It was a cold day, but they had all been colder days recently. Grace could see her breath in the air as she stood on the hill of her old town. Setauket sloped upward, if you were headed into the town, but now it was looking down on the fort that had been built around Strong Manor. Well, what used to be Strong Manor. Fort St. George loomed at the edge of the town, an imposing fence built around it to keep the hay away from potential raiders. She had been inside a few times, delivering things to the troops, but it was incredibly different from Anna's home, the one she had stayed in when she first worked at the tavern, when Selah had still owned it.

As she looked around, she noticed that it was nearly silent. A few redcoats were marching nearby, but the hazy air smelled of gunpowder. The silence came from the dead laying around her feet, all soldiers that she recognized. The raid had failed, and they had been slaughtered. All of them had been shot or run through with bayonets, most of them already dead. A couple coughed or cried out every time they drew a breath, but the majority had already been put out of their misery.

Grace felt a hand grab at her skirt. She looked down to see a man she knew well covered in dirt and blood, the remnants of a battle that had become a disaster, a raid that he had led to its failure. She dropped to her knees, taking her husband's hand as he clutched his chest, a red stain steadily growing underneath it. "Gracie, I love you."

"Ben, no, I can get a doctor, we can -"

"No," he coughed, wincing in pain. "Gracie, I know I won't make it. By the time you got the doctor, I would be… I would be gone. Please, just stay with me until it's over. It hurts so much, and seeing you… seeing you makes it bearable."

Trying not to cry, Grace looked into her husband's eyes, Ben clutching her hand. "This isn't supposed to happen."

"It's never supposed to happen," he coughed, trying not to focus on the pain. "Gracie, I love you. You have made the trials of this war so much more bearable, and you have made every moment of my life so much better. I wish… I wish I could give you the life you deserve." He paused, taking a deep breath. "Please… do everything you can… for our cause. March with General Washington… when we are victorious. I promise I will always love you. I just wish… I wish I could have more time. I'm so sorry."

Grace gave him a kiss, whispering, "I love you too, Ben. I love you too."

"Could you please… when people were… dying, my father would…"

"I know," Grace nodded, watching as his breathing grew more shallow. She thought back to her days in the church, thinking of something that would bring him some sort of comfort. "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil: for thou art with me," she quoted, "thy -"

"Grace." Ben stopped her, everything gradually getting darker and darker. "Grace, I think… please don't leave until… it's so cold…" She lay down in the grass beside him, gently putting her arm over his stomach and holding him as closely as she could. She laid her head next to his, their noses nearly touching as a few tears fell from his eyes. "I'm sorry… it hurts… so much."

"I know, I know," she said, trying to keep the lump in her throat from cracking her voice as she ran a hand through his hair. "It's going to be alright. You know… it's an honor to be your wife. I will always be proud of it, and proud of you. I love you, Benjamin Tallmadge."

"I love… you too." She watched as he closed his eyes in pain, his breathing slowing until it stopped. It felt impossible that it could be real, but she couldn't shake herself out of it. She had feared for his life before, and she could only imagine what it was like when he had been wounded, thinking he was going to die. But now, she was here, she saw it happen, and Ben was gone. Ben was gone, and he wasn't coming back.

Sitting up slowly, Grace vaguely noticed that she was covered in blood. Someone was shouting in the distance, but all she could focus on was Ben. He was still so young, and could have done so much. She knew he felt horrible leading his friends to their deaths, and she hoped that she was able to push that thought out of his head. She would never be able to tell him anything again, never be able to walk around the camp with him at night, or help pass messages along, or offer her advice on different spy tactics. They would have no more moments like they did in Setauket, when he was teaching and she worked in Selah Strong's tavern - no more of their meetings after work, no more talking in the hayloft, no more laughing with all of their friends or heading to balls together. No more late-night conversations or looking forward to letters in the post. None of it would ever happen again.

The voice was getting closer, Grace finally looking around, trying to see if there were redcoats coming for her too. What she saw through her tears was something unexpected - a man in a blue coat was running towards her, telling her it wasn't real. Ben. Ben was running to reach her, but he had just died in front of her. She went to look down at his body, but the Ben running towards her kept yelling.

"Grace, Gracie, wake up." Ben was sitting up in bed, shaking her shoulder. She had woken him up, crying out for him and mumbling something in her sleep. "Come on now, wake up."

Bolting up in bed, Grace looked over at him, taking a deep breath. She pushed her hair out of her eyes, Ben drawing her close to him. She sighed, letting him hold her as she wiped at her cheeks. "What was it?"

