July 12th, 1899

It was ready.

The plan was ready; to rob the bank of Saint Denis.

There was a lot of wishful thinking on Hosea's part that the heist would go accordingly, in spite of all the noise that the gang had made lately, which had drawn the Pinkertons and the law on their doorstep.

And yet, Hosea pressed Dutch to give the heist his blessing so that they could all commit to the robbery and fund their escape and leave once and for all.

But deep down in his gut, Hosea knew something would go wrong. Something always would...

Inside the house, Hosea stood to Dutch's right, while the charismatic charmer sat in a chair, repeatedly looking all around the map of Saint Denis in hope that he could share the same confidence as his dear friend. But for a time like this, it didn't sit well with Dutch, for once.

"... I'm telling you, Dutch, this is the way to do this job." Hosea said calmly as he pointed at crucial points on the map where the distraction would occur. "The distraction'll buy you all the time you need."

"I... I don't like it." Dutch quivered.

"It's the right plan. We've done the work. I've been in town, looking... Look, the bank. Karen, Tilly, Abigail, I sent them all. They all say the same thing. There's no more than one armed guard. And the police... it's a city. There are police, but as far as we can tell, the patrols will all be going this way when Abigail and I cause the diversion. And that's the opportunity."

The men inside were oblivious to the scolding Danny received from his girlfriend for being caught eavesdropping on the conversation. It certainly wasn't pleasant, but Danny couldn't help but feel amused at how she reacted.

"Hey! Take it easy, will ya?" Danny chuckled as he protected himself from the hands attempting to slap the side of his head.

"Why don't you mind your own business?! Come here, mister." Mary-Beth scolded him harshly.

When Danny recognised the tone in her voice, his happiness was immediately flipped around and replaced with dread.

Danny followed Mary-Beth to their sleeping area, where he was scolded further.

"... and if you think eavesdropping will get you ahead on the bank robbery, then you've got another thing coming. I just cannot allow you to go. Just look at your eye! You can barely fill a bowl of stew without spilling a drop, let alone shoot a moving target. I-I'm just scared, Danny... Please don't go. Please!"

Danny wrapped his arms around his girlfriend's back and comforted her while she broke down and sobbed in his shoulder.

"I'm not going anywhere." Danny whispered reassuringly.

"Ahh, son?" Hosea's voice sang out from the side entrance to the house.

Danny gave his girlfriend a kiss on the cheek and rushed over to where his father was. The seasoned outlaw sat on a chair with one free to occupy beside him.

"Yeah, dad?"

"Sit down, son."

Sceptically, Danny did as he was asked and planted himself in the chair next to his father.

"How's your eye?" Hosea asked first.

"It's getting there, but still a pain in the ass to look after day by day." Danny answered honestly.

Hosea gave his son a quick pat on the shoulder.

"Just give it a couple of months and you'll be as right as rain. I know it's boring."

"And how's Miss Gaskill? She... been feeling under the weather lately?"

Danny pondered on the thought for a moment, pursed his lips and shook his head. "Nothing out of the ordinary, nothing that I've missed, no sir."

"Good, good. That's, that's good to hear. N-Now, listen, son... Do you, do you love this girl? Now let me rephrase that. Do you see yourself starting a family with Mary-Beth? Starting anew, someplace safe; a place you can call home?"

The question was rather peculiar for Danny's father to ask of his son. And yet, when Danny had a moment to ponder about that same question in his free time, he found himself at a loss for words.

Danny exhaled loudly. "I... I guess so. Well, she's- I-I'm a little scared, dad."

"Scared? Of what, commitment? Marriage? You're the bravest man I know, son. I see the way you both look at each other. Reminds me of what me and the old gal had before she conceived you. Don't let the love die, Danny. You two were meant for each other. Don't ever let that go. Don't let her go. Do you think you're ready to-to ask her? To get on your knee and vow to stick by one another 'til death do you part? I'm certain Reverend Swanson would be more than happy to espouse you both."

Danny chuckled weakly and leaned forward in his seat so that his elbows rested on his knees.

"I sure as shit do wanna marry that girl, but... I don't even have a ring yet. I mean, Mrs Adler has been very generous to give me a share of her take whenever she goes out huntin' O'Driscoll's or such, but I... I want the ring to be perfect, dad. It has to be perfect. It's not just about whether it's very expensive or a-a diamond ring. The ring has to signify that I'm ready and willing to throw all of this behind to start a new life with her; to demonstrate that I'm able to move on from this life and start living proper."

Hosea smiled warmly at his son as he emphasised the importance of finding the right ring.

