Ben paced, quietly gathering the courage to push inside Anna's tent. When the audacity came upon him he acted quickly, afraid it might disappear if he hesitated. It caused him to push at the flap of her tent with much force, startling Anna to a standing position while she took him in. The stitchwork she'd previously held in her lap was now at her feet.

"Ever heard of calling out?"

Ben looked to Anna, a somewhat remorseful grin tugging at his lips as he gazed at the empty cot across from her own. This was Anna's tent, a provision set forth by Caleb and Ben with Washington's approval, given in return for all she had done for these boys the past two years. But now Charlotte had stayed here too, only once but long enough for Anna to leave her bed fully made, should she return.

"I was…" He exhaled. "I was looking for something."

Anna's eyes narrowed in suspicion but she nodded all the same. She noted the strong hold Ben had on his sword and the arch of his back, both a display of his feigned confidence. "Something?"

"Yes, and it...it's not here," he said casually, all before backing away to exit.

"Ben?" Anna tried again. He stopped but did not turn to her fully. "Anything I can help you find?"

Another exhale was given, each breath passing Ben's lips with uncertainty as his gaze continued to scan the confines of the tent. Finally, he took a step toward her and inhaled sharply. "Have you seen Charlie?"

Anna smirked. "I'm sorry...who?"

"Char…" His voice stopped itself as he realized it was best not to repeat what was already misunderstood. "Charlotte," he gave instead, as if clearing his throat.

Her eyes widened. "Charlotte?"

"Yes, Charlotte. She—"

"Oh, Ben…" Anna admonished softly with a small step toward him. If he would have let her, she would have grabbed his hand in sympathy.

"What?" The furrow of Ben's brow almost convinced Anna that he truly wasn't aware of his failed subtlety. It seemed Ben's own masquerade was lost inwardly; sometimes he didn't know what he felt either, even if everyone else around him had been bearing witness to it for many months now.

Anna looked to the ground then back to her friend, her lips pursed and with eyes that carried new light. "Are you ready to talk about the other night?"

"What night?"

Anna looked away, shaking her head. "Alright then."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Anna."

"I'm…" She almost let it go but she hadn't seen Charlotte in over a week and she partially assumed her words were about to fall on deaf ears nevertheless. "I'm talking about the fact that you and Charlotte were arguing loud enough for the entire camp to hear and then when it got quiet—"

"Nothing happened," Ben dismissed with a small laugh.

"So you do know what night I'm talking about?"

"Does it matter? It was undoubtedly like the rest where nothing happened because nothing ever happens and nothing will—"

"Caleb's right," Anna said breathily, this time with a disbelieving laugh of her own. "You're the absolute worst liar."

"He said he wasn't going to say anything to you," Ben tossed back, this time in agitation.

Anna did not falter. "Say what? Huh?" She sighed out. "Listen, if you don't want to discuss it that is fine. But I might have some insight. That's all I'm saying."

"Insight?"

"I know what sneaking around looks like, Ben," she gave lowly, as if the answer was an easy one.

"Sneaking around?"

"It's okay if you like her," Anna offered.

"Of course I like her. That's what you all wanted, isn't it?"

"Absolutely. But you can't...I just wouldn't do what you're doing, s'all," she shared simply. Anna half expected the conversation to be over with but she must have discovered a nerve within Ben, one she'd only barely scratched that turned his face crimson in both fear and embarrassment.

"And you're the expert on who I should be spending time with?"

"Of course not! I'm just—"

"At least she's not married."

Anna's eyes welled with tears. Just as there were things Ben did not discuss, she too had secrets, ones that unfortunately would be met with far more scrutiny than his own. "We don't have to discuss it, Ben," she sniffled, not yet allowing any sorrow to paint her cheeks. "I was just trying to give you an outlet because I know you and I know you won't talk about it unless I ask." She paused, regaining all lost composure. "You do not need to insult me because you're confused. I'm not judging you so I'd appreciate it if you didn't judge me."

Anna picked up her dress and brushed past him, deliberately bumping him with her elbow as she exited. The needle and thread she had dropped remained upon the rug behind her with the spool now rolling away from the needle. Its unraveling spanned the same distance that existed many nights prior in the brief moments after Ben and Charlotte had kissed.

~!~

Charlie wasn't expecting to make this journey tonight but something told her that she couldn't wait until morning to see Ben. After almost two weeks apart she was no longer able to avoid the urge she had to seek him out even if it was the very thing her head had been teaching her heart to fight. Charlotte wouldn't admit that she missed him, but it felt odd now to know what he tasted like and how it felt to exist so gently in his grip, and not know about all of the mundane thoughts that occupied his mind each day. She criticized his somewhat aloof nature in hopes of earning herself a correction but when Ben continued to retract, she gave in, deciding she'd put up with his inconsistency if it meant she would be given the chance to put up with him at all.