"Whenever you go out on a mission, on a scouting trip, anything, I worry. I know in battle they wouldn't kill an officer unless it was an accident - they would want to capture you. But on missions like tomorrow's… I'm sorry. I know I worry too much, but -"

"I understand," he nodded, kissing the top of her head as he held her close. "But I'll be alright. The fort only has a few guards, and Abe and Mary got most of them to drink far too much at dinner. I wish we could have seen it, but we will know in the morning." They had arrived at Whitehall the previous afternoon, hiding out upstairs while Abe and Mary threw a dinner party for many of the British soldiers who were stationed at the fort. Once the soldiers had all left, they were able to come downstairs and eat. It was nice having a real home to stay in, but it was still nerve wracking having all of the soldiers so close. The rest of Ben's men would meet him in the morning - they were staying with relatives or patriot friends.

"I'm sorry I woke you."

"I wake you a lot too," Ben reminded her, keeping his voice fairly level as Grace calmed down. "When I have that dream about being shot again, and I wake up with a burning pain in that scar. When you're not here, I have to just think of you, and…" He shook his head, sighing. "We are both troubled people, trying to build this country and keep the colonies in line."

"One day," Grace assured him, "we will not have to worry about things like this. They will all be terrible memories of the past."

They laid back down, still not letting go of each other as they dozed off again. Ben had to leave in the morning to meet the rest of his men, right after breakfast. Abe would be heading out into the town to pick up a few things for the farm, so he could be out of the way entirely. Judge Woodhull had business in the town as well, which left Mary, Thomas, and Grace sitting in the parlor, waiting for any sort of news.

Thomas sat on the floor, playing with a few tin soldiers, while Mary worked on fixing one of Abe's shirts. Grace stood at the window, trying to see anything. Ben had promised that he would ride back for her, have her grab their bag, and then head directly back to camp once the fort had been burned down. For now, though, all she could do was wait, hoping that the raid could be pulled off.

Turning back to look at Mary, Grace admitted, "I had always thought you had a relatively easy part in all of this, just making sure Abe got home alright and ensuring no one discovered certain things - like the codebook, or what really happened to Ensign Baker. However, after Ben and I began writing, and became close, after we were engaged, I realized how difficult it is, having to sit here while those gentlemen put themselves in danger so often."

"And make rash decisions," Mary added, glancing up at Grace. "It is a very difficult job cleaning up after all of the messes that they get themselves in, and maintaining a facade of a normal life."

"Foreseeing their rash decisions and attempting to guide them away is a business in itself," Grace agreed, taking up her position at the window again. She couldn't see much, but there seemed to be a bit of commotion going on outside of the town. A couple of people had passed by, headed for the fort, even though there was no fire visible yet.

"May I tell you something?" Mary asked, looking concerned. "You may not like it, I must warn you."

"Of course." Grace looked back at her, waiting. "Anything."

Mary set her work in her lap. "When I first heard talk about Ben being… interested in you, I thought it would calm him. Even back then, he was a rebellious one, even if he hardly showed it. I thought it would calm him, rein him in and prevent him from turning his friends into rebels as well. But then I saw how dedicated he was, and hoped that… I'm sorry, but I hoped your father would force you to break off your engagement, if only for your own good. I know we were never close as children, but I hated seeing you being led to love a man who had no real hopes aside from teaching, at least until the war began. But after Abe got involved, after I began to see how awful the British are, I felt terrible for thinking that, for thinking that he would ruin you. When Abe told me that you two had struck up your writing again, I was happy for you, even if you did not hold in your hearts what you once held for each other. Then I heard you were engaged again, and… it seemed like all had been healed. Even if things are nothing like they used to be, I truly am glad that you two have each other. I am so sorry that I had hoped otherwise."

"Thank you," Grace smiled, sitting in the chair beside her. "There is nothing you have to apologize for. We both came from Loyalist families, at one point in our lives. It's just that circumstances have changed, and we have had to make our own choices."

"There is one more thing," Mary admitted. "When we were younger, when you and Ben were first growing closer, I envied how much you two loved each other, how perfect I imagined your marriage would be. Abe and I have become like you two with time, but at first, I was incredibly envious of you. But I am glad to see that you two love each other just as much as you did back then."

"Mary, there is no need to apologize," Grace assured her, squeezing her hand. "I know how difficult it must have been, marrying Abe instead of Thomas. I'm glad you two have found each other, even if it took some time. Some women never get that."

They were interrupted by men yelling in the street, Grace going back to the window to see clouds of smoke billowing up from where the fort used to be. "Is it happening?" Mary asked, joining her. Her eyes widened as she watched the fort burn, Grace nodding in silence.

"I have to go." Grace hugged Thomas goodbye, promising that she would visit soon. Mary walked with her to the front hall, giving her a hug and wishing her luck. "Be careful in town. Be safe. Keep Sprout safe too." She grabbed her bag, heading for the drive. Plenty of people were running towards the fort now, but she could just make out a horse and rider coming the opposite way. Ben stopped just long enough to help her up onto the horse, and then they were off, headed towards the Continental camp. "I take it the raid was successful?"

"Extremely," Ben nodded, steering their horse further into the cover of the woods. "I wish we could have taken Setauket, but that wasn't the mission." There would be a lot more bad news before the war was over, but Grace was happy that they had their small victory that day.