James and Sarah were walking easily down the street. Heri had run ahead, hoping to charm some food out of the store owners before either one of the older reporters could catch him at it. The two were arguing over the paper, over what should be put first, over whose article was more worthy.
They were arguing so loud they hardly noticed the girl trying to get their attention. She was trying to hail them from one of the many taverns that they both knew Mr. Franklin frequented.
James noticed her first, the blonde tendrils of hair that surrounded her face, the way her dress was wet in front. He paused as she ran towards them "You two, Mr. Franklin's apprentices?" She asked, her accent was a bit off, not quite English, or American, least not that either one could identify.
Sarah turned to her, hands on her hips. "We are reporters who write for Mr. Franklin's newspaper." She said, her green eyes lighting up with the pride of the words.
"Well I have news that needs to be brought to Mr. Franklin immediately." She said, wiping the sweat of the hot July sun off of her forehead.
James nodded. "We'll bring it to him. Don't you worry. Who sends this news?"
The girl raised an eyebrow, shaking her head. "I mean, its only his business."
"We've brought many secrets to him, we're trustworthy."
"Look, I don't think this really concerns you. The owner of the City Tavern just needs to see him."
"Look, if the information you have is so important, why don't you tell us and we can inform him right away." Sarah said easily, she looked over at a market stall "Oh Henri!" She stamped her foot and shook her head "I'll be right back, Henri is annoying the shopkeepers again."
James nodded, he turned again to the girl "Why won't you tell me this information. I'm sure that I can take care of it."
The girl nodded "Alright, have you got the afternoon free?"
"I'm sure Sarah can take care of what needs doing" He said, and after Sarah brought back a complaining Henri she confirmed that her and Henri could accompany Mr. Franklin to Independence hall that afternoon.
"So what is your name?" James asked the girl as she lead him into the courtyard of City Tavern.
"Elizabeth" She said letting her hair down as a breeze rustled the branches of the trees above her.
James blinked, this wasn't how most girls acted, "I'm James Hiller. And what was the pressing business that needed to be done."
"Mr. Franklin hasn't paid his tab in quite a while. You're gunna be working it off for him." She smiled, shaking her head and brushing her hair with her fingers before pulling it back in a sloppy bow. "I never can get this right." She sighed as the bow slipped down in the ponytail she wore. James blinked as he looked at her hair, of course she couldn't, the bow was tied far too loose, didn't she know anything.
James shook his head "What?" He glared at her. "Why should I?"
"You said you would take care of it." She said "I assumed you knew what I was talking about."
"How could you think a tab is of pressing importance?"
"If no one pays their bills then I don't get paid" She said, hand on her hip thumb hooked into the drawstring of the apron. "Mr. Franklin hasn't paid his in a few months."
"But with all that is going on in the world! I mean look around you. These are times that will change the world!" James shook his head amazed. "How can you concern your self with petty things like bills?"
Elizabeth looked over at him, shaking her head, the movement causing more of her hair to fall out of the loose bow. "All times change the world." She said "Come on, you're gunna help me do dishes."
James sighed "I suppose by now Sarah has told Mr. Franklin I won't be attending the event at Independence Hall so I may as well put my time to used."
"Come on then" She said rolling her eyes. "Its not as though anything important will be happening today."
"You're right, they meet a lot for no reason at all." James sighed as she lead him into a basement, several tubs of water were set up and there was leftover food and stacks of plates left around.
"Help yourself as we clean" She said "One of the perks of the job."
"Perks?" He raised an eyebrow as Elizabeth shrugged.
A tall man came downstairs "Lizzy, I've told you again and again, no male visitors."
"This is Mr. Franklin's apprentice, he's working off Mr. Franklin's tab" James nodded, still a little peeved.
"Well then. Put him to work."
James spent the rest of the afternoon washing dishes. When Sarah found him he looked exhausted, leaning against a wall on a short break.