When she rode on to camp she found his horse gone, missing with many others from where they were typically tied up against a broken fence line. The entire camp was rather quiet, helped by the chill the night carried. It was a great contrast to the sunny Spring day they'd just experienced, further emphasizing how unsettled Charlotte felt.

This hesitancy was magnified when she went to Anna's tent and found it empty. Though her forced jubilance dwindled a bit, she did have to smile at the sight of the cot she'd slept on many weeks ago, still made up for her possible return. It meant the world to her that her acceptance came from more than just Ben. Her friendship with Caleb and Anna was cherished all the more as she learned just how much the childhood friends meant to one another. She was also honored to find herself included in what would otherwise be deemed an exclusive group.

Charlotte carried these thoughts with her, just a few tents down, to where Caleb and Ben's tent stood. She could see the a lantern lit inside, illuminating the small opening between both flaps. Just as she'd done with Anna's tent, she casually invited herself inside, but again she was disappointed. The room was empty and the candle hanging from above would soon fade out.

Charlotte sighed. She shrugged out of her cloak, gently laying it on a nearby chair before putting her hands on her hips and beginning to pace. All the while she rolled her lips, remembering each touch so vividly her fingers and mouth were still electric with all she and Ben had wordlessly shared. Charlotte couldn't quite get over the way Ben gingerly held her face in his hands and how her own body felt powerless when his lips were upon hers. As time passed she wondered if this would always be the case but then she'd blush, pushing those musings down in punishment; it was cruel to plan for things not guaranteed and Benjamin Tallmadge was anything but a safe bet.

Eventually she sat down, hiding her hands beneath the fabric of her dress. It was improper for a girl to be in a man's bedroom, much less for her to sit on his bed, but here she was with only a single candle to light the space. It was from this angle she saw Ben's flintlock was gone and with it his dragoon's helmet. As her curiosity encouraged her to further inspect the room, she was brought out of her reverie as the flap of the tent flew open. She felt the cold air before she saw Caleb and while Charlotte was plenty skilled at making it look as if he was the very man she was looking for, she couldn't hide the horror that washed over her as she saw his clothing stained with blood.

"Caleb?"

"Shite! Charlotte…"

She went to him. "Where's...what happened to you? Are you alright?"

Caleb nodded. His usually jovial nature had been replaced by shock and all Charlotte could do was study his features, doing her best to ignore the smears and splatters of blood so she could search his eyes for better meaning.

Caleb tossed his axe down toward the soft earth beside his bed. With it he began to remove other items - his coat and hat and the thin handkerchief he had wrapped around his neck. The usually grey material was deepened in hue, covered by blood so thick it stained the grass below when he dropped it.

Charlotte could only watch, her mind calculating what all of this meant, especially as Caleb continued to undress and more and more items seemed to be soaked in what she could only assume was someone else's blood. Aside from his silence and a small gash on his cheek, Caleb didn't seem to be injured.

"Caleb?" Charlotte tried again, this time with far more volume. There was panic in her voice and the same fear that had her standing still now pushed her toward him, needing answers. "Caleb!"

"Charlotte, you shouldn't...when did ya even get 'ere?"

"Where is Ben?"

"He's...I dropped him at Medical," he mumbled. "I'm headin' over there jus' as soon as I get outta these clothes. I—"

"Medical? Why is he in Medical?"

Caleb paused. All of her questioning brought him back to the moment and as he looked to her, her dress brightly-colored against her pale skin, all of her existing in stark contrast to the filth and war that covered his own body, Caleb was thrust in reality's direction. "Don't worry about it."

"I absolutely will worry about it, Caleb! What happened?" Caleb barely had a beat to respond and already Charlotte was overwhelmed with emotion, her face warm and pink as she gripped his arms and demanded an answer. "What happened, Caleb? What is going on?"

But it seemed she didn't need his answer, or if she did, she didn't have enough patience to wait for it. Already her body was moving, her feet running out the tent and up the path toward the medical tent. The same skin she'd covered on the ride here was now exposed, splotched in mauve as the night air pumped her blood. Even so, she didn't feel nearly as cold now, especially as she neared the tent and was suddenly made to stop by the two armed men standing just outside.

Her senses did not escape her because Charlotte quickly composed herself. She smiled sweetly and even emphasized the slight melodic component her voice had when asking others, particularly men, for favors. "Excuse me, gentlemen, I—"

"No," one of them said quickly.

Charlotte pressed a hand to her chest in unpleasant surprise. "No?"

"No," the other agreed.

"I—"

The taller solder sighed. "We're under strict orders not to let anyone in until after the doctor is done."

Charlie smirked and sighed. She even crossed her arms over her chest and moved closer to them. "Boys…"

"Excuse me, Miss, but we're just following orders."

"Well, I…I have something to give the doctor!" she offered, almost proud of her lie.

