A/N: Hello everyone, sorry for the gap between this chapter and the last one. I've got a lot of college work right now so updates may be slow. Either way, I hope you enjoy this chapter as we follow the desperate retreat from New York.

Chapter 21 The Next Steps

Arriving at East Brunswick in the early evening the next day the column were welcomed with closed doors and shouted abuse.

The column marched through the town to the fields on the side they expected to find Greene and the rest of the army.

"Where are they?" Blake asked.

"They were supposed to meet us here." Oscar said looking around.

"Are we in the right place?" Blake asked.

"I didn't get us lost." Jaune said defensively. "Maybe he's late."

"Maybe worse." Blake added.

The regiment set up camps in the field overlooking the town and roads the army would be coming from.

"Maybe we were to slow. Maybe they've moved off without us." Ruby spoke softly with Yang in the back of one of the wagons. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine." Yang said trying to sit upright before grunting and lying back down. "We'll make better progress tomorrow, it'll all be downhill."

Ruby laughed.

"I guess you're right." She smiled. "Get some rest. I'm going to spread out the men into some sort of perimeter."

She spread out the companies into a circle surrounding the wagons, the perimeter lay a few hundred feet from the wagons.

Night descended and many soldiers fell asleep at their posts.

Ruby and Blake had returned to Yang's wagon shortly after dark.

"How long does the doctor say it will be before you'll be back to normal?" Ruby asked.

"A few days of rest, but it's me, I'm tougher than I look. So I should be up soon." Yang smiled.

"Just take care of yourself. The last thing we need is you getting hurt again." Blake said taking Yang's hand.

She observed the pair. Watching them look into each other's eyes.

"Oh," She smiled.

"Oh?" Yang turned.

"Hmm?" She questioned. "Nothing."

"What?" Yang pushed, smiling now.

"Seriously, it's nothing." She giggled.

"Ruby, tell me." Yang pushed again.

"Yang," Blake tried to get her attention.

"What?" Yang asked, turning now to Blake.

"I think she understands." Blake suggested.

"Do you?" They both asked her.

Well, what the hell am I meant to say? 'No, dear Lord no, you both disgust me'?

"Well, I think so." Ruby nodded.

Yang and Blake shared a look before they explained what had happened.

"I wanted to explain to you sooner. But then we had the meeting with Greene and the whole ordeal with the siege and then I obviously got shot." Yang explained.

"Don't concern yourself over it." She smiled. "You're my sister, we've been together for years. Just me and you. I couldn't leave you now. And as for you, Blake. You're one of my best friends. And I've seen the way my sister looks at you so it should be fine."

Blake turned red and had to look away to hide her blushing.

"Ruby!" Yang whined.

"Hey, I'm just kidding." She smiled.

"You don't... disapprove?" Blake asked.

"Me? Of course not, but there's going to be people out there who will say that it's... not right." Ruby said. "All I know is that you two mean the world to me, you all do. So just stay safe."

The three girls sat in the back of the wagon as they watch the sun go down over the hills.

"I miss watching the sun go down from our house on the hill." Ruby said. "It was a nice house. I wonder if it's still standing."

"I doubt it," Yang said. "Even if it is then somebody else will be living there by now."

A fire outside the wagon was soon set and soldiers sat around the warm glow.

"How many days march to the crossing ?" Blake asked.

"Perhaps four days if we're lucky. But we're tired. And the snow is slowing us down. I'll be happy with five days." Ruby said.

Five days is too many Ruby thought to herself.

"We'll find Greene and then head to the crossing together." Ruby explained.

The pair nodded.

They were soon alerted by a sentry who dragged Ruby to his lookout point. She was surprised to see that he had dug out a slit trench into the snow.

"Colonel, ma'am." The sergeant said, he was a middle aged man. Ruby recognised him from Blake's company. She noted the grey beard and the tattered blue coat with his stripes on his arms."I think there's a column of coming through those woods down there."

Ruby peered into the darkness making out the town and the roads leading into it. She saw a long line of men, many holding lanterns.

"Stay low." Ruby ordered. "I don't know who that is."

She looked back to see the warm glow from the fire slowly fading as soldiers looked to her.

"Damn it, I need to know who that is." Ruby explained. "I have no idea who's moving into the town, do you understand me?"

"I can go have a look at who it is?" The soldier offered.

"No, we can't risk an engagement." Ruby explained. "They're probably looking for a place to camp. Meaning they aren't going to be moving much further. We'll have to keep an eye on them. Rotate the watch but ensure that someone is always watching them."