"Well..."

From his pocket, Hosea pulled out two identical gold wedding rings.

"Wait... you're giving me yours?"

"Mine and Bessie's. I remember it as if it were yesterday when I decided to marry her. Now, I think it's time I handed this down to you. It's yours now, son."

Upon further inspection, there were engravings on the inside of the rings - matching words that said, 'Forever Begins With You' and 'Til Now And Forever.'

"Oh, dad... this is perfect. I- Thank you!"

The father and son embraced in a tight hug before the rings were passed on to Danny so that he could marry the woman of his dreams.

"Love you, son."

"I love you too, dad. Don't get shot out there, old man."

"Ahh, it'll take more than just a disease and a gunshot to take me down. I live for this sort of thing! Alright. Better finish getting dressed."

Danny chuckled to himself as he watched his father get up and walk off, coughing as he did.

Meanwhile, the crucial gang members who were to assist in the heist had been notified to dress smartly and neatly for the occasion.

It left Danny disappointed that he couldn't take part in the heist, but if it meant making Mary-Beth happy, knowing that he wasn't putting himself in harm's way, he would gladly pass out on the adventure.

It took a good hour for everyone to be ready before they were all set to ride out into Saint Denis. Those who weren't going to be actively involved were told to remain put and pack up to ensure that they weren't ambushed by the law like they had by the O'Driscoll's.

Hosea made his way towards a carriage containing the explosives needed to create the distraction to lure the law away from the bank and climbed on top.

"So, we rob ourselves a bank and within six weeks, we're living anew in a tropical idyll, spending the last of our days as banana farmers? Let's get out of this godforsaken place and go rob ourselves a bank!" Hosea rambled.

The group of outlaws all cheered and whooped and rode out of camp.

Their hoofbeats gradually faded away from earshot, leaving those left behind at camp in nail-biting anticipation on how the heist would turn out. Danny absentmindedly stood by the fountain, staring blankly at the entrance into camp where he last saw his father and the others before they disappeared behind the tree line.

Reverend Swanson stood beside Danny and graced his hand on the young man's shoulder.

"Everything will be alright, son."

Danny let out a hefty sigh and said, "I sure hope so, Reverend."

"How's your eye?"

"Itchy from time to time, but I'm getting used to it."

"Reverend Swanson, you think... I-I was hoping you could do me a favour?"

The ageing clergyman tilted his head slightly to one side and listened intently to what Danny wanted to ask of him. So when Danny shared the importance of his part-taking in Danny's and Mary-Beth's marriage, Reverend Swanson almost shouted in joy that Danny was committed to proposing. They both quickly planned how the proposal would play out, as well as choosing which people whom they'd be sure wouldn't accidentally let slip Danny's intentions.

While they both discussed the matter privately, those at camp found something worth doing in the absence of most of the men, but with Miss Grimshaw at camp, they didn't quite have as much freedom as they'd hoped.

Some of the girls had been put to work by washing some clothes while Mr Pearson prepared the gang's next meal.

Herr Strauss was rounding up some collected debts on his and Danny's behalf - it wasn't clean business, but like Dutch, Herr Strauss' true colours slowly came into the light.

Abigail and Jack minded their own business indoors in John's absence, now that John had finally stepped up to take the mantle as Jack's father - even if he might not have been the real father.

Skylar was still struggling to adjust to the conditions of living in the Van der Linde camp, the same way Mrs Adler had when she started to get out of her shell after her husband's death. Fortunately for her, she had a select few people that she truly felt comfortable with.

Miss Grimshaw never failed to harass and bully folk in camp for loitering around, doing anything that she didn't deem as productive - she had no bounds with whom she screamed and snarled at with her poisonous dragon breath. But from time to time, she was no stranger to having fun.

Currently, the camp dragon was patrolling around the camp when she spotted the camp cook isolated from the remainder of those at camp. So she took it upon herself to concern with his rather depressed stature.

"What's wrong, Mr Pearson?" Miss Grimshaw voiced her concern as she joined Mr Pearson by the edge of camp.

The old sailor calmly responded, in a manner that sounded rather pedestrian for someone as eccentric as he.

"Nothin'. Ohh, nothin'."

"Well, then, why do you look like a beaten dog?"

"Because... I don't know. It's hard to say. The mud, the swamps. Do you know I once saw the cape from a forty foot swell? I once crossed the equator during a meteor shower. I rode into harbours surrounded by beautiful maidens selling pineapple; and colours... colours so brilliant, they'd burn your eyes. And now, I live in a swamp, waiting to get shot for riding with outlaws."

