WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAH!

I'm so sorry I took so long to get this next chapter up...*cries* It's been almost a month...I'm so sorry. I've had a serious case of writer's block. Well, now it's up. Yay for me...Anyway, I hope you enjoy.

Arthur told Alistair about our decision to go to America and Alistair was more than happy to drop us off in America, since that was where he and his ship was headed anyway. The voyage passed quietly and quickly, and I felt safer and more at peace than I ever had been. My time was spent with Alfred, Arthur, and his brothers and I got to know them quite well. Despite Arthur's complaints, I found them to be a simply delightful lot.

When we reached Charleston, South Carolina, Alfred and I had a hard time saying goodbye. I could tell Arthur, though he pretended to be happy, was also sad to leave his brothers. However, Arthur disembarked after saying a brief farewell. Alfred and I took a bit longer. Peter was extremely disappointed, and Alfred was quite sad to leave his new favorite relatives. The other brothers said goodbye, but Alistair patted me on the shoulder and said, "Lassie, it was good seein' ya. Take care a lil Artie, now?"

I nodded and smiled. Arthur stood on shore, waiting for Alfred and I to finish our goodbyes. I finally pulled Alfred away from the twins, and led him down the gangplank. He waved as I stopped at Arthur's side. I took a deep breath. "Are you ready?" I asked. We had next to nothing, though Alistair had kindly given us enough money to get transport to the West. Unfortunately, it would be quite a journey, considering that Matthew was, from what I could understand, was living in what had only recently been French territory. I had not mentioned this fact to Arthur. Of course, it belonged to America now, but the "French" influence was still there. Not that I actually believed that they ever had much of a presence there.

As we approached the end of the docks, we were stopped by a man with a book. "Names, age, country of origin, and intended destination, please."

Arthur grimaced. "Arthur Kirkland, 36, Britain, St. Louis."

"Not the pirate?"

Arthur shook his head.

The man nodded and looked at me.

I smiled. "Amelia Kirkland, 33, Norfolk, Virginia, St. Louis."

"You are married?"

"Yes," Arthur said, irritated beyond measure.

"The boy's yours?"

"Alfred Kirkland, 7."

He nodded and handed Arthur a sheet of paper. "Welcome to America."

We left him behind and entered Charleston. It was a busy city, and was much larger than my home of Norfolk, Virginia, though Norfolk had been one of the larger cities on the coast. We got a stagecoach to go to New York, deciding to take the longer, but more secure route. Before we left, I sent a letter to Matthew, which, hopefully, would reach him before we did, as it would take a more direct route. It gave a brief explanation of our situation and suggested we would be there in two to three months, which was the estimate give to us by stagecoach driver. Two weeks to New York, then six more to St. Louis, assuming good weather.

We piled in with four other people, three people to a bench with Alfred on my lap, and began the long journey. Our lack of baggage was, for once, a blessing. Arthur, however, was extremely tense. Not that I could blame him. All we had was each other, the clothes on our backs, the money Alistair gave us – more than enough to make us a target – and a revolver Alistair had given Arthur. The coach was crowded, dirty, and extremely stale. I spent most of time focused on Alfred, as his energy kept me calm in the claustrophobic environment.

Because it was cheaper, we had gotten passage with a mail-coach, so the seats were anything but comfortable, and it rarely stopped. We only ha the food we had brought with us and only stopped for changes of horses or physical emergency. By the fourth day, I could tell Arthur was getting restless, and after the first week, even Alfred was beginning to get tired of the monotony. True to his word, however, the driver got us to New York within the promised two weeks.

When we got out at New York, I had to hold Alfred back as he lurched forward, wanting to explore this new world. Charleston had been large, as an important center for commerce, but New York was huge, dwarfing the port city. There were numerous crowds of people, animals, and so many smells and noises, it was overwhelming, even for me, having grown up in Norfolk. For Alfred, it must have been staggering, having grown up in the middle of nowhere, outside civilization.

Arthur, on the other hand, was unfazed. On the contrary, he looked quite irritated. "Arthur? Do you have a problem with cities?"

"Amelia, love, I grew up in London. I hate cities."

"I understand London is much bigger than New York."

Arthur snorted. "That would be an understatement. But, that is not something to discuss right now. We need to secure transport to St. Louis, as well as lodging for the night. Stay close, Amelia. City like this, we have to keep our wits about us."

I pulled Alfred closer. "Stay close to Mommy and Daddy, okay? You have to protect us from bad guys."

Alfred nodded, looking up at me with wide eyes. "Why are there so many people here, Mommy? And why does it smell funny?"

I smiled. "I will explain it when we get to where we are going. For now, stay quiet and stay close."

