You're Your Father's Daughter - Red Dead Redemption Reader Insert (Part Thirteen)
Plot: You and Sean spend some much needed time together and after, you help Penelope fight for women's right to vote.
Word Count: 4,178
Warnings: Gun anxiety/truama
Missions Mentioned: The Course of True Love III
Masterlist: https://www.tumblr.com/moonlightkitties/769412818901581824/plot-you-are-dutch-van-der-lindes-eighteen-year?source=share
The last three days dragged by in a haze of chores and idle chatter. You’d stayed close to camp, helping the girls while the men ran off chasing whatever Dutch said was important.
Now, Arthur and Charles were out hunting. Dutch and Molly were locked in their third argument this week. John and Abigail, surprisingly, were getting along. And you? You were still perched on your cot, tent flaps open, letting the sun warm yourself as you stared out at the camp, waiting for something to happen.
The Wednesday morning air was warm, a gentle breeze slipping through camp and carrying the smell of coffee and smoke.
When you finally got the urge to get up and be productive, Sean walked in.
"Sean," you said, giving him a warm smile.
"Hey, love," he said, pulling you into a gentle kiss.
He pulled away and you pouted a bit; you’d missed his physical attention these days.
"I was thinkin' that we could go out," he said, stretching out on your cot, his arms wide as if to claim the space around him.
"Like where?" you asked, tilting your head, intrigued.
"I dunno," he replied with a casual shrug, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "We could just leave for the day, come back tomorrow with some game. Dutch won’t mind."
You raised an eyebrow, the thought of a simple, quiet day away from camp did peek your interest.
"You know, that sounds perfect," you said, a smile spreading across your face.
"When do you wanna leave?" you ask, your voice a bit more upbeat now that the idea of escaping camp for a while had settled in your mind.
Sean grinned, "we can leave whenever, love. No rush. Just thought it'd be nice to get away for a bit, just you, me, and the open trail."
His words carried a sense of freedom, something that you haven't felt in a while. You realized that even if Dutch hadn't been pushing you hard, you've been working non-stop after you healed. You really did need this time to rest.
"Well, lets leave now," you said, your voice eager.
His eyes brightened at your eagerness, and without a word, he hopped off the cot, stretching his arms above his head. "Aye, that's what I like to hear."
You grabbed your hat and settled it onto your head, grabbing your satchel and placing it around your shoulders and picking up Arthur's old rifle he gave you.
You grinned, your excitement bubbling over. The idea of getting out of camp, even for a short while, felt like a breath of fresh air. There was so much tension in the air lately, and even though you knew you couldn’t escape all of it, a day or two on the trail with Sean sounded perfect.
The sun was already climbing higher in the sky, the warmth of the day making the journey ahead even more inviting. As you both headed out of the tent, the camp seemed quieter, the usual clamor of the gang faded into the background.
Sean’s voice broke through your thoughts as he fell into step beside you. "You sure you’re alright with this? I don't mind stickin' 'round if you’ve got somethin’ else on your mind."
You shook your head, a small smile tugging at your lips. "No, this is exactly what I need."
With that, you both walked toward the horses.
Mounting Whiskey, you made a mental note to ask Sean to stop by the stables to retrieve Bourbon.
The pair of you rode out of camp, both excited about spending time with each other.
You took the lead as you made your way to the stables, wanting to get Bourbon and go to where Sean was taking you fast.
"So where are we going?" you ask, riding Bourbon as a jealous Whiskey followed from behind you.
"A place I found recently, big open field, huge private lake. Think you’ll like it," Sean said, his voice tinged with a quiet sort of excitement.
"Really?" you asked, your curiosity piqued. "And no one lives near there?"
Sean scoffed, throwing you a sideways look. "C’mon now, you really think I’d walk you into a bloody shootout?"
You raised a brow, half-serious. "No, but still… you’re sure no one lives there?"
"Aye, I’m sure, love. Not a soul ‘round for miles," he said, more firmly this time, "Just us."
The ride was peaceful, sun filtering through the trees and warming your back. You pointed out every bird, rabbit, and wildflower along the trail, and Sean just smiled, stealing glances at you as you rambled.