To say the least, nobody had ever seen this side of Simon Pearson before, least of all Miss Grimshaw, who never took him for the self-pitying sort.

"I never was!" Mr Pearson exclaimed, throwing his hands up in defeat. "It's the mud and the swamps... sometimes it gets to me. Actually, I'm fine, Miss Grimshaw. Nothing like good, honest labour. Back to work."

And so, the camp cook rushed away to avoid any pity from Miss Grimshaw.

When Miss Grimshaw turned around, she noticed an anxious Danny Matthews depart from Reverend Swanson's company from the left side of the house. She watched him, studying his movement as the one-eyed outlaw walked through camp to where he last saw his girlfriend and stopped suddenly in his tracks as if doubting his decision.

Danny then resumed walking along the dirty and grassy ground, where he immediately stole Mary-Beth's attention from the book she was reading.

"M-Miss Gaskill... Mary-Beth..." Danny stammered coyly.

With her full attention on him, Mary-Beth smiled comfortingly at her significant other to encourage him to muster the courage to get out what he needed to say.

"Mary-Beth, words struggle to come to mind when I think of describing you in ways that I haven't said already. You're my best friend, my soulmate, my partner in crime. Days go by where I don't regret falling in love with you. You've been with me through my best and my worst. A-And... I-I-I'm hoping you'll continue to stick by my side 'til the end of time." Danny broke character and mumbled. "I'm not good with this stuff."

Mary-Beth quickly caught on to what he was leading on with and sat in anticipation for the question he was about to ask her - even with all of the romantic novels and the hopeless romance she longed for in her own reality, nothing could fully prepare her for that moment.

Folks around camp all watched in dead silence as Danny stared with his one good eye at his significant other with a rapidly beating heart, with beads of sweat forming on his forehead in nail-biting anticipation.

Danny then followed his next step and got down on one knee and held in between his fingers, his mother's ring.

"Will you... will you do me the honour of marrying me?"

Unable to contain her excitement any longer, Mary-Beth let out a confident outburst before she threw herself at her lover.

"YES!!"

Her dreams came true.

Their dreams came true.

The women and some of the men at camp all broke into applause and cheer as Mary-Beth pressed her body against his, slamming her lips against Danny's with her arms wrapped around his neck.

Danny's and Mary-Beth's lips departed so that he could slide the ring on her ring finger. 

Alas, all good things had to come to an end.

In this case, it was the sound of hoofbeats that alerted the gang's attention to a rider storming into camp. It was Abigail Roberts who returned to camp in haste to warn the gang of dreadful news. 

Alas, all good things had to come to an end.

In this case, it was the sound of hoofbeats that alerted the gang's attention to a rider storming into camp. It was Abigail Roberts who returned to camp in haste to warn the gang of dreadful news.

"The boys are in trouble! The Pinkertons! They-They ambushed us after me and Hosea set off the explosion. I- Hosea got captured." Abigail spoke breathlessly.

Concerned for her wellbeing, the others came to her aid to hear her more clearly once she caught her breath.

"So Hosea and I rode ahead of the others to set up the distraction. But-But the Pinkertons... they came out of nowhere! Hosea, he-he told me to run. I didn't want to leave him. I didn't! But I had no other choice. So I ran. I-I ran and I came back here when the shooting started."

The others began to question what they were to do if things went further South - if they lost Hosea, there was no telling how unhinged Dutch would become to avenge his comrade's death as well as strive harder to accomplish his dream.

While the womenfolk and some of the men all spoke in a loud clamour at once, Miss Grimshaw raised her voice in a calm manner to capture their attention. "Settle down, everyone. Settle down. Now look, I know we all didn't hope for this right now, but we have to keep our heads on if we're going to get through this. Dutch said that he plans on moving us out of here in a couple of days, which I fear will have to be fast-forwarded to now. So we need to find a new spot to hide. Anybody got any suggestions?"

There were almost no places that could come to mind, given their current location and how difficult it was to think of places suitable for the gang to hide, let alone any enclosed enough to camouflage them from the Pinkertons.

"What about them swamps? Could give us an extra couple weeks to hide and wait." Someone suggested.

Had Danny paid attention to who made the suggestion - as he was too caught up with his thoughts about his father's safety - he would have said unspeakable things, given his last encounter in the swamps left him traumatised with no intention whatsoever to go anywhere near the bayou.

Miss Grimshaw eventually agreed with the suggestion when she ordered everyone to remain on their toes in anticipation for any unwelcome company.