A:N/ Here you go!


The open air had never felt so wonderful as she took a deep breath.

The excited chatter around her as people conversed on the deck made Annabelle warm inside. Something she hadn't felt in such a long time. She could hear the birds cry as they flew above the ship, signaling that they were close to land. It had been a couple of days on the ship, and Annabelle had bouts of seasickness from time to time.

Mr. DeWitt had been quiet most of the times. He had immediately offered his room to her just so she had a place to stay. She had questioned him on where he would stay, but he was adamant on not letting her worry about it.

He may be shy, but Annabelle knew that Mr. DeWitt was a mysterious man when it came to deeper subjects.

For example, he must think her interesting as they both stood on the deck, looking at the sky.

Annabelle could tell that Booker's gaze was on her as she leaned against the railing as the ship sailed. There were people around them on the deck, but Annabelle was focused on trying not to get any attention on her. If anyone found out who she was, she would be in big trouble.

"I know you have questions, Mr. DeWitt, but I assure you that I'm not in some sort of trouble. I just needed a change of pace, that's all." Annabelle reassured the man, placing a gentle hand on his arm as he stared at her, questioningly.

Mr. DeWitt didn't say anything as he kept on staring blankly at her, and Annabelle watched as he gently pushed her hand away as he leaned on the railing and folded his hands. He sighed, and he ran a hand through his auburn hair.

"Miss Watson, I hope you know what you're doing. Do you have a plan once we land?" Mr. DeWitt finally asked, facing her.

Annabelle nodded, slowly, remembering that she had been thinking about what her plan was as soon as she got on the ship.

But before she could say anything, a soldier patted Mr. DeWitt on his back, and Annabelle immediately looked at the water, trying very hard to hide her face under the hat she had been wearing.

"DeWitt! We're just about to start another game of poker. How about joining us?" The soldier asked, heartily.

"Ah, no thanks, Dave. I'm going to dinner soon, and poker would just be a distraction at this point." Mr. DeWitt replied, with a chuckle.

"Oh? Dinner with this lady friend of yours, I assume?" The soldier teased, and before she knew it, the soldier was trying to get a good look of her face.

"A shy one, aren't you?" The soldier mused as Annabelle still had her head bowed as she tried to mask her anxiety with soft giggles.

Annabelle made the mistake of looking up a bit, and she could see the soldier's face grow confused.

"Have we met before, Miss?" The soldier asked.

The dinner bell began to ring, and Annabelle was saved as Mr. DeWitt quickly excused themselves, leaving the confused soldier on the deck.

"That was a close one." Mr. DeWitt said through gritted teeth as they were saved by the crowd forming as the all entered the dinner hall.

The image of the soldier's confused face was still in Annabelle's mind as she took a deep breath, "Let's go to dinner, shall we?"


Annabelle raised an eyebrow as she noticed that Mr. DeWitt seemed to be a bit uneasy when she forced him to sit with her at a formal table.

"Miss Watson, I— "

"Sit, Mr. DeWitt. It's my treat tonight. It's a part of my thank you for helping me out so far." Annabelle reassured the man with a small smile as she thanked the waiter for giving them their menus.

"What about when you land?" Mr. DeWitt asked, bringing back the attention to his earlier question.

Annabelle shrugged as she looked at the menu, "I'll figure it out. Besides, I have enough money to take care of myself."

Mr. DeWitt looked at her with concern and he began to fidget with his silverware. Annabelle didn't push him on the subject as the waiter came by to their order. After that was done, Annabelle placed a hand over his in reassurance.

"Whatever it is that you want to tell me, you can, Mr. DeWitt. I believe we're now pass the whole politeness stage if you ask me." Annabelle teased.

Mr. DeWitt looked up at her, and Annabelle was taken aback slightly by the look in those usual kind green eyes.

She withdrew her hand before she knew what she was doing herself.

There was a certain intenseness that Anabelle saw that she wasn't used to seeing when it came to the usual timid man.

"You can come with me. My hometown is small and quaint. They don't usually get news there, so you'll be safe. I can help you get set up, and…I just want to make sure you're going to be fine, Miss Watson. I won't question what you're trying to do, but it'll ease my soul I could help a bit." Mr. DeWitt answered, his tone soft yet earnest.