"Yer worse than Hosea with all this nature talk," he muttered fondly at one point, "but I won't lie, I like hearin’ it from you."
Sean sighed after a few more moments "I'm starved, you think we can find a few rabbits?"
"Possibly," you said, knitting your brows together in thought, "I swore I saw a rabbit hole on the way over..." you looked around, and gasped, pointed over. "There!" a small hole was in the ground, you could spot a little rabbits head sticking out of it. You grabbed your rifle from your back, careful not to startle it.
You dismounted Bourbon and crouched, hiding behind a rock, Sean followed, crouching down beside you, careful to watch for any sudden movements.
You pulled rifle up, your heartbeat quickened almost immediately, and your palms were sweaty. The metal felt ice-cold despite the warmth of the sun on your back. You shook your head, trying to get the vision of Valentine out of your head. It wasn't necessarily the shoot out that irked you, it was the bleeding out on Arthur's horse, not knowing if you were going to make it.
Sean, noticing you heavy breathing, touched your shoulder, you gasped, which got the attention of the rabbit and made it scurry off into its hole.
You swore, and set down your rifle, covering your eyes with the palms of your hands.
"What's wrong?" Sean asked, confused.
"I can't...I can't touch a gun without thinking of Valentine," you whispered, your voice breaking, "and I also lost our dinner."
"Hey, you're okay," he said, "you're not in Valentine, and nothing is going to hurt you, not in front of Sean MacGuire," he said, his voice carried a sense of humor but you knew he wasn't kidding.
"We can fish at the lake if you like," Sean said, standing up and offering you his hand. You took it and walked back over to the horses. Mounting Bourbon and whistling for Whiskey to follow, you and Sean continued the ride to the lake.
When you reached the lake, the world seemed to exhale. The water stretched out wide and still, catching the light like polished glass. The sky above it looked impossibly vast, painted in soft streaks of gold and rose as the sun began to dip. Pines stood like sentinels along the edge, and the land, wild, open, untouched, rolled on for miles in every direction.
You let out a breath, "it's beautiful."
Sean nodded, pulling his horse to a slow stop beside yours. “Aye, that it is. Big as anything, quiet too. You could disappear out here, if ya wanted.” He gave you a crooked smile. “Not that I’m suggestin’ it. Just sayin’, it’s a good place for a soul to catch its breath.”
"Well come on, the fish should be out soon," you said dismounting Bourbon and walking over to the huge, opened, water.
You both stood at the edge of the lake, casted your rods, and waiting for the fish to bite. Corn and bread didn't seem like the best bait but you were proved wrong when you almost got pulled in. "Woah!" you exclaimed, keeping yourself steady. You reeled, fighting with the fish, it was strong but you were stronger, when it was exhausted you reeled it in. It wasn't small, but not huge, it would make a good meal for both you and Sean.
"Nice job!" Sean exclaimed as you reeled the fish in.
You grinned as you killed the fish in a quick motion.
You glanced at Sean, your grin widening. “Guess corn and bread ain’t so bad after all.”
Sean smiled and reeled in his rod. “We can hunt for game tomorrow mornin’, but for now, I’ll set the tent up.”
You nodded and picked up the fish, making your way back to the camp you and Sean would be staying at tonight. You started a fire, the crackle of it filling the air as Sean worked on the tent. After descaling your meal, the fish sizzled when you placed it near the flames, the smell of it mixing with the fresh evening air.
Once the tent was up, Sean came over and settled on a log near the fire. “Not bad,” he said, looking at the fish. “Guess we’ll eat well tonight.”
You smiled, poking the fire with a stick. “It’ll do.”
You used your hunting knife, and cut it into halves, splitting it between you two.
The sun set while you finished and Sean stood up, taking his clothes off, leaving him in his undergarments.
"I'm gonna take a dip in the lake, you're welcome to join me if ya like," Sean said, giving you a grin that clearly stated he wants you to join him.
You smile as you watch him go, battling with your thoughts.
The fire crackled beside you, but your eyes followed the path he took, the sound of his footsteps fading into the night.
Eventually, it seemed empty without him so you stood, brushed the dirt off of your pants and made your way down to the lake. The moonlight stretched across the water, silver and still, broken only by the soft movement of Sean's silhouette.
