It was still another twenty minutes before the sun would appear when Thomas gently shook Kristine awake. She mumbled and fussed in her sleep, not wanting to get up.
"Kristine, wake up. We have to leave." Thomas whispered in her ear. He had been up for the last forty minutes getting things ready; tip-toeing around the room was a skill he had mastered.

Finally, when Kristine still refused to get up, Thomas smothered her with kisses. Kristine laughed and pushed Thomas away, still refusing to open her eyes. She mumbled and moaned and flipped on to her side, one hand holding her belly. There was little time to spare, but these precious moments were few and far between. Thomas gave into temptation and allowed himself a few extra minutes with his wife in bed. He cradled her from behind, nuzzling his nose against the back of her head, her hair soft. Her rubbed her belly first and then locked his fingers with hers.
"Thomas..." It was faint but there was a hint of longing—desire—the way she said his name. She craned her neck to look at him through sleepy eyes. He was a dark figure to her but she could still make out some of his strongest facial features: nose, chin, eyes...
She pursed her lips, planting a kiss on him. Thomas held the back of her head and deepened the kiss, appreciating her sudden vigor to have him.

No matter much Thomas wanted to make love to her, the sudden knock on the door caused him to regain his self control and slip from Kristine's loving arms.

Mr. Howard was at the door, small candle in hand.
"Are you ready?"
Thomas nodded. "Yes, just give us a minute more and we'll be right out." He glanced down at the candle. "Put that out. I don't want any signs of us moving. We'll travel by moonlight. And the sun will be up soon, so no need for flames."
Mr. Howard did not argue. He simply licked his thumb and finger and pinched the life from from the fire. "You have one minute." He said and walked away.
Thomas sighed and closed the door. He turned to see Kristine sitting in bed. Her bed-head was a sign of how hard she slept.
"Let's not waste anymore time." He grabbed Kristine's boots and set them on the floor next to her as she dangled her legs over the bed.
"I wouldn't call that wasting time, would you?" She gave him half a grin as she was still trying to wake up.
Thomas double checked his and Kristine's bags. "Absolutely not." He agreed. "But with the British on their way, it's best not to test our limits."
Once Kristine finished dressing, she put on her boots, brushed her hair and tied it back.
"Put this on, too." Thomas wrapped a shawl around her shoulders. "Mornings are chilly." And he kissed her forehead.

They were ready now and the five of them, Mr. Howard, his wife, Anne, Kristine and Thomas, met up with the others outside. There were four different groups, all of them taking a certain amount of the towns people with them. No one was happy about waking up this early, but they were more scared than anything else. Each group went in different directions: north, south, east, and west. Militiamen would be waiting for them there, meanwhile, someone offered to stay behind and hide. A signal would be made when it was safe to return.
"Fire," One of the militiamen started. "The signal will be a fire. Make it big enough to be seen from three miles away."
"No, too risky." Thomas cut in. "What if the British start a fire?" He knew from Kristine telling him that the church was set aflame, but would they still do the same if everyone was gone? This was information Thomas had to keep to himself.
"Then what do you suggest?"
"Definitely not a fire." He thought for a moment. "Would three others Offer to stay behind?" Once the British left, there would be no need to signal anything, because those who stayed behind would be the ones to fetch the others.
"I'll stay," said a man
"I will, too." A young boy, maybe fifteen, offered his help.
"Anyone else?" Thomas looked around, desperate. They were running out of time. When no one stepped forward, Thomas said, "I will, then."
Kristine was quick to grab his arm and squeeze. "What do you think you're doing?" She kept her voice to a whisper but Thomas could tell she was none too happy with him.
Thomas grasped his wife's hands. "It won't be forever."
"You don't know that." Her eyes searched his face for any doubt he might've had with his decision, and when she could find none, she sighed, head bowed.
Thomas lifted her chin to look at him. "We will see each other again, I promise." He looked at Anne. "Take good care of her, please."
"Of course." Anne took hold of Kristine's hand and gave her a comforting smile.

Kristine was forced to get on top of Thomas's horse and walk away from him. His figure became harder to see the further along she went. The town was slowly being swallowed up by the shadows and Thomas along with it. His white long-sleeved shirt a faint glow as the sun was just now starting to peek behind the tall trees. She would have to put all her faith and trust in Thomas and the others staying behind.
They were headed south two miles out of town. No one said a word the entire time; not even the children fussed. This plan was do or die.

