bakerstreet | pic prompts.

Arthur agreed and they sat in wait to see what they'd do.

After today, it'd be over. For good he hoped.

Didn't take long to figure they were looking to move during the day instead of under the cover of night so the three of them fanned out to pick off those on the outskirts quietly as they could.

They each managed to get one before Sean was spotted and the alarm was sounded. Arthur raised his gun and began to fire, bullets began to fly and O'Driscolls began to fall.

Sadie wasn't the type to take cover and let the boys have all the fun. Once the jig was up, and the posse of idiots was alerted to them, she was in there, guns blazing, and hellbent on one man.

She didn't give him much of a chance. At least that poor bastard wasn't done like a piñata like the man in the barn the night before. But he did wind up with a throwing knife sticking out of one eye socket, and a shotgun last into his torso.

Now how the hell did these morons think they was gonna steal a bear, as ill-prepared as they were for a little shootout? No cohesion whatsoever.

They made short work of the O'Driscolls, the fools even under new leadership apparently no smarter or more capable than before under Colm and they cleared them out quickly.

Once they were all dead they rounded up a few of the horses to see if they were worth taking, or otherwise removing them of their gear and setting them free. In the end they took none of them as they weren't anything special.

"Well, that's that then." Arthur said quietly before mounting up on Edelweiss. No more O'Driscolls to fight, after years of it all, it was over.

Gladly so. Sadie got on her horse and shot Arthur a proud look, short and meaningful. She knew she would have probably been able to take care of it on her own, but to have the help brought gratefulness that she knew a good man like him.

About halfway back to the ranch, she finally made up her mind. "I'll stick around," she said, turning to the two of them. "You folks don't know a thing about runnin' your own ranch, and you might just need someone who has a couple years experience." She'd been having a hard time of it, granted, but she and Jake did what they could.

"Maybe I could teach you boys how to sow fields in the spring."

Arthur grinned, "We'll be happy to have yea" he said honestly. Another hand, especially an experienced one, would definitely come in great use, even temporarily.

They returned to the ranch, tired but victorious.

"Might be some stragglers about but I think we got the last of them for the time being" he said as they reported to Dutch and the rest who cared to listen in.

Felt strange, being rid of the O'Driscolls in their lives.

Once the others had dispersed, Arthur continued to speak to Dutch. "I'd like to dip into them funds again for another place." he said. "For myself this time, leave the extra room for the Marstons to give to Sadie while she stays with us."

Sadie gave Arthur a thankful nod as she walked off, and went back to the Marston's house to go clean up and check on John's wrist. She knew Abigail would have seen to it, but she had a feeling the man was giving his wife hell.

Dutch was glad to hear the news, and, despite not getting up - at Hosea's explicit say so - he sat up proudly and gave Arthur a look of gratitude and pride. He considered Arthur's proposal for a new house, and asked, "You boys not gettin' along again?"
He knew for a fact it was likely due to the Marstons not giving anyone a moment's peace with their bickering, but he wasn't going to ask that outright. Arthur had his reasons, and after so much had happened, and how Dutch felt like he needed to win Arthur's trust back for reasons he'd never disclose, he was more lenient with the man. He rubbed his jaw in consideration. "Give me time to think it over. I don't feel comfortable in giving one man his own place. If Charles was here, it'd be an immediate yes."

"Heh, no, no that ain't it at all." he chuckled. In fact he and John were never closer he reckoned. The man had earned his respect again and was happy to call him his brother. Sure his and Abigail's fighting got on his nerves but he could deal with it.

He was hoping for Charles to stay with him too but as the man wasn't due to return until the spring, he figured having a place for him to come to when he did return would be better than waiting until he did return...When...

Arthur didn't push Dutch for it. He nodded and left it at that.

The next week or so was mostly the gang switching to prep for the coming winter by cleaning up the peach trees and-with Sadie's help-figuring where best to break ground for their gardens. Meat prices had gone up in town so most of the guns of the gang spent a lot of days out hunting and filling up their stocks, along with gathering anything they could.

During one blissfully warm late September, they sat around and began to plan which horses should be paired up come spring. The drafts were priority followed by the best tempered mustangs. Khan's filly was a handful but she was learning quick so it made the former herd leader prime stud stock. No sign of those stripes on her but coat colors came and went until the horse matured so there was hope when she was a bit older they'd see them on her.