He turned when he heard you approaching, water up to his waist, his hair wet and looking half drowned.
He gave you a grin, “Didn’t think you’d come,” he said.
You gave him a small shrug, crossing your arms when a chill went through you.
"Just thought someone should keep an eye on you," you smiled.
"Come on in!" Sean exclaimed, "the waters fine!"
You sigh and playfully rolled your eyes, kicking off your boots, pants, tugging your shirt off and leaving you to stand in your undergarments, the cool night air brushing against your skin. You hesitated for half a second, then stepped into the water, wincing at the initial shock. It was colder than you expected, but bearable.
The deeper you went into the lake, the better the temperature of the water was.
You sighed as you relaxed, the water making your aching body feel much better. You looked around, noticing that Sean was no where to be found. "Sean?" you ask.
"Sean, this isn't funny," you said, your voice laced with anxiety.
Then, you felt two hands grab your waist, and before you knew it you were picked up and thrown into the water.
Your surfaced with a gasp, coughing and spluttering, your heart pounding. Not from fear, but from the adrenaline shock Sean gave you.
"Sean MacGuire that was not funny!" You exclaimed, wiping water out of your eyes as you turned to find him already laughing his ass off a few feet away.
"You should have seen your face!" he laughed. You swam up to him and without warning, shoved water in his face. Now it was your turn to laugh. The lake that was once calm and collected, was now ruffled and loud as the pair of you splashed water on each other, your laughter carrying into the night.
The walk back to the fire was slow, both of you were dripping wet and still breathless from laughing. The moon shone high in the sky, casting a silver glare over the hill and making the lake shine.
"Look," Sean said, his voice quiet.
You look, following his gaze.
Up on the hilltop, where the moonlight clearly shone, a small red fox walked along, looking curious and playful as it looked back to make sure its companion, a huge gray wolf, followed behind him. They both walked together, the both of them making sure each other were safe.
Sean gave a soft, amused breath. "The fox’s me, clearly," he began, "All charm and mischief."
You raised an eyebrow, eyes still fixed on the wolf.
"Which makes you…" he nodded toward it, "the one who’d tear someone’s throat out if they so much as breathed wrong."
You snorted. "Thanks for that."
He grinned wider. "Meant it as a compliment."
Both of the animals walked down the hill, the darkness blanketing them.
"Think they’ve been together long?" you asked softly.
Sean looked back to where the animals left. "Long enough to know they don’t need anyone else."
The tent was up but both you and Sean dragged out your bedrolls and rolled them out beside the warmth of the fire, the night sky to gorgeous to not sleep under it. The sky looked like a dark blue, the stars looking like the back of an Appaloosa.
"You ever wonder what it would be like to be stars? Watching everythin' happen and not bein' able to stop it?"
You stayed quiet for a while, not knowing how to answer that.
"What if we left?" Sean asked, turning to look at you, "just the two us?"
You smiled, his question seemed satirical at first until you looked over at him to find his face actually serious.
"What do you mean?" you ask, a little confused, there was no way you could leave your father and the gang.
"Y'know....leave, we could build a home on this land," Sean said.
You stare at him, trying to make sense of what he was saying, "you know we couldn't leave. I couldn't leave, especially not my father or Arthur or John," you told him, giving him a soft expression, "it is a nice idea though," you said, scooting closer to him.
You snorted, "could you imagine yourself trying to run a farm?" a small, playful grin tugging at the corner of your lips as you teased him.
Sean grinned, tugging you closer to him, "oh, I'd make it work, I'm good with my hands, and I think we'd be a pretty good team."
You lean into him, the warmth of his chest heating you up.
"I would love to start a new life with you," you murmured.
"I know," he said, kissing your head.
Sean's heartbeat carried you into your slumber, the noise of the night animals helping you to close your eyes and rest.
You didn’t know how you got there, standing in the middle of a field that stretched on forever. The grass was tall and dry, swaying in a breeze you couldn’t feel. The sky was a bright orange, like the most gorgeous sunrise you've ever seen.
Not moving, not breathing. Just… watching.
