~Boston Tea Party~

"Hurry! They'll catch us unless you hurry up!" Alfred's right-hand man, Joshua yelled. The men ran off the ship as fast as they could. Some just jumped into the icy waters of the sea to escape quickly enough.

"Get back here! HALT, in the name of the law!" a red coat soldier yelled. Alfred turned his head to face the man and stuck his tongue out. He and Joshua continued running.

"Heh! We sure showed them!" Joshua said, oblivious to what they were starting. Alfred nodded. The pair ran into the Harris household and were greeted by Joshua's mother.

"Where have you boys been? Curfew was at dark! You know you aren't supposed to roam the streets at night! I have been worried sick!" Joshua's mother started yelling at the two. As she continued to rant Joseph tried to calm her down. Alfred went into the kitchen and started to look for dinner.

"Hey Mrs. H! What's for dinner?" Alfred called from the kitchen. This distracted her and for that Joshua was grateful, he didn't think his ears could stand much more yelling.

"Alfred F. Jones, you eat more than the whole town combined. How are you so thin?" Mrs. Harris said, dumbfounded. Alfred smiled and Mrs. Harris blushed. His smile made every girl, no matter how old or young feel their pulse quicken, always had.

"I don't know Mrs. Harris, maybe I was born skinny." Alfred said shrugging. Mrs. Harris laughed and patted Alfred on the back.

"Why don't you two trouble makers go on off to bed?" Mrs. Harris laughed. Alfred and Joshua trudged up the stairs. Joshua looked at Alfred worried as soon as they entered the room they shared.

"Hey, Al. Do you think she knows anything?" Joshua asked, pale-faced. Alfred's eyes widened. If Mrs. Harris knew anything, wouldn't she whip them or worse turn them into the red coats?

"Don't worry, Josh. If your Mother knew anything we would've already been whipped or worse…" Al said his eyes roaming the room. Joshua paled more, if that was possible.

"A-Al, you don't think they'll find us do you?" Joshua asked, trying and failing to conceal the fear in his voice. Al laughed.

"Where'd all your bravery go? While we were running you were calling grown men cowards! Don't tell me you're scared now…" Al said teasingly. They both had reason to be afraid, and Alfred knew that. After the Boston Massacre what they had done that night was practically a death wish.

"I-I'm not scared! No sacrifice is too great for my country! But if mom knew she would have a cow! Dad being gone and Joseph being… you know… doesn't help matters any though!" the younger boy said with indignation. Al laughed again and went to pat his friend on the back.

"Don't worry; they won't catch us because I'm a genius." Al said arrogantly. Joshua looked at him dubiously, but laughed anyhow. The boys stripped down to their trousers and then put on their pajamas. Joshua cast one more worried glance at Alfred before deciding that perhaps Alfred was right, maybe they didn't have anything to worry about. They could just continue their daily lives and forget the incident ever happened. Joshua went to sleep happily knowing that everything would be alright because Alfred said it would be, and that his Father would be coming home soon from Philadelphia and they would all live happily because of that.

~The day After the Boston Tea Party~

"Open up, in the name of the king!" was the yelling that Joshua and Alfred awoke to. After, as quickly as humanly possible, changing into their day clothes the boys went downstairs. When they arrived in the main room Joshua's mother looked at them frightened, like if they should have just stayed asleep.

"That's him! He was the one I saw!" a small framed man yelled pointing at Joshua. Two red coats made their way to Joshua. The brunet squirmed and struggled but was no match for the two soldiers holding him back.

"W-what are you talking about? My boy was in before curfew last night I don't see how he could have been involved in such shenanigans!" Mrs. Harris almost shrieked at the man who had accused her son of what most Englishmen would call treachery. Alfred was conflicted. He wanted to help his friend, he had promised that they would both be alright after all, but what would Arthur do if he discovered that his Little America was in prison? He would surely do more than what Mrs. Harris would do to Joshua. But it would certainly be less than what these soldiers would do to Joshua. Alfred stepped forward.

"This man is lying! Joshua arrived home before I did yesterday!" Alfred yelled to the man that seemed to be the leader of the Red Coats present. The man smirked at him.

"Oh, really? Then how come this man saw a boy entering this house after curfew last night?" the Red Coat smirked at him. He though that Alfred wouldn't be able to come up with a suitable answer.

"Because that boy was me! I was there not Joshua! Mrs. Harris shouldn't have let me in but she did so because my… 'Father' asked her to take good care of me! Take me instead of Joshua!" Alfred yelled at the men holding his friend, at the man who seemed to be in charge, at the man who accused his friend of being out after curfew last night and lastly, he said it to dear old Mrs. Harris. Her eldest son was already dead she certainly didn't need her youngest in prison while waiting for her husband to come home.

The men looked more than happy to let go of Joshua and to take Alfred instead. Joshua was skinny and he looked like he could hardly carry the clothes on his back, which was not at all true Joshua could carry more than most grown men, while Alfred was tall and muscular he was more likely to have been able to carry the crates and dump them overboard. The men dragged Alfred out the door, not that they had to put much effort into it considering the fact that Alfred had turned himself in and was walking to the door and following the man that seemed to be the superior on his own.


A/N:This is 9LRCenturion's birthday present. I know I'm early ^^' Really early. It's not even October yet XD. So Happy Early Birthday. And for everyone else reading this I hope you enjoy this. And although faves and story alerts are really heartwarming reviews are better. They tell me what you liked so I can continue to do whatever that is and change whatever you didn't.