#mardie

Sadie Adler has lived in many places - a shack in the mountains, a sizable ranch, even a tent in the dirt. Despite this, she has only ever had one home. She found that after Jake was ripped from her, she didn’t want another one; Sadie had seen how easily it could be taken from her, and wasn’t willing to have it happen again. However, as she is heading to visit Mary, she is unable to shake the feeling of returning home that tugs at her heart.

Everytime that Sadie visits Mary, she comes with a gift in tow - flowers, jewelry, a small wooden carving, even a pretty rock or two that she’s found on the way. Visit, she decides, isn’t the right word to describe their arrangement considering that she lives there between jobs. It is an unspoken agreement that neither woman formally proposed, but Sadie thinks it may be better that way. No use in stating the obvious. Instead, there is a mutual understanding between the two that Sadie has never had with anyone else. Mary seems to know what Sadie wants, what she thinks before she knows herself, but Sadie is sure that today Mary will be none the wiser.

For the better part of the year, the two have kept each other company. After meeting once Sadie knocked on Mary’s door to deliver the news about Arthur’s unfortunate death, the pair found that they had more in common than either of them anticipated.

Sadie’s never been a woman of high society. From a little girl, growing up in the mountains without a pot to piss in nor a window to throw it out of, to marrying Jake and barely managing to make ends meet on the ranch, to joining the Van der Linde gang, Sadie has never had wealth. It is just now that she is starting to earn money by her own volition, bounty hunting and picking up whatever legal work she can when she is able. Mary has never experienced any of this, never known what it is like to go hungry, wear threadbare clothing, or sleep outside when the temperature is below freezing. It seems, though, that despite her being raised with a silver spoon in her mouth, life wasn’t at all as kind to her as it was to others. Still, she does not let her hardships get the best of her. Neither of them do. Sadie finds that all of her previous notions about Mary have been wiped clean - she is not one to flaunt or boast about what she had and instead she is humble and down to earth. This is what makes her Sadie’s kind of woman; Mary, too, has always yearned for home.

As Sadie nears Mary’s small house, nestled just north of Strawberry off of the river, she can see that Mary is already outside, pretending to fuss over her flower beds and trying to keep herself distracted until Sadie is closer. Sadie knows that Mary has already spotted her before Sadie could see her sun hat on the porch in the distance. It brings a smile to Sadie’s face, knowing that Mary has been awaiting her return today. It has made every minute of the long journey worth it.

A week or two ago, before Sadie and Hera started their trek back, Sadie sent a letter - no, an invitation - in the mail. After helping a journalist get his belongings back in San Denis, she was owed a favor that she wasn’t sure how to cash in on. The thought gathered dust in the back of her mind until she had finally decided what to do with it. It was a more difficult process than she thought, coming up with what she wanted and how she wanted it to look, but after pulling a few strings, Sadie was handed a printed piece of paper, one that looked like something one would received for an invitation for a fancy gathering, and she couldn’t do anything but grin, knowing Mary would love it.

The contents of the invitation weren’t anything extravagant by any means. No midnight ball, no fancy soiree rubbing elbows with the elites, but yet instead just a simple dinner here tonight at Mary’s table. To Sadie, however, it is more than just their usual supper; she plans to ask Mary to be her wife, her home. They are both more than aware that they will not be able to get married in the church before God as most couples do, but to Sadie, it doesn’t matter in the slightest. She doesn’t think it will matter to Mary either. To both of them, commitment is more important. Sadie would like to show her that despite all odds, her line of work, and their past lovers, she is willing to do anything for Mary and she will love her for as long as she continues to exist on this Earth. The bounty hunter isn’t quite sure about after though. She figures it might get messy when Jake, Arthur, and Barry get involved.

It isn’t long before Sadie rides up the pebbled path of the road up to Mary’s front porch and her heart skips a beat as Mary looks radiant as ever. She’s clad in one of her better dresses, something emerald green - Mary’s favorite color - that fastens behind the neck. This makes Sadie smile widen, knowing that the ring resting in her pocket is sure to make her swoon.

Sadie slows Hera to a stop, swinging her legs off of him and hitching him to the post. She’ll put him away in the makeshift stable where Mary’s horse, Nutmeg, resides later, but now she is too eager to see her woman, grinning from ear to ear as she makes her way over to Mary to gather her in her arms. Despite her shorter stature, she makes it there in only a few strides because Mary meets her in the middle, all too pleased to see Sadie return.

