Notes and Disclaimer: Ok, this chapter contains ALL of the OCs that are going to be in this story, there are four, some more important than others, please don't let that be a turn off. All characters are owned by The Pleasant Company.

More Than This

An American Girl: Felicity Fanfiction

By: DaggerQuill

Chapter One

September 1781

"Miss Merriman, you are out of control. How many glasses of punch have you had?"

Felicity's laughter mingled with the music floating in from the ballroom and the mixed sound filled the small parlor. "Six? Seven? I can't seem to remember, Mister Stratton. This is my last ball before I go home at the end of next week, are you truly going to deny me anything?"

"Of course not," Nathaniel promised taking her waist and spinning her, causing bits of her red hair to tumble out of it the many pins keeping it piled atop her head.

After he released her she continued spinning, landing unceremoniously onto the sofa. "Has anyone seen Elizabeth?" She asked.

"I haven't seen Elizabeth, nor my brother, for at least half of an hour now." Andrew replied with a grin.

"And I'm sure wherever you find Henry, Elizabeth won't be far." Nathaniel added.

"I think they were talking about us." Elizabeth pretended to whisper into the ear of the tall man standing next to her in the arched entryway to the parlor.

"Elizabeth, you look positively flushed!" exclaimed Felicity, moving over to make room for her friend on the sofa.

Despite the fact that their dresses were not made for sitting on sofas, the girls managed to both lounge on opposite ends with their legs and skirts tangled in the middle.

"'Tis getting chilly outside, there may not be much time left for evening walks this year." Elizabeth noted.

"There is no time for evening walks when Mother doesn't know where you are." Her sister Annabelle scolded, suddenly appearing in the doorway. "She's been looking for you for nearly an hour."

"I told father where I was going!"

Henry blushed. "Lady Lacey," he said in a serious tone "I am dearly sorry if I caused your family any distress. Please, allow me to come and apologize to your mother."

Elizabeth couldn't stop grinning. Felicity held back her giggle until Henry made his way down the hall.

"He loves you," Felicity teased.

"He hasn't said that!" Elizabeth protested, still smiling.

"What has he said?" Felicity asked leaning toward her friend.

"Ahem." Annabelle said from the doorway, "Miss Felicity, such talk is most unbecoming of a lady. You should be in the ballroom, finding yourself a suitable match. I don't know what you're thinking, hiding in here with these two. You're bound to ruin your reputation."

"Her reputation?" said Andrew, "Her reputation doesn't matter, no one out there is going to marry a Patriot!"

"Hardly anyone out there knows she is a "patriot,"Mr. Lockwood. And maybe if she married into a suitable family, she would become less opinionated about her political views."

"Come now, Andrew," said Nathaniel, "don't get all 'long live King George' on us. You have never set foot in England. You know no matter what the outcome of this revolution, our inheritances are here, neither you, nor I, nor your brother, have any plans of leaving the colonies."

"I have no desire to return to England." Elizabeth agreed. "I was a child when we left; I have no connections, no business there."

"Bitsy!" Annabelle snapped. "That's enough. You should go out there and apologize to mother too."

"Yes, Lady Bananabelle." Elizabeth said making an over exaggerated curtsy before leaving the room.

Andrew crossed the room and gave Annabelle an understanding pat on the hand "It's alright Lady Lacey, we all know the Felicity has her soldier that she intends on marrying, anyway."

Annabelle glared at him as her face turned a strange shade of red. It hadn't taken long for Andrew and Nathaniel to notice that even though she was married now, Annabelle always managed to pay close attention if Ben came up in a conversation.

"Oh stop it, Andrew!" Felicity said, her face also turning red.

"We heard a rumor, Miss. Felicity, that you keep a letter from him with you at all times. Is that true?" Nathaniel teased.

"No, it's not!" Felicity insisted, blushing furiously.

"Do you have the latest one right now? Let's hear it!" Andrew commanded with a playful grin.

Annabelle was beginning to look angry now. "Mr. Lockwood, what right do you have to ask her to read her personal letters aloud? Really, have you forgotten all of your manners?"