The fur was thick, its gray and white pelt shimmering in the moon light.
You couldn't move, and the wolf didn't move.
-------
You gasped, your body jolting upright as the dream shattered.
Sean was still sleeping soundly beside you.
The sun was rising, and, as you stood, you took a deep breath in and out.
The dream wasn't creepy… just strange. Unnerving.
You sighed and squinted your eyes against the sun, now half-way in the sky, blurred your vision.
Now was the perfect time to go hunting, especially since some of the animals would be out scouring for food.
The thought of holding a rifle still unnerved you but you had to face your fear, your life required you using a gun.
You rolled up your bedroll and place it on the back of Whiskey while Ennis and Bourbon dozed off. Letting Sean sleep in for a while, you took down the tent and placed it on the back of Ennis. You really dreaded hunting, especially with a rifle, you didn't realize that you would still feel anxious around fire-arms.
You shook the thoughts out of your head, you were determined to kill at least one animal before heading back to camp.
You shook Sean awake, rolling your eyes at him as he grumbled.
"Come on, we got to hunt, we can't go back to camp empty handed."
Sean grumbled again but managed to get up and roll up his bed before putting it on Ennis.
"Alright, love, where should we go?"
You mounted Bourbon and looked around, letting out a hum.
"Lets try the woods, we should at least get two deer."
You both, well Sean managed to get at least one. You really did try to help but every time your finger would graze the trigger, you just couldn't let yourself shoot.
Sean understood and was very patient with you. You both fished at the lake for the last time before going back to camp.
Arthur was the first one to greet you, nodding at the meaty deer that Sean had stowed on Ennis.
"Where were you?" Arthur asked once Sean was out of ears reach, and glanced behind you to see Kieran taking care of Whiskey, "and who's this?" he asked, referring to Bourbon.
"A horse I caught while riding with Beau and Penelope," you shrugged, "and to answer your first question... me and Sean just went out for the day, we caught some fish and he caught that deer."
Arthur sighed "well at least it was something. Could’ve been worse."
"I've been over to Beau and Penelope back and forth, still strange as ever," he said, helping you off Bourbon.
"They asked about you, said you were the only person their age that didn't judge 'em," he finished. He turned to you, "Penelope gave me her letter to Beau, I thought you might be the one to wanna give it to her," he said handing the letter to you.
You gave him a smile, "come on," you tell him turning Bourbons reins, "lets both go, it's been a day but a lot can happen, I was hoping to catch up."
Arthur chuckled and mounted his horse, "well if you insist," he told you, taking the lead.
The ride to the Gray Mansion wasn't that bad. Slow, and relaxing as you and Arthur talked and laughed about stuff that had happened recently. Both of you stopped at the familiar barn and dismounted. Beau was grooming his horse when you and Arthur walked in. Arthur leaned on the fencing, "you got our money?" he asked. Beau jumped at his voice and turned around.
"Sure," Beau said, handing him the money, "did she give anything?" he asked, "for me?"
"Yes," Arthur told him, "but it'll cost you," he said.
Beau hesitated and Arthur grumbled "oh... I can't be bothered," he said, scooting over so you can hand Beau the letter.
"Thank you," Beau said, opening the gate and walking out, "thank you both."
You leaned on the fence, watching Arthur pet Beau's horse. Your time with Sean was amazing, but your thoughts went back to when Sean offered to run away with you.
"Hey, Arthur?" you asked.
"Yeah?" Arthur responded, turning to you.
"Uh... what would you do if-"
"This'll get her killed for sure," Beau said out loud, making both you and Arthur turn towards him.
"What?" you and Arthur asked at the same time.
"Women's suffrage," Beau told us, "round here they don't even like men voting, they'd bring back the monarchy given half the chance. Progress is a dirty word around these parts, unlike incest."
"Excuse me?" Arthur says, more so confused than offended.
"I don't wanna marry my cousin Mathilda!" Beau exclaimed, pacing around the barn, "I wanna marry Penelope!" Beau took a deep breathe "their gonna... they'll kill her at one of those rallies she's going to! They've done it before!"
"Mister.." Beau said, walking towards us, "(y/n), please, you gotta help."
