You remember meeting the blind old man a long time ago.
"You'll be swept away in a storm... Everything you know will be questioned, but in the end, you will find that which you have always desired."
It had been a bit before you'd actually joined the Van der Linde gang, and you realized how much his words had actually made sense, though you couldn't be sure entirely what he had meant. Did he mean you'd find a real family? You thought you loved your family well-enough, everyone got along, you even had a strong bond with your three younger brothers. The gang was a different type of family, sure, but what else was it that you desired?
Love? Trust? Protection?
It had plagued you for years.
While hunting a bounty a few years after that first meeting, now fully ingratiated in the gang, you found the old blind man begging once more. You're amused to see him once more, wondering if he was some type of ghost, set to wander along this particular path begging for money to give a reading of the future. You approach carefully, nearly jumping as the old man addresses you without you realizing he knew you were there.
"You and I have met once before." He seems amused, holding out his change container. "A dollar for the future?"
You didn't think his first prediction had come true, what storm had come your way? You hadn't found life any tougher than it'd been before, though he was right about everything you knew changing; running with a bunch of criminals did that to a person, made them rewire the way they saw society, and perhaps question their own morals and shortcomings. Deciding it's not that much money to waste, and this poor man looked like he needed a deal, you happily give him the dollar and listen closely.
"You see a person who to you is a shining star, but to them, you are the star that shall shine and bring them what they seek."
Who in your life was a shining star? You feel like Arthur would be too obvious an answer, of course you loved him, but could it relate to another member of the gang? Hosea had done so much for you, taught you plenty of what he knew so you could take over as the gangs doctor, or perhaps Dutch, who had been the one to bring you into the fold in the first place; if it wasn't for him, you never would've had the chance to meet Arthur.
"Perhaps it is fate." The old man suddenly says as you're stuck in thought, "But life has more than one path, and perhaps, you're more tied down to it than you see."
You trot away on your horse, even more confused now with the two for one mumbo jumbo bullshit the old man just threw your way. Was it bullshit? Also, did he just read your mind? A shiver runs through you and your heart suddenly feels heavy, and you quickly whip out your own journal, carefully writing all the old mans words you'd been told. You had considered telling Arthur about it when you were back at camp, but grew embarrassed, especially since you really believed the mans words might come true one day in the future.
"Somethin' on your mind?"
That night when you got back, Arthur almost instantly calls you out, since you're so caught in your thoughts you don't talk to anyone who's trying to start a conversation with you. You shake your head in denial, but stop midway, wondering what the point of lying to him was. You'd said and done plenty of stupid things in front of him before (he's the one who first taught you to fish and hunt, and you, a person who had never done those things, looked like an absolute fool to a man who'd been doing it damn near his entire life), so why be embarrassed now to talk about it?
"You believe in fate, Arthur?"
"What?" He says it in his 'what are you on about?' tone, and you almost backpedal again, but something compels you to keep going.
"Fate, you know? Destiny? Things that are gonna happen whether we want them to or not." You shift on your bed where you're sitting, and Arthur takes a seat beside you, looking down with a soft look that only you were lucky enough witness.
"One of these idiots makin' you worry again?"
"Nah, nothing like that... there's just this old man I run into from time to time, and he says weird, indecipherable shit but... I dunno, I feel like they might be important one day."
"Well, what'd he say?"
You show Arthur your journal reluctantly, trying to read his facial expression as his eyes drift over the few sentences on the page over and over.
"In the end you will find that which you always desired?" Arthur closes your journal and hands it back to you, "What's that mean?"
"I did just tell you I have no idea, didn't I?" You playfully elbow him and he chuckles. "I don't know, I just have a feeling this is where I'm meant to be, you know? Here with the gang, with you."
"Aw, sweetheart, you're gonna make me blush."
"Me bein' romantic with you isn't even in the top ten things I've done that should make you blush."
You both move to lay down on your shared cot, Arthur's arm stretching out to provide a suitable pillow for your head as you lay on your side, facing him. Your arm snakes across his chest and you nuzzle closer, loving the warmth, the love, that you're feeling in the moment. There was nowhere you'd rather be than in the arms of the man you love, there was nothing
"You think we woulda met some other way if I never joined the gang?"
"Maybe." With how tired he must be, you knew you probably wouldn't get much more out of him, but he'd told you before he enjoyed your ramblings, so you kept going.
"I think we might've. Could've met in any one of these towns if I started explorin' around myself, or you mighta saved me from some other gang and we'd meet, love at first sight, you wouldn't be able to get me outta your head, and boom! You're lookin' all over for me and you find me and promise you'll never let me outta your sight again."
"Is that right?"
"No, probably not. I had to work damn hard to get you to love me back."
"Always loved you back, darlin'. Just didn't think I deserved it."
"You deserve my love and then some." You can see him smile at that, at the love you showed him so often with such earnestness he had to believe it. You remain curled up together that night, basking in the good feelings of being together, being with your little makeshift family, and seeing nothing but a bright future.
Things turned bad faster than you could even think, faster than you could comprehend, and soon you didn't know what you should do. Your loyalty to Arthur remained strong and true, steadfast, you could never give up on him or leave him even if you wanted to. But he wanted you to, he needed to know you were safe and away from the danger; it wasn't because he didn't think you could handle yourself, but because he knew you'd be a target, because hurting or even killing you would be the thing that'd hurt him the most.