The younger soldier chuckled. "He's not here yet. That's who we're waiting for."

"Not…" She felt breathless again, that same tightness in her chest pushing at her ribcage. "How is...who's taking care of him?"

"Him?"

"She's the—"

"Ohhhhh!" the other guard let out, catching on. "You're Ben's girl!"

"I am...I am most certainly not!" she shrieked in fraudulent offense. "I am no one's girl!"

"Well pardon us, Miss," the guard continued as if not hearing her, "But the Major is hardly the only one in there. It's a bloodbath. No place for a lady."

"Charlotte!"

The noise came from behind them and as Caleb paced up the path toward the group, the soldiers looked out in his direction. Their inattention was the perfect opportunity for Charlotte to slip between them, her whole body stumbling into the tent.

Inside the air was stifling and currently marked with the smell of sweat and gunpowder. Many men were strewn about, all in a bed, with some sitting in chairs or on the ground below as makeshift teams administered to each of them. Cloth stained by war seemed to be everywhere, some pieces floating in rose-colored water while others were tied around legs or arms, blocking circulation or acting as temporary bandaging.

Charlotte had been here only a moment and already two men were carried out. Behind them, other men took their places in bed. Everything was oddly quiet but Charlotte swore she could hear a ringing in her ear, one that procured a pressure unlike anything she'd ever felt before. She desperately wanted to find Ben but as her eyes scanned the perimeter of the tent, she saw only blood and now the sad faces of men who couldn't possibly save their fellow comrades.

Her fear had pushed her back toward the entrance, but she was startled when she felt someone enter behind her, and with him, two younger boys each carrying large leather bags. Charlotte's eyes followed the group as they practically jogged the length of the tent all before disappearing. Intrigued, she slowly took a step to follow, then several more until she could see that the tent was divided into various wings. As she followed the doctor, she noted that it was rank that separated these men and also very clearly determined their level of care. Beyond the main room were many smaller quarters and each officer's room was less chaotic than the last.

Charlotte felt as if she were watching this entire thing from afar. No one paid her any attention and when she happened upon Ben's cot, tucked privately toward the very back of the medic's tent, she was sure she had failed to exist at all. His eyes were tightly shut but she could see the pained expression in his brow even as the doctor rushed toward him. His breeches were stained by the shirt and waistcoat in his lap, both items previously concealing the single bullet wound just below his breastbone. She knew only of its placement because a fellow soldier held a cloth to the area in an attempt to stop it from bleeding. Several more rags lay at the mans feet, showing Charlotte the extent of Ben's wound. This was all solidified when the doctor approached and the current cloth was slowly picked up to display the Major's injury. More and more blood poured out, now running down Ben's abdomen in angry shades of red. The source was nearly the size of a shilling, and in its blackness it pulsed with each breath Ben took.

Horrified, Charlotte couldn't take her eyes off of the hole but it was a cough Ben gave in agony that had that pressure in her head finally releasing. Charlotte felt now the tears that streamed down her face and as she blinked her eyes open she saw the splatter of blood that covered the back of Ben's hand, that same color appearing as Ben gagged, spitting into a bowl that same cherry color that was now spilling past his lips.

At the sight of him so pained, Charlotte nearly fainted, instead running for the exit in search of fresh air. Everything felt louder now but she couldn't dare keep her eyes off the ground, even as she pushed past the tent's flaps back into the night.

Outside Caleb was waiting, all of him ready to catch Charlotte and still her thrashing as he took her in his arms. She nearly collapsed into him, her face stained with tears as she dropped her head to his shoulder and continued to sob, this time much more loudly.

"He'll be fine, Charlotte. We just—"

Without warning she picked up her head and pushed him away. "Where were you?" she screamed. "What happened? Why didn't you watch him?"

"We were attacked, Charlotte!" Caleb gave. He was far more shaken by Charlotte's anger than he was upset at her accusation. On the way to burn the same gunpowder stores Charlotte had told General Washington about, Ben had finally confided in Caleb, in very vague terms, that he was beginning to see Charlotte differently. It was clear now that she returned those feelings, though the extent of which was still undetermined.

Charlotte's chest heaved as she continued to cry, coughing now as the weight of each passing sob constricted her breathing. Finally, just when Caleb was sure she'd lunge at him again, possibly even strike his cheek, she ran away, this time to the nearby brushline. It was there she emptied the contents of her stomach, all of her bent over and weak as she wretched before inevitably collapsing.

"Jaysus…" Caleb let out.

"As we were saying," one of the guards interjected obliviously, "we told her not to go in there."

I've been horrible at replying at reviews. My anxiety has hit me a bit hard lately but please know I read them and love them and adore everyone for the feedback.

I guess it's worth mentioning that I already have the next chapter written so if this one gets good feedback I'm not opposed to getting that up in the next few days :)

x . Elle