"Looks like they're moving into the fields next to the woods." The soldier said. "Over on our right."

Ruby turned and saw the column marching uphill parallel to them. A distance of two hundred meters or less lay between them. The fires had now been put out and soldiers moved to join the perimeter.

"Colonel, I think someone's coming." The soldier said.

"Come with me." Ruby ordered.

Ruby moved over to the centre of the new line of soldiers that had formed. They crouched shoulder to shoulder along the fence line on the edge of the field they camped in.

The figure in the dark rose up to them before stopping twenty feet away. As the line of soldier rose up and aimed their muskets.

"What business have you here?" The sergeant called to the man.

The figure remained silent.

The line of soldiers cocked their muskets and prepared to shoot.

At the sound the figure finally spoke.

"Colonel Rose?" He said. "The 25th?"

Ruby let out a sigh of relief as she walked forward with the sergeant.

"General Washington would like to invite you to his camp."

"My compliments to the general, I will be over shortly." Ruby said. "Blake, tell the men to relight the fires. Sergeant, you can also come with me. Sergeant...?"

"Sergeant O'Hare." The man said. "Patrick O'Hare."

"I understand you're a veteran of the French-Indian War." Ruby explained.

"Yes ma'am."

"Good, you're my new Sergeant Major of the Regiment." Ruby explained.

"Ma'am?" O'Hare asked. "Why me?"

"I need someone with battle experience. We've lost enough soldiers in battle and I can't lose anyone else to desertion." Ruby explained. "If I get a non commissioned soldier on my side who knows the troops, who is able to talk to them. Then we can keep this regiment from shrinking."

"Ma'am, you can't talk to the soldiers?" O'Hare asked.

"I want to, me and Yang, we went through a lot of what these soldiers went through. But the rank stops a lot of them from talking to me." Ruby said sadly.

"I understand Colonel." He said saluting. "I will do what I can."

Blake joined them and the trio walked over to Washington's camp.

"Colonel." Washington said shaking her hand as she walked through the entrance to the tent. "How are you?"

"I'm fine general, my soldiers are tired but their doing well." Ruby explained.

"General Greene explained the situation in the column, how was the situation at Bound Brook?" He asked.

"It was... the situation was very confused as we arrived. But after offering a surrender to the soldiers inside the tavern we were able to storm the building after they refused." Ruby explained. "We have the supplies that we captured in the wagons in our camp."

"What did you capture?" Washington asked.

"Three barrels of powder, five boxes of musket balls, two boxes of flints, five pistols and ten muskets." Ruby listed off.

"How are your casualties?" Washington asked.

"Only one, Yang was wounded during the opening shots of the engagement." Ruby reported.

"I understand." Washington nodded. "How is she?"

"She'll be fine, if given a few days rest." Ruby said sadly."She's in one of the wagons."

"Very well," Washington nodded. "We will be leaving at dawn tomorrow. You and your men should get some rest."

"Yes sir," Ruby saluted.

"I should also let you know that Captain Lie Ren has been brought under Colonel Hamilton's command."

"What? why?" Ruby spoke out.

"Due to the fact that due to his proximity to your infantry he has lost five of the six guns in his battery." Washington explained. "Despite your successes in battle you have an abnormally high casualty count."

"Yes sir, that may be so, but of all the engagements since coming to New York we have been at almost all of them. You said so yourself sir."

The might passed quickly in the camps and soon they were on the march again. They made good progress, Washington leading them through shortcuts that put them only another day from the Delaware.

In camp one night Ruby saw Jaune walk away into the woods. She got up from her tent and followed him out. He walked into a clearing and sat on a log, he was bathed in the pale moon light. He held his head in his hands.

"Jaune?" She said softly.

"What do you want?" He responded.

"Jaune, you haven't talked to us for days." Ruby said. "I haven't been able to talk to you since I saw you and Sun arguing at White Plains."

"You wouldn't understand." Jaune said looking away in shame.

"No Jaune, you don't get to back away anymore, you don't just get to ignore us. You have your men to look after, but you're friends are trying to look after you."

"Well what do you want me to tell you?" Jaune yelled.

"The truth Jaune!" Ruby yelled back. "God damn it I'm worried about you."

"Sit down Ruby." Jaune sighed. "You remember back at Harlem? The Redcoats came up close and Nora's company charged we fired a volley and charged down as well."

"I remember." Ruby said.