He had to keep you safe.
"What am I gonna do without you?" The question is rhetorical because you knew your life wouldn't stop, you'd never stop moving forward, but you wanted to do it with him. Arthur looks downcast, so damn tired you wish you could just curl up with him and sleep for a week, or until the end of this fighting with the gang. The choice to leave you here, at this homestead you'd bought together while planning for a future away from the gang, wasn't one he wanted to make. You know he'd never leave you unless he felt it was the only option.
"I'm sorry." He finally mutters out, "Sorry for bringin' you into any of this."
"It was my own choice to stay."
"You wouldn't have stayed if I didn't." He lets out a deep sigh, glancing over at his horse, who's awaiting almost anxiously. "Stay safe out here, okay? I'll come back when things are... over with."
"You better." You had managed to keep it all inside, keep your emotions to yourself as the logical part of your brain told you this was the best way for it to happen; Arthur could think and plan better without having to worry about your well-being, knowing you're as far from the action as possible offered him more peace of mind than being with him would. And still your heart aches, your eyes watering and voice cracking as you turn to face away from him, not wanting him to see the tears flooding your face. "I love you, Arthur Morgan, and you better come back to me. I'll follow you right into hell if you don't."
"It won't come down to that, I promise." There was no way for him to know that, it wasn't his decision to make, it was up to whatever mighty force above controlled the events that were transpiring. He gets closer to you and you shy away from his touch, quickly trying to brush away the remaining tears before he notices them. "I'll be back."
The thing that kept you going the most was the kiss he gave you before he left, the way both his hands cupped your face and gently moved your face so that you'd look him in the eye. You can see the fire behind his eyes, the promise that, within reason, he'd do all he could to make it back to you. The kiss is filled with searing passion, the words 'you're the love of my life' floating briefly across your mind and you wonder if the sentiment is shared.
You know it is.
You try not to keep track of the days, knowing it'd only bring you more pain the longer he wasn't back with you. There was a lot of tension, a lot of mistrust occurring between the gang, and every night, you lay in bed worrying about what might be happening to him. And what about all of those that you had loved? Saint Denis had taken away a father figure, it had put John in a bad spot, Dutch was unraveling... It took all your energy to keep it inside, to push it down and try to worry about it another day.
You took to studying how to be a doctor, though it wasn't easy; you had to find one willing to teach you out where you were, and for little money. You had to think of a life beyond being a criminal, and even got back in touch with your family, though you wondered if you should be more worried about being tracked down. They helped you as best they could, your brother coming to help you start growing your own food, helping you hunt up enough meat to last for awhile and pelts to sell for money should you need it.
There was never a day you didn't think about Arthur, not a day where you didn't worry and wonder where he might be and if he was thinking about you, too.
You were riding down a familiar path, trotting along, looking for rabbits or deer that could make for a good meal. As you were glancing around you hear a family voice, one you hadn't heard for quite awhile, to the point you almost didn't remember him.
"Old man!" You called out cheerfully, and said old man turned to where you were, crooked smile on his face. "You wanna give me some more advice from fate, or whatever it is that you do."
He holds out the cup, pleased when he hears the tinkle of change dropping into it, before giving you exactly what you came for, "The happy future that you seek remains within reach, the pain, the fear, the unknown, it will plague you but the worst is over. It has all arrived."
"Thank you."
You take the long way home to mull over his words, wondering if you could decipher exactly what his prediction might mean; could it be as simple as you thought? Would your love be coming home soon, so you could start having a future together? Or would you finally be able to find a job, to find a way to put more good into the world to make up for all the bad you'd done while running with the gang? You approach the house without realizing there's a horse outside until you're on your front porch, staring at it and wondering if it's a wild one; it's clearly not, since it has a saddle, but who would've dropped in to visit you like this?
You walk into your house and see a familiar face, one you'd seen in your dreams each night, one you had started to wonder if you would ever see again.
You move towards Arthur and nearly knock him over with how hard you run into him, arms wrapped tightly around him with the threat of never letting go again. Arthur holds you with the same urgency, the words 'I missed you so goddamn much' floating through the air without either of you having to say a thing. The old man's words come back, they hit hard, 'the happy future you seek remains within reach'.
Your happy future had just arrived, right in front of you, alive and well, back from an impossible situation.
"I can't believe you're finally here." You cry, and you don't bother trying to hide it. Arthur's face remains buried in your hair, and you feel some wetness trickle down, leaving you to wonder if he might be crying, too. You don't bother asking because it's not important, what was important was he was here, with you, and there was no way you were letting him leave you like that again. "Is it over, Arthur? Is it all over?"
"For now." The words are a heavy hit, they tell you more than you would know, but you don't pester him further. There was a lot to still be said, you would get the full story out of him even if you had to pull his teeth to get it, but for the time being, you know he needed to rest.
"Let's sit down, let me make you something to eat." You go to move away but he doesn't let you, easily pulling you flush against him.
"Can we just... stand here like this, just for another minute. You've got no idea how long I've been waitin' for this."
"'Course, Arthur." You lean into his touch, suddenly feeling needy, not wanting to leave his familiar warmth. "We can stand here as long as you want. I think... I've been waitin' for this just as long."