You looked over at Arthur, wanting to see what he would say first. "I'm afraid I don't want no part in that," he told him. You shrugged at Beau. "I don't know..." you said. "I'll pay," Beau added, earning himself a sigh from you. "I don't want your money," you told him. Arthur let out a quiet grunt and elbowed you in the ribs, not hard, but enough to make his point. “We could use the money,” he muttered out the side of his mouth. You rolled your eyes. "Fine, but no more favors, Gray."
You mounted Bourbon and followed Beau and Arthur into the outskirts of Rhodes.
"If she wants to rally, you gotta let 'er rally," Arthur told him.
"As good as the cause is, I can't let her become a martyr to it," Beau said, "I wanna marry a flesh and blood women, not a statue in her honor."
As the three of you rode up, a group of women with sashes over their dresses and you felt a bit... self-conscious in front of these ladies wearing dresses and their hair all dressed up. You dismounted, keeping your head low, Penelope ran towards you and embraced you, "(y/n)!" she exclaimed, "I didn't know you rallied," she said and gasped as she caught her eyes on Beau.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, taking his hands.
"I cannot let you go through this," Beau tells her. Penelope rolls her eyes and takes her hands away from him, "you'll be killed for this!" Beau whispers. "I'm prepared to die for the cause, Beau," she tells him, her voice firm, "you know that." She looked to you, "come on, you can ride beside us," she tells you, putting a sash around your blouse.
"You sure? I probably should have dressed up for the cause," you let out an awkward laugh.
"Nonsense!" Penelope tells you, "a women in pants is what those men need to see!"
Penelope introduced you to the women in charge, a Ms. Olive Calhoon, wo seemed very pleased to have you riding along beside them and enthused that Arthur offered to drive the wagon. You rode alongside the wagon, getting more and more comfortable as the women sang and the men complained about how they should stay home with their children. The wagon stopped in front of the Rhodes bank and you dismounted Bourbon, following Penelope and staying right beside her.
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is a great day for all of us," Ms. Calhoon began as she stood on the bank platform, "for today is the day we begin to live as equals."
A man, a rowdy, possibly drunk man, hollered, "equals? ha!"
You rolled your eyes, you've learned that the quickest way to offend a man is to suggest a woman might stand beside him, not behind. Micah could vouch for that.
The women cheered for Ms. Calhoons speech and held up their signs high. "Fair, equal, and free, just as the founding fathers intended."
Two men made their way through the crowd of women, "founding fathers, not founding mothers, you silly old goat!" one man hollered at her, gaining cheers from the other men. "Go help Beau," Penelope whispered to you and Arthur, "his cousin is a moron and stop them from ruining the speech." You followed Arthur, giving your sash to Penelope. Your holster was only carrying two pistol, which might come in handy.
"Beau," Arthur interrupted the three men arguing, "weren't we just leaving?" he asked, putting his arm around Beau's back to make him follow him. "I ain't voted before but I'm kinda getting hot for votin' rights," Arthur said as you three rode out of town.
"I don't know whether to take you seriously Mr. Morgan. If anyone finds out about Penelope and me-"
"Everyone knows about Penelope and you," Arthur interrupted him, "me and (y/n) know about Penelope and you and we've been here all of ten minuets! Sooner its out, sooner its resolved."
"The sooner its dealt with, you mean, we're dealt with. Our families, the Grays and the Braithwaites, we bury our secrets and we bury them deep."
Beau lead you and Arthur to an old battlefield, talking about how Catherine Braithwaite had a daughter that disappeared and Arthur going on about how he heard they had gold. You stopped once Arthur and Beau stopped, the field was old and had canons all around it, it seemed very uneasy.
After Beau left, Arthur grumbled, "I don't think any of these family have the wealth Hosea and Dutch hope they do," he told you.
"Unfortunately, I agree," you sighed, "Beau and Penelope just don't seem that interested in telling us anyways."
Arthur hummed in thought, "well, I think Dutch has other plans for us," he told you.
"Plans like what? Having us chase some random thing that might have gold?" you asked, mocking your father.
Arthur laughed, "well, if it makes us richer then I guess it works."
You laughed with him, riding back to camp.
