𝔴𝔢𝔰𝔱𝔴𝔞𝔯𝔡 𝔰𝔲𝔫 ⟡ ʀɖʀ2

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 𝟹𝟾

~ 8 Years later - 1907 ~

Challenger Ranch, 1907

     Handwriting has gotten a hell of a lot better since 1899. Arthur's 8th birthday was a few months  ago. My boy, he's 8 years old now. Fucking crazy if I'm honest. Never thought he'd be the amazing young man he has become. Andrew, our second, turned 6 about a week ago. He's going off about how he's gonna be a big bad lawyer one day like this man he saw walking around Blackwater not too long ago. Saying he wants to protect the world from the 'bad men'. Little does he know his pa was one of those bad men in the past. His ma too... Selina. She's looking good for 30. Can't believe it. She's 30 and I'm 29. Andrew shares my birthday with me. If only ma and pa could see me now. I have a very nice ranch, we produce some of the best eggs and milk in West Elizabeth. Make a living off this place now, successful. Exactly how we wanted it. Nathan's son, Oliver has been working with Arthur on shooting, I know Selina doesn't want that, but they need to know how to defend themselves in the future. Andrew wants to learn, but--- Still think he's got some growing up to do. As for our lives, well, Selina is pregnant again. Third and final we're thinking but not sure either, hoping for a girl if we're honest. We got our fix with boys. I know for a fact she'd rather have a small version of herself before she gets to 35. Nathan is 30 too. Lauren and him have a boy and a girl. Oliver and Eden. Between myself and everyone else, think Andrew has a thing for Eden. She's 7 and he's 6, but young love can happen. Arthur, he's got his momma's beautiful green eyes, makes him a lady killer in the future I'm bettin'. Like his pa. Andrew, well,he's got more of a hazel look to 'em. Brown and green. Still nice to look at. Guess we'll go full circle with this next baby. Might just have full brown eyes on 'em. Haven't heard much from Sadie, John, Charles, none of them. Who knows where life is to take us all, but 8 years is a hell of a lot time to be out of a gang. Only time will tell I suppose. Gotta keep track of my kids birthdays now. Seems so crazy.

Arthur Alexander Sanders - 8, 12-19-1899
Andrew Robert Sanders - 6, 6-7-1901
Waiting on baby number 3. Expecting them by August 1907.

      I wrap up the journal before I make my way out of our house, beard has grown out a lot. Not sure if I ever wanna chop it off. Found a grey hair the other day too and I freaked out. Don't know if I am ready to grow old. Scars are still there though, my boys ask about them all the time and I just tell them they'll understand when they're older. "Pa! Check it out! Think I got the double revolver thing down." Arthur shouts before I raise my head, eyes falling upon the young male. "Show me then. See if you're just as swift as your pa." I could tell he took that as a challenge. He never once would back down from no challenge and it was weird to see sometimes. Andrew is busy drawing with a stick in the dirt before he looks up to watch his brother. Oliver is overlooking the other male as well. "Yeah! Bet you can't beat ya pa, Arthur!" Ollie shouts before Arthur sticks his tongue out, he's quick to draw out the revolvers and he's shooting glasses left and right. Kid had it in him like me, little young to be learning, but he was doing amazing. When he was done, Oliver seemed to be speechless, me too. I blink a couple times before he's quick to turn and shoot a bottle he put on the railway of the porch. "Alright, none near the house. But damn good son. We'll make a gunslinger of you yet."
"Oh no we won't."
I look back to see Selina exiting the front door, careful to step over the glass that the boy had shot. "Darlin'! You're awake, thought you'd never wanna get up from your nap."
"Third kid--- You think I really care 'bout when I'm up nowadays. No. But as for Arthur being a gunslinger, wouldn't you want a more respectable career, my bug? Something not so dangerous?"
"Why momma? Pa and you was gunslingers back in the day before I was born? Why can't I consider it."
Selina sighs deeply, we regret ever saying anything to the boy about our past. He kept asking questions though about the photos on the wall and who everyone was. We didn't have everything but just the photos of us together. One photo Selina was wishing she could find, the one of Nathan, Her, I, Sadie, and Charles, alongside the Marston family. She just couldn't find it for the life of her.
"Because--- You don't want that for you."
"More like you both don't want that for me."
"Arthur."
"Okay, okay,  momma. I won't go on."
"Good. Anyways, dinner is ready. Don't know if Lauren and Nathan---"
"Heard someone say dinner?" Nathan Miller, he had a twisted mustache now, the one you saw on most of the fellers on Saint Denis. But he did have a beard too, longer than mine in a sense. He looked really proper if you put his top hat on him.
"Come on in you guys."
Eden is following beside her mother, my eyes wander over to Andrew whose just focused on her before I chuckle. He really was a bit smitten at his age. Eden had blonde hair, blue eyes. She was the cutest thing I ever did see. She didn't have much to say sometimes though. She was very shy in a sense. She would play with our kids but most of the time you could find her reading a book under one of the trees near the house her parents had. Nathan and Lauren sadly had been considering moving somewhere else. Just because 8 years was long enough to live with a friend. They wanted to be off somewhere else too. Didn't blame them, we had our own thing here. Figured they'd try their own hands at ranching too. We're all sitting down upon the table before Nathan speaks up from across it at the very end. "Heard Micah's been sniffin' 'round near Strawberry."
"Micah? Really? Ain't he older than the hills now?"
"Ain't we?"
"Sure... Sometimes feels like it with my back."
"Whose Micah?" Arthur questions, as usual, he needed to know everything. My eyes direct over to Selina before she slightly shakes her head. "Um--- He's not a good man. Don't worry 'bout it okay?"
He looks disappointed with the answer but accepts it. Going back to eating his food. "You boys excited to go back to school in a couple months?" Nathan asks our son's before they both shake their heads. "Well, Oliver isn't but I know Eden is. Aren't you sweetie?"
"I guess pa." She mutters lowly before continuing to eat her dinner. Told you, girl of very few words.
"Pa! When can I see more photos of you and Uncle Charles and Aunt Sadie? Can I ever meet them?"
"One day son, Aunt Sadie works a lot and so does Uncle Charles."
"What about Aunt Abigail and Uncle John? Cousin Jack?"
"One day, my boy. One day. Now, no more talkin' till you finish your food, ya hear? Ya ma worked extra hard on this dinner for all us."

The boy's green hues direct back down to the vegetables and mashed potatoes as well as some chicken that Selina had made earlier today. We didn't really speak much during dinner for this reason, kids got curious. Didn't want to sit there and make them think on our pasts. Lauren didn't have much of any, but Nate, Sel, and I. Yeah, we'd rather our kids not know much.
They'd understand when they was older anyway.