“Hi there, sweet girl.” Sadie says, wrapping her arms around Mary who giggles softly and returns the gesture.

“Hi yourself,” Mary says, inhaling softly. “You smell nice.”

Sadie murmurs a thanks into her neck. For once, Sadie does not smell of horse and earth, but of floral soap from the bath she stopped off to take earlier. The smell of woodsmoke will never leave her, but Mary has said that it brings her comfort. When they both let go, Sadie stands up on her tiptoes to kiss Mary’s cheek.

“I brought y’ somethin’ nice for dinner.” Sadie says, patting the leather bag slung over her shoulder.

“Oh, how lovely of you! C’mon inside.” And Sadie follows after her, the ring almost burning a hole in her pocket. She forces herself to take a deep breath, not wanting to jump the gun and spoil her surprise.

Out of a newly formed habit, Sadie kicks her boots off at the door and perches her hat on top of the coat rack. On socked feet, she pads across Mary’s floor before unceremoniously plopping her bag down on the dining table. Sadie reaches in and carefully pulls out a bouquet - an assortment of spring wildflowers and forget-me-nots, Mary’s favorite - before turning to Mary who blushes as she holds them out to her.

“Thought y’d like these.” Sadie says with a smile, feeling the ends of her ears turning red. Mary accepts them, and then leans down to place a chaste kiss on Sadie’s lips, which makes Sadie’s entire face bloom pink.

“These are wonderful, Sadie. Thank you.” She turns to look for something to put them in and Sadie finds herself trying to hide the dopey smile that tugs at her lips; the dichotomy between who Sadie is as an ex-outlaw turned bounty hunter and who she is as a lover is almost laughable.

Sadie busies herself with unpacking the rest of the things from her satchel, trying to quell the heat in her cheeks. For dinner, she paid good money for an entire smoked duck. It was pricey, but when it came to Mary, Sadie found money to be no object; ladies were to be spoiled and Sadie wouldn’t fall short of that. She’d never received an objection. She pulls out a few more items before turning to Mary.

“Alright,” Sadie says, “I got us roast duck, carrots and potatoes, bread and yer favorite wine.”

Mary smiles, surveying the items.

“Looks like we’re havin’ a feast then.” She says, taking the vegetables over to the cutting board near the sink to start chopping.

Sadie raises an eyebrow, following her.

“Whaddya think yer doin’?” She asks, hands on her hips.

“I’m… helpin’ you cook?” Mary answers, her brow furrowing in confusion. Sadie reaches over and plucks the knife from her hand, nudging Mary out of the way with her hip.

“Nuh uh. I’m the one that invited y’ t’ dinner, so I’m cookin’.” Sadie says, beginning to slice into a potato. She will admit that she’s not as efficient in the kitchen as Mary is, most of her meals are eaten from a cold can or a saloon, but she is determined to do it herself and refuses to let Mary lift a finger.

Mary tries to protest, but Sadie waves her off with a “Go on, leave me be, woman” and Mary sighs, shaking her head and leaving the kitchen. The blonde begins to work through the method that she had already devised in her head many times over. First vegetables, then heating the duck (she was immensely grateful that it was already cooked) and lastly, setting the table and pouring the wine. It seemed foolproof, unable for someone even as inexperienced as her to mess up.

The vegetable chopping goes off without a hitch and although it isn’t as neat and clean as it would be if Mary would’ve done it, Sadie is satisfied with her work as she sets them over the wood stove to cook. She tackles the duck next, carefully sitting it in the oven and praying to whatever entity that exists that it won’t burn. Pulling a white tablecloth from her bag, she drapes it over the table, places the vase of wildflowers in the middle with the candles that Mary keeps perched on the windowsill. Until the food is ready, she sits in the wooden chair, waiting.

When she begins to plate the food, Sadie curses as she realizes that a part of the duck was burnt and decides that she’ll just serve that small section to herself. She squeaks in surprise as a kiss is placed on her cheek.

“Smells delicious.” Mary says, eyeing the food. Sadie’s stomach growls in response and they both laugh.

“Let’s eat then, darlin’.”

The couple sits down at the table and Sadie tries her best to eat slowly. Mary, as ladylike as ever, takes her time, her nibbles small in comparison to the way Sadie chomps. They share polite conversation between chewing and Sadie finds the normalcy of dinner reminds her of the evenings she’d spent with Jake roughly a decade ago. It’s scared her, that she could once again have something akin to what she’d once had, that it could be ripped from her grasp yet again, but instead of running, Sadie wants to stay. She will stay.

