourselves so close to us.”

He knew from experience Colm knew to keep his mouth shut unless he was offered something, but usually that was because he had men nearby to bail him out. Last Arthur looked, the closest O’Driscoll was no longer an O’Driscoll.

Spitting out some blood from the heft of Arthur's punch, Colm growled louder, "I KEEP SAYIN'. We was gettin' away from the godDAMN LAW! You two idiots deaf and stupid? I don't give a rat's ass about Dutch Van Der Linde! Don't give a good goddamn whether none of you live or die."

"Well that might be the first goddamn truth you said all night," John leaned forward once more, grabbing Colm by his hair, pulling him up to face him. "Is that really it? Just some big coincidence that you was so close to where we was?" When riled, John was intimidating beyond belief, his voice gone flat, cold, without humor in his tone.

He was no bear of course, but Colm was a worm, Arthur didn't need to go through that to get what they were doing done.

"We mighta known how you got away, but we didn't know where you was."

John dropped Colm's head and stepped back, gesturing to Colm as he looked over at Arthur. "He knew how we got away." He turned back to Colm again, growing louder once more. "How the fuck do you know how we got away." That wasn't even known to most of their own people.

Arthur let John have a turn interrogating Colm. Still felt like he was lying. No way Colm would just drop a years long feud between him and Dutch, even with Marshalls on his tail.

He scratched his beard, frowning as he seemed to insist on this, maybe he was telling the truth...but his words surprised him and he looked at John then back to Colm, punching him in the gut.

"How the hell do you know how we got away?!" he growled, grabbing him by the throat, the bear showing through again

That wasn't something Colm was expecting to see out of Arthur. He'd known the man since Arthur was a young buck, younger than John was just at the moment. Seeing that look of ferocity, wildness, and darkness within the man had Colm struck with a primal, instinctual fear. He was suddenly without much to say.

John patted Arthur on the shoulder, giving him a pacifying look. "No need for that," he said, then looked over at Colm once more, deciding to flick the man on the forehead to get him out of his terrified state and back to reality. "So. What do you think you know 'bout how we got away?"

"We know you got a bear. Scared off some Pinkertons, scared off my men."

"We have a bear?" John laughed. "Maybe we do, friend, but that wouldn't be enough to scare off detectives or federal agents. Try again."

Colm's blood ran cold as he pieced things together, looking straight at Arthur. Arthur had been confirmed as being hanged, and they had a bear... and the look in Arthur's eyes just then...

"Pure evil." His voice had gone chillingly fearful.

Arthur relaxed, glancing to John and letting Colm go, but honestly he was getting tired of this ring-around-the-rosy with the man.

The look Colm gave him was...partly satisfying, partly a little unsettling. He'd spooked the Pinkertons and the O'Driscolls sure, but that was more surprise. This was pure fear. He wasn't sure he wanted to explore that any more, so he resorted to old methods.

He sighed heavily and drew his pistol, standing and pointing it at Colm. He lowered his aim and shot between his legs, hitting the dirt on purpose. "Getting sick of this shit, would you just tell us already?"

John didn't much care for Arthur being called evil; as far as John saw it, Arthur was as far from evil as anyone in their family could get. But that was presently beside the point. He'd ruminate on it later, probably get chills about it for weeks to come, but John had work to do in the moment.

Colm jumped and flinched at the gunshot, then with a sort of defeated resignation, he bowed his head, spitting out some more blood. "We figured, you folk got a bear, we could steal it n'put the fear of God into anyone who comes near us. The south pass ain't passable for your gang, on account of it bein' guarded by bounty hunters. Central pass is closed, so the northern pass was the only real logical point. Wasn't expectin' you was this close to the trail. Hadn't heard you was up here."

John shook his head, his lips tightening into a fine line, then he put his hand back on Arthur's shoulder. "This fool don't know a damn thing. Was only after our secrets, and wasn't lookin' to turn us in. We're safe."

Colm nodded solemnly. He knew there was no escaping this tree alive. He knew he was done, but it didn't give him any solace in the fact. He was scared of dying, scared of what awaited him. Scared of Arthur.

Arthur listened to Colm finally spill it. Seemed logical, though the idea of them trying to haul him off as a bear to work for them was laughable for many reasons. He re-holstered his gun. "See? Was that so hard?"

He made sure Colm's binds were tied tight before looking to John, taking off his hat to run his hand through his hair before replacing it. "If Dutch wants him to sit until morning, we should put a watch up."

Colm was slippery as he was greasy and Arthur knew the man knew they weren't going to let him live so he'd likely try anything to escape.

John gave a sustained look to Colm, one which spoke to his consideration of killing the man right then and there, but Arthur was right. They'd have to wait until morning to kill the man.

He considered the options of taking watch much faster than keeping O'Driscoll alive. Shifts would need to be taken, and John considered telling Lenny or Sean to take the next, but he didn't want to put them through that, since neither of them were around when Dutch and Colm worked together. They wouldn't know the gravity of the situation, or the importance of keeping an eye on him whole not listening to a word he said.

"You take first shift," John decided, shifting his weight from one leg too the other. "I'll rest this wrist, come out in a few hours, and take second. I don't want to put the young guys on this. They don't know him, They don't need to know Dutch like this, and they definitely don't want to be the ones on duty if the bastard gets away."