He nodded and tightened his grip on my hand. I took Arthur's arm and he led us quickly through the streets of New York. Even with my experience in Norfolk, I quickly became lost. He, however, seemed to know exactly where we were going. "Have you been to New York, before?"

"No."

"How do you know where we are going?"

"All large cities are the same. Now, hush. Silence is best to avoid attracting attention."

I felt a tugging on my hand and realized that Alfred was lagging behind. "Alfred," I said softly, tugging on my hand.

"Mommy, I'm tired."

I sighed. "Come on, Alfred, we are almost there."

"But, Mommy, I'm hungry."

I smiled. "We will have something to eat when we get there. Okay? Be a hero and wait a little longer?"

Alfred nodded and ran a little to keep up with me. Arthur sighed. "I will never understand why you encourage his hero fantasies."

I sighed. "He is just a boy, Arthur. Let him have his dreams. Besides, in his eyes, you are a hero."

"He is going to grow up into an exact duplicate of Alfred."

"No, he is not, because he will have a father and mother until he chooses to leave them, and he will be raised in the west, not in a city. He will learn hard work, rather than culture. He may be similar, but he will grow up differently."

Arthur did not reply. He soon stopped in front of a small, nondescript building. "Arthur, what are we doing here?"

He did not reply again, just knocked on the door. It opened to reveal a middle-aged man. "What d'ya want?"

"Room and board for one night for myself, my wife, and our son. We can pay in cash."

"Who sent you?"

"No one."

The man frowned. "You're a limey."

Arthur sighed. "I was, but I'm not anymore."

"I fought you lousy lobsters off once for independence, then I fought you off again when you burned Washington. I ain't afraid of you."

I noticed Arthur tensing and stepped in. "Please, sir. I am an American citizen. It would help us greatly if we could stay the night."

"You have money?"

I nodded.

He sighed. "Alright, long as that limey didn't fight in the damn war."

I glanced at Arthur. He shook his head. "That was before my time."

"The second war?"

"No." I nodded to give my support, though was unsure of what he meant by a 'second war'.

"Fine. Come in."

"Thank you, sir."

"But only for the night."

"Of course. Thank you."

"How'd you know I took boarders?"

"London is not so different from New York," Arthur said quietly.

The man grumbled but let us inside. We walked through the door and he pointed to the right. "Your room is at the end of the hallway. Dinner'll be ready in an hour or so. Make yourselves comfortable. Hopefully it won't offend your delicate sensibilities."

I snorted and covered my mouth. Arthur glanced at me and I tried not to giggle as our host gave me a strange look. "Thank you for your hospitality," said Arthur. The man grumbled and walked away. Arthur all but dragged me down the hallway to the right and pushed open the door. It was decently clean, and though there was only one bed, it looked big enough for the three of us to share. Arthur closed the door behind us and I released Alfred. He ran and jumped onto the bed, giving a sigh of relief. I giggled.

Arthur rolled his eyes. "What is with you, Amelia?"

I shrugged. "Maybe because I am home."

"Home? We are at least a week away from Norfolk."

I shrugged. "But I am in America. That is home for me."

Arthur shook his head. "I will never understand you Americans. Alfred always talked about Virginia, but stopping anywhere along this coast made him feel right at home."

"It is the magic of America, I suppose. 17 states, thousands of people, one country."

Arthur nodded. "I suppose. It's been 37 years since your war of Independence, I am amazed that you are doing as well as you are."

I shrugged. "I guess. Slavery is an issue, though."

"Did your family own slaves?"

I shook my head. "Mother thought it was a ghastly institution, so Father never did, and he met some wonderful Negroes* during the war."

Arthur nodded. "Well, now we're here, and we're on to a new life. Do you know what the West is like?"

"Well, you do not get mail very often," I said, with a smile. "Matthew rarely responded to my letters."

"Do you think he will get the letter you sent in time?"

"We can only hope so."

"If he doesn't, what do we do?"

"We get directions to his homestead."

"How do you do that?"

I giggled. "Have no idea."

Arthur groaned. "You will be the death of me, Amelia."

"You love me."

He smiled and placed a kiss on my lips. I smiled and leaned into it. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me closer and I closed my eyes, relaxing into him. Then the door opened. He released me slowly and turned to the doorway. The man was standing there, looking rather annoyed.

"No mussin' up the bed, ya hear?"

I turned scarlet and Arthur chuckled. "No need to worry, my good friend, we do have a child here with us."

The man saw Alfred and nodded his head. "Alright. Dinner is ready."

Arthur released me and I woke Alfred. "Sweetie, it is time for dinner."

His eyes snapped open and he shot off the bed. "Food!" he squealed, bolting out the door. The man collared him. "Woah, there, kid. Only gentlemen allowed at the table."