Sean had gathered news that there was to be a horse fair southwest of them soon so Arthur volunteered to go check it out along with John.

Dutch had eventually made the choice that Arthur could wait until spring to see if the house was warranted. Things had to be planned for long term survival on the property, not just immediate wants. But should Charles arrive, Dutch figured, they could pair them up and get that house built.

John's wrist hadn't healed completely by then, but it was still serviceable, and he wasn't feeling the tightness that came with the immobility while healing up as much. He'd worked with the wrist as much as possible once he was able to put weight in his hand without dropping things or struggling to keep himself from reacting to pain. He wasn't going to turn down some time to get off the property and get some work done that didn't involve people bitching at him to take things easy on himself. He'd been much better at tending to his wrist than Dutch had been tending to his leg. The old man had still been relying on a cane, and it concerned John greatly. Dutch had always been strong, never showing weakness, but that cane made him... Not weak-looking per se, but more... normal. Human. It took him off his pedestal and it was a weird new dynamic.

John hadn't given a whole lot of thought into why it bothered him to see Dutch with a cane, actually. But it was because he was busy with a whole lot else on his mind. Primarily, dealing with the horses and finding a new home for some of them. He'd given thought to the cracker horse especially, and while she was beautiful, she wasn't something he could keep if it meant they could add a good couple thousand dollars into the coffer.

As they took the trail, his horse still following the centerline of the road, John kept an eye on the scenery, scanning around for movement as he always did. Be it as a hunter or a wary outlaw, or just as a hyperaware kid from the streets, it didn't matter. Movement mattered. He didn't really have reason for it outside of habit.

"It'll be a good chance to make some contacts," John spoke up, about the fair. "Even if we ain't set up yet, not completely, it'll still be nice to have good rep... rapport with folk."

Seeing Dutch on a cane was admittedly strange if not a bit unsettling when Arthur saw him walk about. He'd never seen the man so slow to recover from a wound before and he felt that the change was permanent as while his wounds had healed, whatever the bullet had hit when it went through his leg had done some irreparable damage. And the fact he was taking easy less than John, was slowing any healing he might still have.

To be honest he had yet to see the man get back up on The Count since that day, and wondered if he'd ever ride again. Probably, the leg wasn't dead and he still had some good upper body strength to him despite his age. Would just take him longer or with a bit of help he supposed.

Fortunately their days of chasing trains on horseback and running from the law were behind them. He hoped anyway. The local law of Fairview had yet to find or mention any O'Driscoll bodies, and he suspected that was due to by now most of the predators and scavengers in the area will have scattered them about, but he did note in his few times in town that people had picked up on the gang that had suddenly come and gone.

For the time being, things were okay. Perhaps the best they'd ever been now that Colm and the main posse of his gang were gone, but winter would decide that he assumed. For now, they had a fair to get to and see about making new friends interested in their stock to come.

The fair was a decent ride away at the town of Ephraim. Banners and streamers decorated the place with carts and horses, horses everywhere. It was a lively event and everyone was friendly and looking to make or lose some money.

Edelweiss got quite a few looks as they rode through slowly. When they dismounted at the livery to board their horses while they had a look around, a man came up and asked about Arthur's mare and offered a grand for her on the spot. Arthur declined of course but had a laugh with John. "Maybe I should reconsider breeding her with The Count next year"

There was some good food to be had at the vendors about which they tried some of as they went over to the main event of the horse pens. There were horses of all kinds on the block. Nokotas, Tennessee Walkers, Halfbreds, Shires, Paints, some handsome Thoroughbreds, more horses than Arthur reckoned he'd ever seen in one place before.

No Arabians, which accounted for the eagerness of the man they bumped into. No mustangs either so that could potentially be an in on the market, unless folk just didn't buy them at all here.

John kept his eyes on everything around them, ears out for anybody who was looking to sell drafts, and as they handed over the horses to the stable owner, he got a lopsided smile. "Shit, you really oughta. With the way things look, we might just get business gettin' all them mustangs sold, too. Oughta bring those down." But first, it was a matter of seeing to renting out stable space for the pens.