He looked dead set on it. Nobody else knew better than the four of them just how slimy this tied up man could be. If there was one person that set off John's alarm bells more than Micah, it was Colm O'Driscoll, and it was because he poisoned Dutch's mind long before Micah came in to try the same thing. As he thought, John tied the gag back around O'Driscoll's mouth.

Arthur sighed but agreed, knowing John was right. Putting anyone else on guard was too risky. They had the level heads and knew Colm well as Dutch and Hosea. It'd be a long night but, had to be done.

"Alright" he nodded, giving John's shoulder a tap before taking a seat against a tree not far away. "Bring me some dinner though, don't want to leave this bastard alone for a moment." he paused then added with a grin, "Don't want our bear to get hungry and find an easy meal here either."

Once John had left, Arthur went about cleaning his guns as he usually did after a big fight, relaxing much as he could.

Patting Colm on the cheek, John shook his head. "You're lucky my woman makes a decent stew," although John frequently poked fun of it, "Arthur's got a big appetite these days." He walked away, bumping his shoulder to Arthur's. He gave him a brief smile as he walked off, shaking his head.

Colm O'Driscoll, afraid. He never thought he'd see the day. The bastard was fearless, when things came down to it, and it was occasionally admirable, but at the understanding that the last place he'd see was the proof that Dutch's way worked. Arthur's transformation, though, that would scare just about anybody.

John returned a bit later with a large tin plate of stew, and a couple bottles of beer, then wandered back to the house to rest his wrist, get food, and talk with Sadie.

Colm seemed to behave those few hours, occasionally having a look at Arthur but not saying a thing. There was still anger in those fear-filled glances, but much subdued.

It was about John's shift, only just a few minutes before the man was about to leave his house that a few things happened.

First, a bobcat dashed by Arthur, speedy as could be with a sound that was a warning. Something was up, Uncle alerted. He had been, as he often did, keeping an eye on the boundaries of their ranch, and saw a grip of O'Driscolls making their way towards their home. He dashed off towards where he often slept to grab clothes and his guns.

Second, there were scents on the air; the scent of subtle cologne, sweat, and a house fire. The scents came with the quiet snapping of twigs from the woods.

And third, John arrived with clean dressings on his splinted wrist, with his belt and holsters on still. He had cleaned them - or really, he tried cleaning them, kept dropping things and swearing, then Sadie told him to stop being such a thickheaded man about doing things himself, and cleaned them for him.

"Anythin' excitin', or am I in for a boring night?" he asked as he walked up.

"Ya'know Colm, we ain't got a chance to chat in a long while" he said conversationally as he ate his stew, though with Colm gagged, was going to be a bit one sided. He'd come to appreciate Abigail's cooking quite a lot. Pearson was okay now that he knew about herbs and not over-cooking meat, but she'd taken off quite a lot in the skill since they settled down.

"While Dutch has his faults and some of you has admittedly rubbed off on him I think, at least we're living a good life now, trying to be civilized as folk would say. But you? You ain't changed nor wanted to change in all the time we known one another." He slurped down the juices of the stew and set the plate aside and worked on his beer.

"You're still hurtin' folk, running them out of their own homes, attacking innocents on the road, world definitely won't miss you when you're gone." He caught movement out of the corner of his eye and spotted a familiar bobcat. The hell was Uncle doing? Crazy old cat-

He got a whiff of something on the wind, unfamiliar men. He set his beer down and got up, peering into the woods as he fingered his pistol.

He heard John approach but didn't take his eyes off the trees.

"John, I think we have company." he said

John immediately went tense with Arthur's head's up, and he reached down to his offhand holster. "Christ, of course we do," he muttered, knowing that there would always be more of these pieces of shit, at least until Colm was killed. "I'll get Du--" No, he wouldn't. The old man was laid up worse than he was, which was a weird change of pace. "Hosea," he decided, running to do just that.

Just about that time, Uncle appeared, fixing his suspenders, in his union suit and pants, and little else. He held his shotgun, and walked up to Arthur, "Ten of 'em," he said, loading his gun. "Glad you got the message." His tone was still a little rambunctious, regardless of the situation. "You shoulda had me come with tonight! I was gettin' bored patrollin' the fences."

Regardless of who John was looking to wake up, Dutch came out anyway, his own pistol at the ready, though he was leaning heavily on one of Hosea's prop canes, and walked towards the tree where they had Colm tied up.

It was then that an arrow flew by Dutch's head and he hissed out a "Shit," and trained his weapon on the angle, firing blind, but still managing to hit whoever was out there in the woods, getting the man in the shoulder. "ring 'round him, boys... old man." He was surprised to see Uncle there, standing guard just as steadfast as Arthur.

Colm's eyes snapped open at the gunfire, and he tried to get up to his feet in his binds.

Arthur chuckled, "Figured you'd want to stay behind old man" he said to Uncle, giving Colm a kick in the shins. "Stay down you bastard."

An arrow whizzed by and Dutch retaliated, a great gun as ever. Another close call, man was getting too lucky today, Arthur noted. But he knew better than to tell Dutch to get to safety.

Arthur only had his pistols on him and the O'Driscolls-he could assume-were keeping pretty far back in the trees. Would need his rifle, or...

"I'm gonna go get our bear. Take cover, use Colm as a shield if you have to" he advised making the decision and zipping off towards the nearest building.

"Gotta be an easier way..." he grumbled, undressing quick as he could just inside the door.

A moment later, a familiar massive bear bolted out of the secondary stable and came towards the group, which was joined by Sean with Lenny close behind.

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