A:N/ Thank you for your review, Jane St. Valentine! Also, thanks for the tip!


Another night, another party.

Annabelle made sure that her corset was tight as she left the powder room. She knew that she almost had that Commander David Lee at the palm of her hand. He already gave her about ten dollars for the powder room, and she only had to use a dollar. She sighed and slightly winced at the sound of her brother's scolding her in her mind, but she brushed it off as she went back outside to the loud noises and music.

She was trying to make her way through the crowd when a sudden man groped her from behind. Annabelle mentally prepared herself as she turned around to try and flirtatiously warn the man not to touch her, but the man was starting to get…ambitious.

She was starting to lose her smile as she struggled against the man until she stepped on his foot. The man cursed at her as he let her go, and she ran out of the venue, forgetting the fact that the Commander was looking for her.

As she reached outside the venue, she began to gasp for air. It wasn't long before the tears followed and she began to sob quietly as she placed a hand on her chest to calm herself down.

She took a moment before gathering her bearings and walking back towards the venue, hoping that the Commander's attentions wouldn't be elsewhere.


The Commander moved on to a busty blonde, and Annabelle silently reprimanded herself as she turned to walk towards an empty table.

She sat down, and she pulled the cash from inside her dress and counted it.

She was short.

Her brother was going to be angry.

She sighed, and she laid her head against the wooden wall next to her.

She closed her eyes for just a moment, losing herself in the slow music that suddenly started to play. She was immediately taken back to Paris, to when her mother used to sing lullabies and her father would brush her hair.

She began to sing softly as she smiled at the bittersweet memories that filled her mind.

A handkerchief was being offered to her, and Annabelle looked up in surprise.

She was greeted by a shy-looking young man, who didn't seem that much older than her. He barely had any facial hair on him, and his Army uniform was new looking compared to the Commanders and other high-ranking officials. He was a low-class army man, probably a recruit. He had a nice, square jaw and high cheekbones that marked him as handsome. A little boyish, but handsome nonetheless. Yet, what caught her attention was his kind green eyes.

She accepted the handkerchief, gently.

"Are you okay, Miss?" His voice was soft, and Annabelle appreciated the tone of his voice. It wasn't gruff like the others nor obnoxious like the drunkards.

Annabelle smiled softly at him, and she could see that she must be attractive to him because he flushed slightly and looked away for just a mere second.

"I didn't realize I had been crying. Thank you." Annabelle thanked.

The young man nodded, quickly, and he even looked away in respect as Annabelle dabbed her face as she checked her reflection through a reflective surface next to the table.

"You must be new." Annabelle offered, still dabbing away at her face.

"I'm sorry?" The young man asked, a bit taken aback.

Annabelle couldn't help but smile at his shyness.

"Your uniform. I notice that it's not like others who have been around longer." Annabelle motioned towards him.

"Oh, yes." He replied, sheepishly.

Annabelle laughed, "No need to be ashamed. I think it's rather brave of you."

Much to what she suspected, the man flushed and she smiled even wider, amused.

"Well, I must be going. Thank you for your kindness." Annabelle stated, getting up.

She nodded towards him, and before she could even take a step, he said something that made her pause.

"You have a beautiful voice."

Annabelle felt her heart clench at that, and she couldn't help but smile as she turned to face him.

"And you have a kind soul."

With that said, Annabelle turned back around and left the venue, feeling better than she's ever been for such a long time.


Annabelle sighed as she turned around during the dance and faced the wall for just a moment. She placed the smile on her face that she had perfected as the soldier brought her back in his arms.

When the song ended, she was more than grateful to return into the shadows of the venue to take a breather.

She sat down at the bar, noticing that it was empty in one side as women flocked to where the soldiers were.

She was gaining competition, but she didn't falter. She knew that men loved challenging women, and she was the one that didn't offer her assets as quickly as these women were doing.

She didn't want to judge and she didn't want to pride herself in that, but of course, here she was being the biggest hypocrite of them all.

She ordered a drink from the bartender.

She didn't care if her brother would yell at her for wasting money.

She earned it, so she deserved it. Too bad that the drink became three.

"Hello, Miss." A voice greeted her as she took the first sip of her third drink.

She turned to her side, and she couldn't help but laugh.

It was the young man with the kind green eyes.

"Well, hello." She greeted with a salute of her glass. The young man smiled, and it warmed Annabelle's heart how…genuine it seemed. That or she was obviously starting to feel the effect of the alcohol.

"No more tears, I see." The young man stated, motioning towards her face, awkwardly.

"I switched to drinking it away." Annabelle replied, cheekily.

That seemed to make the young man widen his eyes slightly, but his smile was still on his face.

"Are you enjoying your night this time?" The young man asked her.

"Since it involves pain-numbing beverages, I assure you that I am." Annabelle giggled.

She enjoyed watching the young man next to her fidget a little, but she wanted to make sure he didn't feel worried around her so she placed a reassuring hand on his fidgeting ones, which made him still.

"I'm sorry, it seems that I've drunken a bit too much. If I seem unkind or forward, I apologize." Annabelle said, softly.

It was the young man's turn to chuckle after a moment.

"It's refreshing, Miss. Where I come from, women can handle their alcohol far better than the men. Yet, here, I'm sure that women don't even touch it. You seem unafraid." The young man stated, patting her hand, gently.

Annabelle raised an eyebrow at him, and the young man seemed to remember what he was doing and he sheepishly took his hand away.

"Is it that much different in America?" Annabelle asked, changing the subject to get the young man comfortable in her presence as she smiled in her glass.

"In my area, yes. London seems a bit…secretive."

"Is there something wrong with that?"

"Not at all. It has a certain charm."

"Charm." Annabelle mused, remembering her argument with her brother. She frowned after a moment.

"I'm sorry if I offended you about your hometown, Miss. I assure you—"

"I'm not from here." Annabelle interrupted him with a wave of her hand.

"Oh, if you don't mind me asking, where are you from?"

Annabelle laughed as she cocked her head to the side as she stared at the young man, "Such a forward man you are."

The young man flushed.

Annabelle got up and she placed something before him, which surprised the young man.

"Thank you for the handkerchief." Annabelle whispered, softly, before starting to walk away.

After two steps, Annabelle turned around and she noticed that the young man had been staring at her.

"I was born in Paris, Mr…?"

"DeWitt. Booker DeWitt." The young man answered, the smile on his face starting to grow.

"Charmed, Mr. DeWitt." Annabelle stated, teasingly.

Annabelle turned around and began to walk once more.

"And yours, Miss?" She could hear his voice call out to her.

She didn't even bother to turn around as she answered him.

"Annabelle. Annabelle Watson."

She hid her smile behind her hand as she could hear him whisper her name to himself.


A:N/ Here's an update!