When Miles told her to keep an eye on the Nevilles, Charlie never guessed it would lead to this. They were supposed to be buying food for their growing band of warriors while Miles and Rachel bought more ammunition. No one had counted on the impact Julia would have on the trip. Jason and Tom had settled on the velvet cushioned, ornately carved chairs comprising a sitting area near the dressing rooms. Charlie and Julia were browsing dresses. At least Julia was. Charlie couldn't recall the last time she'd worn a dress and couldn't think of the next time she might. Even as a small child she'd been more of a tomboy, preferring clothes that allowed movement and resisted tearing to delicate lace and bows.

She had a girly side of course, had worn dresses when the moment called for it. She'd worn a dress on her first date. She'd been fourteen and one of the two boys in town her age had asked her if she'd sit by him at the fall festival. It was a small village. She knew what it was and so did the rest of the town. She'd washed her hair, worn a dress, and sat uncomfortably beside him in silence as they'd eaten apple pie and roasted pumpkin soup under the watchful eye of fifty bored adults glad to finally have something new to talk about and an excuse to reminisce about their own first dates. He'd told her she was pretty when she dressed up, as if that was something that should matter to her.

Her annoyance grew with each scrape of a hanger along the metal rod as she flicked past progressively more useless items and shoved the rejects away. Her eyes slid over to Jason and she realized he'd never seen her in a dress. She suspected he might never have seen his mother in anything else. No wonder he found Charlie fascinating. Julia presented another purple shift for her approval and Charlie smiled and nodded, trying to feign interest.

It was Jason who had her attention. She kept sliding the dresses along the rail one by one to avoid getting caught watching him. He looked even larger and more worn by the elements than usual in this setting, but he looked relaxed despite perching on the edge of the uncomfortable chair, and his big hands handled the tiny tea cup with ease. The shopgirl refilled his tea, overfilled it really, and when he picked it up he didn't spill a drop. He gave Charlie a wink, so quick she wasn't even certain it was a wink instead of a twitch until he nodded towards the dress in her hand.

It was an A line cut, smaller at the top and full at the bottom, made from a light-weight, flowing white fabric that shimmered as she shook it. The top was a boatneck, functional and similar to the tanktops she always wore, but made delicate by the pearls sewn around the collar. She touched one, spinning it around the threads that held it to the fabric, and her other hand came to rest against her belly as his words last night echoed in her mind.

"I've been at war most of my life. I've been to weddings. I've held babies. It's the things you're afraid to do that make it worth living through. We could get married, Charlie. Make a family, make a life."

She'd have walked away from him if she hadn't been naked and pinned against a tree. She wasn't a cuddler by nature, not anymore, but with her legs still wrapped around him like a koala and her emotional shield frayed, she'd cried and told him everything. Almost everything anyway. Everything she ever intended to tell anyone. She felt more exposed than simple nudity could ever accomplish, but she still didn't believe he really saw her for who she was. He couldn't.

When he'd said it again this morning, it wasn't we "could" get married. It was "we'll get married and we'll be happy" and he'd smiled as he said it. He'd pulled her tighter against him, and the kiss he'd planted in her hair had made her feel protected, like when they'd closed the community gates at night in Wisconsin. The safety of home had been an illusion, but what he'd offered had felt real. She'd already known he loved her, or at least loved who he thought she was. She hadn't known how much. He would be whoever she needed him to be. The choice was hers.

Now she let herself think about it again. Jason had covered her back when she was strong and held her up when she was weak. He'd taught her to survive and how to live with what she'd done when they were rebels together. Now he wanted to do it again and forever. She tried to picture them together in ten years and couldn't do it. She could picture him holding a baby though. Their baby. He'd be the kind of father who changed diapers and kissed scraped knees. He'd be like her dad. She couldn't wish for better for her children, although she thought she didn't really want them. It didn't really matter. If you had enough sex, eventually the odds just caught you.

"Is that a wedding dress?" Julia gasped. She was uncomfortably close and shoving her way into the rack to study the dress. "Are you looking at wedding dresses?"

"What? No," Charlie insisted.

"Then why are you touching that?"

"I don't know. It's pretty."

Julia's eyes ran up and down Charlie, noting in particular the hand on her stomach. She cast a quick glance at her son, squared her shoulders, blinked slowly once, and forced on an expression she probably thought looked happy.

"So," she said. "You're the girl who's going to marry Jason." Her smile was thin and tight as she pushed on. "Well isn't this just wonderful news. I've wondered when I'd get a daughter-in-law. You'll do it before we head to Washington, of course. Tom and I only have one living child and it's important that this be done properly."

Charlie blinked and held back a laugh. "Properly. Of course," she agreed.

"I'm glad we're agreed. How fortunate that your family and Jason's are both all along on this little shopping trip together. I'll go make the arrangements."

"Arrangements?" Charlie asked.

"We're leaving tomorrow. It will need to be done today." Julia's eyes ran over Charlie like a bully looking for a target. "Yes, today. Clearly the sooner the better."

Julia crossed the room and stopped in front of Tom, leaning down to whisper in his ear. Tom reached in his pocket, drew out a leather drawstring pouch, and pulled out a pinch of diamonds. With a distinctly unhappy expression he handed them to Jason before rising and following Julia out of the store.

After the door closed behind them, Jason crossed the room to Charlie. "I can't believe you told my mom before you told me."

"What's going on? Where are they going?" Charlie asked.

"To plan the wedding," he answered.

"The wedding?"

"We're still meeting Miles and your mom in two hours. My dad will be there with further instructions."

"Further instructions about what?" Charlie asked.

"I have orders not to let you leave here without a dress, Charlie. You told her we're getting married today."