Once they are done, Sadie stands to take the empty plates to put in the sink, and Mary allows her to, rewarding her chivalrous behavior with a kiss on the cheek that makes Sadie’s cheeks bloom pink for what must be the hundredth time tonight. As she’s clearing away the rest of the table, she is once again reminded of the ring, the sole goal of the entire date. Sadie’s hands feel clammy, the room becomes far too warm for spring as the proposal is imminent. She shakes her head to cast her nerves aside, but notices Mary looking over at the mantle of her fireplace. Many of her trinkets lie there, the ones that Sadie has gifted her, arranged neatly as though Mary is proud of them. Sadie moves over to her, wrapping an arm around her waist.

“Yer thinkin’ ‘bout somethin’, what is it?” Sadie asks, resting her cheek against Mary’s shoulder. She isn’t quite tall enough to rest her chin there, but this does just fine.

“Oh, I don’t mean to sound… ungrateful…” Mary starts, blushing out of embarrassment. “But you usually bring somethin’ back for me when you come ho— to visit. I was lookin’ forward to it, is all.”

There’s the word again, home. It gives Sadie a flutter of hope, thankful that Mary’s unknowingly addressed the elephant in the room and she no longer has to stress about how the rest of the evening will progress. She smiles, kissing Mary’s cheek.

“I’ve got ya spoiled, don’t I?” Sadie jokes, and Mary returns a sly smile of her own.

“Maybe a little,” She starts, “But if you didn’t bring anything then—“

“‘Course I brought you somethin’ home, sweet girl.” Sadie says, startled by her own use of the word “home”. It comes with ease, more so than she had expected. She doesn’t correct herself.

Sadie leads Mary over to the couch, sitting her down. Mary glows with excitement, but sits politely, poised elegantly as she waits for Sadie to produce something special. The bounty hunter plops down next to her, her hand subconsciously fidgeting with the end of her braid, a nervous habit she’s always had. Mary picks up on it.

“Everything okay?” She asks, reaching to take Sadie’s hand away from her hair. Mary runs her fingers over the weathered and calloused skin of Sadie’s palm, the contrast stark between the softness of her own. Sadie takes a deep breath before speaking.

“I do have a gift for ya, but ‘fore I give it to ya, I just had some stuff I wanted t’ say.” Sadie says, her free hand moving to her pocket to finger the ring. “I-I think… I’m ready t’ start settlin’ down again. I didn’t ever think I would ever have another home after Jake, but meetin’ ya made a world of difference.”

Sadie stands from the couch, pulling the ring from her pocket and kneeling in front of Mary. It glistens in the evening sunlight that streams in from the window - a round emerald inlaid in gold. Sadie had bought it from a jeweler in San Denis, the hefty price tag not mattering one bit as she’d slapped her money on the counter as soon as she spotted it. Mary gasps, her hands covering her mouth as Sadie continues.

“I spent a long time lookin’ for somethin’ I knew ya’d like. I know we can’t get proper married in the church or nothin’, but I-I love ya, Mary. I want this— yew, t’ be my home an—“

Mary surges forward, fisting her hands in Sadie’s collar and kissing her hard. Sadie hums in surprise, but melts into the kiss before Mary pulls back, her eyes shining with tears.

“Of course I’ll marry you, Sadie.” She says, and Sadie can’t help but kiss her again and again and again until they are both breathless and giggling.

Mary holds out her left hand, and Sadie slips the ring on her finger, silently celebrating that it fits perfectly; it seems that borrowing one of Mary’s other rings in secret to match the size had paid off. She admires it for the longest, demanding to know the details of where Sadie had gotten it, what made her decide it was the one and so many other small things that made Sadie grin as she rolled her eyes, but readily answered.

For the rest of the night, Mary excitedly chatters about their wedding - who they’ll invite (a small, but meaningful list), what they’ll wear, and everything else in between. She doesn’t stop until they’re in bed, full and yawning, nestled under the soft covers of her wooden bed. Sadie kisses the mole on her cheek, Mary still trying to hang on and fight the clutches of sleep for more time to spend with her lover. Sadie assures her that she will be there in the morning, be there forever, and it seems to be enough to satisfy Mary as she settles into sleep, resting her head against Sadie’s chest to listen to her heartbeat.