Alfred stopped and looked at him confused. "Is a gentleman like a hero?"

Arthur nearly choked. I elbowed him and smiled. "Yes, Alfred, a gentleman is a very polite hero. So be on your best manners."

Alfred nodded and looked at the man. "Sorry, Mister, I'll be a gentleman."

The man smiled and released Alfred who waited at the door for Arthur and I. We followed the man to his kitchen, where he fed us a delicious meal of bread, potatoes, and vegetables. When Alfred made a face and was about to comment on the food, Arthur leveled an icy glare at him and Alfred fell silent, eating the meal without complaint. When we finished, we excused ourselves and returned to the room. Alfred immediately climbed into bed and fell asleep.

I smiled at him and then gave a small gasp when Arthur hugged me from behind. "Do we have to go to bed now, love?"

I turned and gave him a kiss. "Yes. I am exhausted, and we are leaving for St. Louis tomorrow. That is a long journey. We need to get what sleep we can now."

Arthur whined, but allowed me to pull him to the bed where we lay down, Alfred between us. Arthur pouted when he realized that I was not right next to him, but I just closed my eyes and let sleep take me away.

*Please forgive me if this is offensive to any of you. Please forgive me. *kowtows*

Normally, I would not use such a weighted word, but at the time, it was the word of choice to refer to persons of African descent. (And yes, blacks did fight in the Revolutionary War (War of Independence, if you will).

I apologize again if it seems insensitive or offensive, it is NOT INTENDED TO BE. It is not being used in a derogatory manner, and I am doing my best to keep this as historically accurate as I can (taking liberties of course).

Whoo! This one's a little longer. Also...some notes:

First, Amelia and Arthur are kinda old, I know.

Anyway, so, here's a timeline.

Revolutionary War ended 1783 (actual treaty signed 1782)

Alfred and Matthew were born in 1783...(Perfect, right? Didn't plan it.)

Amelia was born in 1787. When she was 10 (brothers 14) Mother died. A year later, Father committed suicide - combination of missing wife, and PTSD (he fought in Revolutionary War). A year later (Alfred and Matthew both 16, Amelia 12), Matthew went West (then belonging to France (as of 1796)...also perfect, no?) Alfred was in the Navy for just over 5 years. Shortly after joining he met Alice (remember her?). 4 Years after meeting her (about 2.5 years after her death) Alfred joins Arthur. Seven years later, the story starts.

Arthur was born in 1784, very close to London. Anyway, he ran away (or actually, got drunk and joined a pirate ship) at 14.

At the time the story starts, Alfred is 28, Amelia is 24, and Arthur is 27.

Now, then it's been about 9 years! Wow! Long time, right?

Anyway, it's 1820. There aren't really any railroads yet (believe me, I checked. And you all should be grateful! I spent who knows how long looking at maps finding the best way to get to St. Louis! Also, I spent an eternity on naturalization, but I'll get there in a moment. Anyway, I even went to the maps section in my university library (why there is a map section, I have no idea, but it was really cool), I finally found what I was looking for. Anyway...where was I...oh right, railroads). Anyway, Charleston, South Carolina has a population of 24,780, New York has a population of 123,706, and London (when Arthur was there - between 1784-1798) was around 1,096,784 people. Norfolk, Virginia (at the time, a rather large port), when Amelia was there (1787-1811) it had a population of 2,959 (1790), which grew to 6,926 (1800) to 9,139 (1810).

Crazy, right?

So...um...what else. Oh! Naturalization. (Do you know how hard it is to figure out how to find out how you can gain an american citizenship in 1820?! Even the INS (the group in charge of naturalization) says "they were pretty lenient")

So, anyway...Amelia is an American citizen, but Arthur is not. Anyway, he gets a sheet of paper that is proof of arrival, because in five years, he can become a citizen. Does he care? Not really, but just something interesting I thought you'd oughta know. If he does get around to becoming a citizen (in five years) he has to give notice of wanting to be one (in three years) and he can do it through any court, even in the middle of nowhere. Anyway...so, yeah. Once Arthur becomes a citizen, Alfred becomes one (don't ask me, that's just how it works).

Anyway, I think that's everything...oh wait, one more thing.

Both Arthur and Amelia were at sea during the War of 1812 (America tried invading Canada...blah, blah, blah...Washington got burned...blah, blah, blah. It's actually rather interesting. You should look it up.) That's why neither of them even know what it is, let alone participated in it.

Wow...that's a long author's note. Well, review, hope you learned something. (Sorry about the history, I have been reading a delightful historical fic from General Kitty Girl (as she's known on fanfiction. You may also know her as Kelbora) and am in a bit of a nerd mode right now).

Anyway, please review. Love you all. Sorry about the delay and the longness of this author's note.