"It was amazing!" She said, Henri was busy eating the leftover food. "They all signed it. Even I felt the excitement in the air. Doesn't make it any less treasonous but still. Mr. Jefferson has done an excellent job writing a concise list of grievances. Mr. Franklin hopes though, that he will be able to mend ties between our two great nations!"
"I missed that?" James stood up, angry as he shook his head. "I missed that to get slopped with soap and water for six hours!"
"You're still working" Elizabeth said, shaking her head and tossing a dish rag at him. He wasn't expecting it and it splattered across his chest, soaking his vest.
Sarah blushed and shook her head as she ran back up stairs with Henri to join in the party.
James slid down against the cool wall. "I can't believe I missed it."
Elizabeth sighed walking over to him and leaning in front of him, she put her hand on his chin tilting it up. "You did what needed to be done." She whispered.
James looked up at her, the hair that had almost completely fallen out of the bow she'd retied only moments ago, the slight tan she had, the rose red of the burn on her nose. The way her lips were chapped. "But I needed to be there too."
"James it might not always seem it, but the mundane stuff needs to be done as well. If you hadn't come here, then Mr. Franklin wouldn't be allowed in without paying. Just imagine how embarrassing that would have been for him.
"But I missed the signing of such an important document. How will people know what it says?"
"It'll be posted." She whispered, "Children will have to memorize it, it will inspire a holiday on this day for hundreds of years after."
"Unless we loose." James pointed out.
"No way will we." Elizabeth shook her head. James gulped, never having been so close to a girl besides Sarah before. He looked at her, his eyes flicking over her face, breath shallow. James looked almost scared, he could hear the certainty in her voice, a strong chord that he hadn't heard in anyone elses. The sound of her voice gave him courage, he reached out, his hand shaking slightly and stroked Elizabeth's hair back.
"How can you know that?" He whispered, looking at her, the fact that her eyes were so blue startled him, that her skin didn't look healthy with the tan that rested on it, the way that Sarah's did after a long time in the sun. The way that she was drenched in soapy water and really didn't seem to care. She's different from Sarah, different in that she is looking at him in a darker way then she ever has. Different in that she knows things.
"Just trust me. I do." She whispered, leaning in, a slight smile on her face "anyway, its not like it means anything" She smiled. "Just wait. It all gets better from here."
"It does?" James questioned, raising an eyebrow as he undid the bow in Elizabeth's hair, the blonde locks fell down, none of them the same length as she looked at him, smiling. He couldn't really believe her, he couldn't see a world without the victory that America needed, but he also couldn't see anything with her eyes. So confidant, and how could anything be better then the highly treasonous but well written words of Mr. Jefferson. Her hand stroked down his face lightly, the movement startled him out of his thoughts and as he looked up he saw her smile slightly.
"Yes." She whispered, leaning forward, her lips catching James'.
James gulped, unsure what to do as her lips pressed against his. Her hair fell over her shoulder as she pulled back her eyes inspecting his. "It gets better?"
"And you'll see it all" She promised in her weird anglo american accent as she kissed him again.
Author's notes: So I live in Philly. Yeah, I work in the area where all this shit went down, in fact I work less then 2 blocks from Franklin's print shoppe. And me and my dishwashing partner reflected that if we worked in City Tavern, we'd be doing almost exactly what other girls did at the Revolutionary War. Washing dishes. So that put a little thought into my head that I hope came out. What if someone went back in time, but it hardly affected them, as in they didn't get all angsty or anything about it. Just knew what was happening and kept on working. And what if with James' flare for the dramatic a simple "you need to pay your tab" stopped James from attending the signing of the declaration of independence. And what if he was able to learn that it didn't matter. The reason Elizabeth kisses him is purely modern, she's attracted to him, and she can feel he is slightly to her. So she goes for it. wee!
Please reveiw, I'm not sure if I like it, so please if you do or don't, i really want to know.