As they neared their destination, a militiaman slowly approached them and brought them the rest of the way over. By now, surely the others had met their point of interest.
The tall grass and trees acted as walls to shield them from view. Even the bushes helped mask their hiding place. One of the militiamen came to help Kristine off the horse and walked her over to a secure hiding spot. She sat down, not caring if the dirt and grass stained her dress.
"Mommy, I'm hungry." A small child whispered to their mother while she held them.
Kristine tried not to pay any heed, but what the mother said next held her attention.
"Not now, love. In a few hours, daddy will be back with us. Then we can eat." Just like Thomas, this woman's husband had volunteered to stay behind.
Kristine rubbed her belly, hoping she would never have to tell her child similar words. Now all they could to do was wait.

Thomas and the others split up; one man hid in a barn with the rest of the animals, the other hid in the church, and Thomas took his place in the Howard's home. They kept watch from the windows, but there were no signs of any movement for a long time.
With the sun fully risen and morning far gone, Thomas's stomach began to growl. Some of Kristines's pancakes sounded delicious right about now. Perhaps once this was over and done with, they could have breakfast for supper.

Thomas let his thoughts linger a bit longer until he noticed movement. At first, it was a blurry block of red growing bigger by the second. And then finally, the white of their eyes came into view, and Thomas held his breath. He began to hear the British soldiers talking. Most of it was muffled but he did make out a few things: empty. They ran away. They knew. What's going on? Fire.

The front door to Mr. Howard's home swung open. Heavy footsteps beat against the wooden floorboards. Thomas gripped his gun and pressed his back against the wall. He left the door open on purpose in the room he was hiding in. The open door hid him in plain sight.
As he watched a British soldier enter the room through the crack of the doorframe, he froze completely. So close was he to danger yet he still remained out of sight. And as the soldier walked out of the room without having the interest to throughly check the place, Thomas eased his muscles.

Long after the soldiers left, Thomas continued to stay hidden away. His breaths were shallow while his heart thumped in his chest and vibrated in his ears. On the off chance a soldier was still inside, he didn't want to make himself known by coming out of his hiding place too quickly. When he was certain no one else but himself was inside, he crept out from behind the door and carefully made his way upstairs. From there, he spied on the enemy through a small window. That's when he saw them both: Travington and Wilkins.
That dirty bastard! Thomas raged. Wilkins, you traitor!

He watched as Travington spoke down to Wilkins, no doubt giving him an order. From there, other British soldiers started to burn the church. Thomas gasped. He gritted teeth. One of their own was hidden inside. And with the windows and doors bared, there was no way for the poor man to escape on his own. Thomas wanted to run out there and save the poor man, but the enemy stayed where they were. Most of them had left, but there was still plenty that stayed and watched the church burn to the ground.
It wasn't in Thomas's blood to let a man die that way...not knowingly. But if he ran out now, all hope for the safety of himself, and his family, would be gone.

Once the church had become a pile of ashes and charred wood, did the remaining British soldiers leave. It hadn't taken long for the building to finally crumble, but to Thomas, he felt like he watched it burn all day. He was no longer hungry. The emptiness in his stomach was replaced with hatred. He wanted revenge. Not just for the sake of the man, but for the fact that such a holy place had been desecrated so easily. And without a second thought.

By now, it was well passed lunch; almost dinner time. Kristine and everyone else had been waiting on them. He was unsure if bringing them back was a good idea, but starving people in the woods was also unsafe.

Thomas fought with himself. It was only one man. It could have been a hundred people. But it was only one. A life for a hundred. It still didn't feel right to him. In his gut he knew it was wrong.

When the rest of the towns people came back, each group one at a time, Kristine finally came into view. Thomas held his breath. They weren't apart for that long, but to him it felt like he waited days to see her again. She held her belly with one hand while she guided the horse by the reins with her other hand. On top was an older mother who's baby was fast asleep on her lap. They were a few feet from each other when a wailing cry broke out. The wife of the man who died in the fire was on her knees. A few tried to console her, but her pain in the loss of a loved one was too great and she wept on the ground. Others were in tears as well. The sight the church burned to the ground shook them with fear.