"As my men charged down I picked up a musket and bayonet. Some soldier knocked me down in the middle of all that smoke. As I got up I lashed out with the bayonet, but the soldier that knocked me down wasn't there anymore. Nora had killed him, but I didn't- I didn't mean to." Jaune broke into tears again.

"What? Jaune? What did you do?" Ruby began to cry as she realised the truth.

"I killed her." Jaune said. "I killed her with the bayonet."

"God, Jaune." Ruby said. "I- I-"

The world swirled around her as she wobbled and fell onto the grass.

"Ruby?" Jaune called as he rushed to her side. "Please, Ruby, wake up."

He carried her back to the camp, placing her gently into her tent. "Please Ruby, just don't tell anyone."

He prayed, he prayed for hours in hopes that no one else would have to find out about what had happened. That no one else would find out about him killing one of their best friends.

On the final day of the march they encountered their worst roads yet.

Ruby and her soldiers at the front of the column marched into knee high mud.

"Come on men." Ruby called from the front of the column.

Her men moved at a snail's pace and soon became exhausted. Eventually they managed to make it through the swampy ground and came out onto the New Jersey coast with the Delaware. They moved to rest on the river's edge, safety so close yet so far.

Washington rode up behind her and dismounted next to her.

"My scouts report Cornwallis has a column of infantry only a few hours march away." He sighed. "It's December 7th, we left New York on November 22nd. We achieved in fifteen days what I expected to take a week.

The pair walked to the river's edge and were soon joined by General Mercer.

"We've half a thousand sick men." He reported. "Do we quarter them here?"

"No, we cross the river." Washington nodded.

Mercer looked across the river in disbelief.

"When? They can't lie in the cold, they'll die." Mercer argued.

"We'll all die if we don't put the river between us and the British." Washington countered before calling for Colonel Glover.

"Yes sir?" Glover asked after walking over to them.

"Glover I would like to cross the river." He told him.

"With what?" Glover argued. "Do we swim the damned river?"

"Glover, I would like to cross the river." Washington repeated.

"How sir? Glover asked after sighing. "You tell me, how do we put two thousand men across the river? Where are the boats?"

"Up river a few miles is a foundry and smelter, they run the ore down to Philadelphia in boats, big boats. Take your men, ride up there and get those boats." Washington explained, his patience running thin.

"And pay for them with what?" Glover asked.

"Damn it to hell, Glover. Open your eyes. We are pinned here. Either we cross the river or it's over, so get those boats." Washington ordered. "Take them if you have to."

Glover took his regiment as well as Ruby's up through the woods.

They soon arrived at a small shack with rows of boats lined up on the river's edge. A man walked out of the shack at the sight of the column.

"You are Arthur Mackenzie?" Glover asked him.

"What's it to you?" He asked.

"You are the proprietor of the Iron works at Durham?" Glover asked.

"Who are you?" Mackenzie asked.

"By necessity and authorization of the army of the continentals, we have commandeered your fleet of boats for the temporary use of the American Revolutionary effort." Glover explained.

"What?" Mackenzie asked in disbelief. "By God, is this your revolution? Is this your liberty and equality? To destroy a man's business? To rob him of his property?"

"I follow my orders, sir." Glover sighed, clearly angry with the man.

"Who's orders?" Mackenzie asked.

"General Washington."

"Then god damn him for the bandit that he is." Mackenzie spat. "How am I going to make a living. Who's going to pay me?"

"The Continental Congress," He said bluntly before his tone changed to one laced with sarcasm. "And my eternal thanks for your generous assistance in this matter."

Glover turned around and gave the nod to the infantry to move the boats out onto the water. They rowed their boats down the river to where the army had been left. At the sight applause erupted from the woods, cheers and cries sounded as they pulled onto the shore and men began to climb on.

Suddenly cannon fire and muskets sounded in the distance.

"Colonel Glover the British are here." Washington informed him. "Get this army across now."

The soldiers began a mad rush to board the boats. As soon as they were full they cast off and rowed to the Pennsylvanian coast. This process repeated for half an hour before Washington and the other generals ran to the boats.

"They have breeched our line." He called. "I don't care if the boats are overloaded or not, the army crosses now."

The remaining few hundred soldiers ran to the boats.

The soldiers left on the beach put up what fight they could before running to the boats to join the rest of the army.

Ruby's boat cast off as soon as the Generals were aboard. Glover directing his oarsmen personally. They saw the last few boats cast off as the British ran onto the river's edge. They escorted the prisoners away, firing pot-shots at the retreating army.