Annabelle couldn't help but smile widely after a moment of shocked surprise.

"You really are kind, Mr. DeWitt. I would love your help." Annabelle accepted, graciously.

The waiter came around with their food and wine. Annabelle couldn't help but smile at Mr. DeWitt's scrunched up reaction to the wine.

"You're not used to wine, I assume?" Annabelle asked him.

Mr. DeWitt picked up his glass in distaste as he looked at the liquid.

"I'm used to…stronger tastes."

Annabelle's laughed and for once, it felt real.


Mr. DeWitt walked her back to his room, the one he had offered her days ago, and Annabelle smiled as he wished her a goodnight. Before she closed the door, she called out to him. He turned around and Annabelle noticed how there was a small, shy smile on his face and that made her feel a little safer than she had felt in years.

"Thank you, Mr. DeWitt."

Mr. DeWitt's smile grew just a little more and he nodded his head in acknowledgement.

Annabelle closed her door, softly and she walked away to get ready for bed. That's until she started to hear loud voices through the thin wall.

She walked back towards the door and she pressed her ear against it. She could make out Mr. DeWitt's voice, but she couldn't make out the other voice. She opened her door, slowly and gently, and that's when she could finally make out the conversation.

"DeWitt, are you insane? You do know who that woman is. That's our Commander's betrothed. Do you already want to mess up when you're finally already in the Army?" Someone asked. Annabelle realized it was that soldier who had noticed them earlier, the one named Dave.

"Dave, I can't just ignore her. We're…acquaintances. Besides, she came to me for help. Isn't that our duty? To help— "

"Oh, please. DeWitt, we don't help people. We kill people. We're soldiers, not caretakers. I don't want your ass on risky waters. Find a way to rid yourself of this problem before the papers and gossip get wind of who is on this boat."

Annabelle could hear some shuffling, and she knew it was them walking away. She shut her door, softly, and she slid down onto the floor as she contemplated the soldier's words to DeWitt.

Dave was right.

If anyone caught her, she wouldn't be the only one in massive trouble. Mr. DeWitt would be as well. Kind, sweet man that he was and Annabelle couldn't do that to him.

With a heavy heart and wistful sighing, Annabelle rummaged in the desk provided in the room and pulled out a piece of paper and a pen.

She began to write.


The ship had landed, and Annabelle felt slightly off-balanced as she took her first step on land.

America.

She tried her best not to look behind her. She left Mr. DeWitt a note, and she hoped he understood. He was going to get in trouble if she had stayed, and she wasn't about to ruin someone's life all because of her selfishness. Besides, Mr. DeWitt was a man who deserved to enjoy his rest before he rode off into war.

She couldn't help but be bittersweet about it. She had thought him a kind friend, and she hoped all the best for him.

The docks were right next to the place called New York City, and Annabelle had remembered the soldiers talking about how great and loud the city was. Yet, Annabelle wasn't even sure where to go to even enter the city. She had instead opted for trying to get a job maybe around the docks and finding some sort of lodging before she made steps to doing…well, anything.

She had never been free before.

She had been told what to do since she was a child, so having freedom was…liberating.

Annabelle sighed in happiness at the thought of it. She hadn't realized that she was free to do what she wanted. She was so enwrapped with trying to get away from her life that she hadn't realized that she just gained her life back.

She was so caught up in her thoughts that she realized that everyone was now flocking to get off the ship, so Annabelle scurried to get out of sight. She came across a lodging place, and she walked inside in awe.

She noticed an old woman looking at her warily.

"Hello, I'm looking for a place to stay. I have money if that's what you require." Annabelle stated, coming up to the woman and showing her how much she had.

The straight-faced woman looked Annabelle up and down before nodding with a grunt as she accepted the money and counted.

"Find work, Miss. This money won't last you. I'll give you a week to find work. If you don't, I'm kicking you out of here." The woman finally stated.

Annabelle winced, inwardly at the woman's gruffness, but she nodded, obediently, before letting the woman show where she was going to stay.


"I assure you that-"

"Look, Miss, you're pretty and I bet you have a good head on your shoulders, but I don't have any work for you here. I'm barely surviving by just hiring a delivery boy. I'm sorry."