Kristine let a man take control of the horse and made her way over to Thomas. He smothered her in kisses and held her as close as he possibly could with her pregnant belly in the way.
"They still burned the church." She whispered to him.
Thomas nodded, his face looking grim. "You were right." His sigh came out as a shaky breath.
"Are you all right?" Kristine placed a hand on his cheek which caused him to look her in the eyes.
"No." He said honestly.
Kristine stood on the tip of her toes and kissed his forehead. "You did all you could. You're alive and so is everyone else."
"I could have done more." It came out as a mumble, but Kristine still understood.
"No." She said, her tone firm. "You did your best. Your place is here." She took his hands and pressed them against her belly. "When the time comes, you need to be here for your family. Look at all the lives you saved today."
Thomas shook his head. "You saved them, Kristine. It wasn't me."
Kristine wasn't expecting to hear that. She took a few seconds to collect her thoughts. "We saved them. And guess what? There are many others who need saving, too." She kissed him again, this time letting her lips linger on his a few seconds longer.

A moment passed and some families returned to their homes. Others helped with the church.
Kristine shivered, wrapping her shawl around her more tightly.
"Let's get inside."
When they entered, Anne had retreated to her room, as did her mother. But Mr. Howard sat at the table in the kitchen with his head bowed. Kristine and Thomas decided to join him.
There was a cold pot of tea which Thomas was quick to eat it up, letting Kristine rest and warm up.
When the tea was served, the three of them sat there in silence. All facing the bottoms of their cups.

The smell of smoke had crept its way into the house.
We are still alive. That's what matters. Thomas spoke to himself inside his head. Kristine is still here with me. He glanced over at her, his hand sliding over to grab hers. She looked at him, the dark spots under eyes told him she had reached her limit.
"You should lie down." He stood. "Come. I'll help you to bed, love."
Kristine smiled at him. She wanted to stand but her feet were sore from walking.
"My wife," started . "And Anne, will have supper cooking soon. I'll even pluck the chicken myself. Go on now. Rest, dear."
With a nod, Kristine stood. Her feet were screaming at her, but she endured anyway and made her way to her and Thomas's room.
"How are you feeling?" Thomas sat on the bed next to Kristine's side once she settled.
"Better than before." She half smiled and brought the blanket to her chest. A look of longing and pain in her eyes could not go unmasked.
"What's wrong?" Thomas asked. He rubbed her cheek with his thumb.
"I need to speak with my parents."
"How do we do that?" He lowered his voice. "You know where they are. The future."
Kristine sighed, her head lolling to the other side. She closed eyes, tired. "I think they're keeping something from me."
"Like what?"
"A truth. They're not being honest with who I am."
Thomas had stopped following her and was now confused. "You should already know that, shouldn't you? I mean, you're you."
"Am I?" She turned to look at him again.
"Kristine?"
"I'm adopted Thomas. How is it that I have no memory of ever being anywhere else? How's come I'm able to come here so freely? Why do you think I am the way that I am? I keep thinking of my granny, and how she told me that no matter how many times she went back to the very beginning, she could never save your family—her family?" Her voice grew louder.
"Shh!" Thomas held his finger to his lips. "Where are you getting at with this?" He whispered.
Kristine reached to caress his cheek. He took her hand and pressed her fingers to his lips and kissed every knuckle. "I don't think I'm from the future."
"Pardon?"
"What if I came from here? In this time? It would make sense. Don't you get it? I never felt like I belonged where I grew up. There was always this sense of longing and a missing piece to myself. Thomas, I..."
Thomas leaned in, his lips pressed firmly on hers. He caressed her slender neck with his fingers. When she moaned he felt the vibrations through her neck. She was surprised. "What matters is that you have decided to stay here, with me. You are Kristine Martin, my wife. That's who you are." He rubbed his nose against hers.

Suddenly, the front door could be heard slamming open and a deep voice called out. "Anne!" It was Gabriel. "Mr. and Mrs. Howard! Thomas, Kristine!"
"Stay here!" Thomas cautioned his wife. He ran downstairs to find Gabriel in the living room. The others were already there, all surprised and relieved to see the oldest Martin son. He was kissing Anne, happy and thankful that she was okay.
"Gabriel." Said Thomas.
Gabriel let go of Anne and gave Thomas his full attention. Judging by the look in his eyes, it was obvious he had seen the smoke from the church at a distance and got here as soon as he could. "Tell me everything."