John stepped up to the pen with the pretty paints, leaning over the fence and resting there. "Whaddya think, Arthur? Get some space cleared for some drafts back home, make some money with the mustangs, maybe sell the Cracker? Bet I could get a good price for her." Pretty as she was, and as well-trained, he half-wondered if the O'Driscoll he got her off of stole her from a Dressage stable. Fancy folks who treat their horses like circus animals were a bunch that John couldn't deal with, but he found that a horse like her was just as good at rounding up sheep as any other he'd had the pleasure to ride.

Then he got distracted from his thoughts when an appaloosa trotted near him and he got a smile. Reminded him of Charles' horse.

"With the way you keep going about that cracker horse you ought to just keep her." he teased, having a look at what the prices for the drafts here were going for. They were decent but he got the feeling they might get more for selling them to that mayor John invited over and they'd be guaranteed to sell all they wanted at once rather than haggle for days in a place like this for each one individually.

Asking about, it seemed like mustangs were just harder to come by so they'd likely have a corner on the market.

He spotted the appaloosa and a pang shot through him, thinking for a second it was Taima, but the markings on the legs were entirely different. Charles wouldn't be here, he knew perfectly well where they lived now.

They continued to wander, asking about prices and the like, having a look at the animals and the quality of stock. Seemed they'd fit in pretty well here with their own when the time came.

John swatted Arthur on the arm, snorting a little. "Shut up. Honestly, what I'd do if I could, is I'd breed 'em. They're good ranch horses, good for cattle drivin', which happens to be this area's needs. But we decided on drafts." He'd been thinking it over since they got the horse he really did like, but knew that, if they fudged the papers for her, she'd fetch them enough for Arthur's new house, fully furnished, and he'd wanted to do that as a bit of a surprise.

But he knew they'd make a fine amount of money on a bunch of them.

"What're you thinkin'? Wait on it? Get what we're lookin' for, sell what we don't need?"

"Let's find out about this year's fair otherwise we might have to wait..." he said and they asked about on the length of the fair and whether there were any spots open.

The fair would last a bit longer and there was some open areas they could settle into for selling what they had so, after some deliberating, they returned to Locksley Ranch and told Dutch, Hosea and a few others about it.

They decided they'd get in this year's fair and they'd sell the horses they were sure they wouldn't be breeding, namely the geldings and a few of the mustangs they'd trained and at least backed. The money they made would be put towards stud drafts to breed with the mares they had come spring.

The following morning, Arthur, Kieran, John and anyone else who wanted to come help out took the horses back to the fair. Was slow going with six geldings and four mustangs but they made it work and the horses were far more cooperative than when they herded them up weeks prior.

[I am so sorry about putting this on hold! I've been world-building with an AU and it's kind of overtaken my brain. Hi ilu don't forget that]

It was a fairly active day there at the fair, John looking after the horses to make sure they were stabled and penned properly, and then taking a seat on top of one of the fence slats at the pen, waiting for offers. It was boring work, but productive enough where he didn't complain. But it was a fantastic setup, and all in all, they made out with a better rate of money coming in than going out. That always settled John down. He'd been taught to make a hard negotiator, firm about what he was saying, and while he wasn't necessarily as intimidating in build as Arthur, he certainly held an air to him which seemed like the worst man to stiff in a deal.

It was about seven hours after they'd arrived that John got fidgety. "Hey, Morgan, I'm gonna go look around the other parts of the fair. Looked like they were sellin' turkey legs up the way," he said, pointing by way of an upward nod. "Feller also said they was lookin' to do races with some of these horses around, figured you might find some interest in that." John could run a horse just fine, but Arthur could ride hell for leather better than most of anyone he ever met.

[is all good!]

Arthur was far less fidgety than John but every time folk walked away without buying from them he grew more annoyed, not expecting this sort of browsing culture. But soon as they got a sale, he perked back up.

Later in the afternoon he sat down and sketched a bit, looking up when John spoke. "Racing? I guess." he put his book aside and got up. Kieran and Lenny stayed to mind the stock while he went off to see what the racing would entail.

There was an entry fee and winner took the whole pot. With the race only a little over an hour away, he agreed, paid the fee and went to get Edelweiss. He gave her a brush down and then geared her up, removing any non-essential stuff like saddlebags and led her over to the starting line.

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