Annabelle nodded at the robust man, and she bowed her head as she walked away, a bit defeated.

The week was almost up.

Annabelle had thought she would be able to come up with some work. The convent had taught her to basic stuff, yet it wasn't good enough for her to try and find work in America. She had been learning it the hard way when every door slammed in her face. The old woman was also starting to get impatient, even scoffing at Annabelle when she had pleaded for another week.

Annabelle felt her stomach growl, and she moaned, softly. She had sold her jewelry to have money for food, but that also was gone and Annabelle only had the clothes on her back at this point.

She had nothing.

With a tired sigh, Annabelle felt her vision getting blurry as she sat down on a bench. Tears fell on her face as she felt her body grow weary.

It wasn't long before everything went black.


The smell of incense and rosewater filled Annabelle's nose as she woke up groggily.

"Where am I?" She managed to ask as she tried to look around. She was greeted by a very pretty face as the woman's red lips formed into a smile.

"Good morning, darling. It's good that you're up, I was beginning to worry. The doctor told us that you we would need to take drastic measures of trying to get food in your system if you didn't wake up."

Annabelle noticed that she had been sleeping on some luxurious chair in a dark corner as she made sense of her surroundings. The place was dimly lit and Annabelle found it reminiscent

"You're in a place where mystery is enticing, my dear. My, my, my, you are a pretty one. We could definitely use someone like you in this place." The woman clucked her tongue in appreciation.

"Place of mystery…" Annabelle whispered, trying to figure out what this woman was alluding to.

That's when she slowly sat up and noticed that there were men, well-groomed all the way to dirtied boots, sitting around smoking their cigars and drinking their alcohol as women paraded themselves in front of them, sitting on their laps or giggling as the men whispered in their ears.

That's when Annabelle spotted a practically half-naked woman whispering in a man's ear as they walked past them and into a dark room.

Annabelle swallowed.

Oh, she knew exactly where she was.

"Darling, here's some food. Please eat before you pass out again." The woman caught her attention by placing a plate of food before her.

Annabelle began to eat the food, thankfully. Once she was done after accepting graciously the glass of water handed to her, Annabelle noticed that the pretty woman was staring at her, in wonderment.

"One of my girls found you knocked out on a bench, barely breathing. It's been two days since." The woman informed her after a moment.

Annabelle sighed, softly, "I'm sorry if I caused you any trouble."

The woman raised an eyebrow at her, "You have a weird accent. Sounds British, but at the same time, it doesn't."

Annabelle shrugged, "I was born in France, but I grew up in London."

The woman's smile grew a bit as she tilted her head to the side. Annabelle examined the woman before her. She was blonde and curvy, judging by how tight her corset was laced. She had wonderful hazel eyes that were wide yet narrowed in such a way that would get anyone's attention. She was a real beauty.

"What is your name, dear?" The woman asked her.

"…Belle." Annabelle answered her, unsure.

"Well, Belle, my name is Vanessa Love. And I have a proposition for you." The woman greeted, grabbing Annabelle's hand and began to examine her like she was a horse.

Annabelle nodded, not sure what the woman was going to tell her.

"Judging by how skinny you are and the paleness of your skin, you have been starving and not getting any proper rest. I can offer you a job. Here." Vanessa told her, dropping Annabelle's arm and smiling.

"But, I don't…I'm sorry, I don't— "

"Sell your body for sex? Oh, darling, most of these girls didn't do that before either. Yet, the world is cruel, is it not, darling? I'm sure you wouldn't have been sleeping on that bench if it wasn't." Vanessa sighed as she reached over to smooth Annabelle's hair.

Annabelle couldn't believe what she was hearing. She looked around and tried to see herself in a place like this and she looked at Vanessa, who was still being nice as she smiled at her.

"I take care of my girls, Belle. Trust me. I'll teach you how to control your life even when you feel like you're sacrificing." Vanessa assured her.

As Annabelle nodded, slowly, and Vanessa pulled her into a hug, Annabelle couldn't help but think of what her brother said about using her assets which seemed like ages ago.

Curse you, brother. For being right. Curse you.


A:N/ Hope you enjoyed!