"I think I'll join Elizabeth." Felicity said shortly as she stomped out of the parlor. She hadn't told any of them that there was no latest letter. The last one she had gotten came within the first month she had arrived in New York. She could kill Elizabeth for telling the boys that she sometimes carried Ben's letter in her pockets, she would have know they would only tease her mercilessly with that information.

The purple evening gown she was wearing required full hoops and had no openings for pockets, so instead of going to the ball room she quietly went up stairs to retrieve the letter from the drawer of her bedside table. Despite the fact that she had memorized it over a year ago, she read the letter to herself.

4/26/1780

Dear Lissie,

I'm glad to hear that business it picking up and that your father needs more help in the store, but I'm not sure what you meant when you wrote that his new apprentice "irks" you. If he is truly making you feel uncomfortable, please promise me you will tell your father, but don't judge the boy too quickly, I remember you saying you didn't much care for me when we first met either. If you do become friends with him you must also promise not to forget about me, I will be back to finish my contract with your father.

I have been in Charleston for nearly a month. Despite the long march it took to get here it feels wonderful to be closer to home, and to be rid of the freezing northern winters.

The British have the city under siege. We have been engaged in many small skirmishes and have lost many of men. This battle is far from over but I sill have hope that this will be where we win this war, and then I will come home.

Until then, I remain your dear friend,

Ben

~*~*~*~*~*~

Ben Davidson stopped on the street and simply stared at Edward Merriman's store. He hadn't been in Williamsburg since he joined the army. Now his regiment was on its way to Yorktown for what the rumors were saying is going to be quite a large battle. The Officers told them they would only be spending a few hours in the city, just time to find some supper before the final leg of their march.

He felt that he needed a moment to gather himself before entering. A man who he considered his mentor and a second father was inside that store and he worried if he went in he may never want to leave. And there was a possibility who else might be working in the store.

Ben had always been a quiet man, and despite their closeness before he left, he had no idea how he would act if he were to see Felicity today. The thought that his dear friend might not only be yards away from him, but also five years older than the eleven year old girl he left, made him suddenly nervous.

However, when he entered he found none of his second family. Instead he found the store looking an absolute mess, with the mornings shipments still piled by the door and a boy Ben had never seen before behind the counter reading a newspaper. "Can I help you?" he asked in a bored voice without looking up.

"I'm here to see Mr. Merriman."

"He's not here; he'll be at his plantation for a few days. My name is Timothy, is there anything I can help you with?" He said in monotone while still reading.

"Is Marcus here?" The boy finally looked up from his paper with a confused look. He seemed startled to see Ben, standing in his uniform.

"No he also when to the plantation, one of the horses is expecting a foal and on top of the harvest they needed the extra help." Ben was disappointed, despite his worries it would have been so nice to catch up with everyone.

"Oh, and I assume all the family is at the plantation?"

"With the exception of Miss Felicity, she has been in New York for over a year now."

"New York? Has she married?" Ben asked, realizing for the first time that it was possible that Felicity, with her dirty petticoats and hair falling in her face could be someone's wife.

"No. She is staying with friends."

"Who?"

"A Miss Cole, apparently she used to live in Williamsburg but I never met her. You know Miss Merriman?" Ben nodded and began to say 'Yes" but the boy continued talking. "She's beautiful, isn't she? Wouldn't give me the time of day though. She doesn't trust me, just like her father. It's amazing he left me alone in the store, really. Everyone in town has such high opinion of him but he's really a wrenched man to work for. I'm pretty sure she went away because of me, and he probably helped her pack her bags."

Before Ben could reply the door to the shop opened and a group of soldiers walked in, the boy looked annoyed at the sight of real customers.

"Davidson! There you are!" One of them exclaimed "We've been looking for you, were all heading down to this tavern down the road, the apothecary said they serve amazing seafood. Are you coming or did you find that girl you're always writing to?"

"So, Ben, this is your store?" The boy was unenthusiastically helping another solider, but he suddenly had a look of realization cross his face, which began to turn red.

"Yes, but it seems the family is out of town, so I can join you for the meal." As he was walking out Ben added to the boy "I might suggest taking care of all these new shipments. Mr. Merriman might not be such wretched employer to an apprentice who keeps the store clean."

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