Well, I guess the prologue didn't post twice. Huh. Oh well. Anyway, thank you Cookiecutter97 for your encouraging review; I really appreciated it! I'll try to get more chapters out, but it's kind of hard with that dreaded thing called homework, and, you know, just other stuff. Hope you like it so far! :)

Chapter 2

It was Christmas time, a time where merriment rang everywhere. All of the houses of Williamsburg had some sort of greenery in their windows, and the cheery tidings of joy rang through the streets. Carolers stood in the streets, their voices filling the air with "O come all ye faithful"'s and "Joy to the world"'s. Even during wartime, Christmas was a merry time. It was a time that Felicity loved, and while this year was no exception, she couldn't get her mind off of Ben. Not a day went by where she didn't think," I wonder if he has enough to eat?" or "I hope he has warm clothes." She had heard about the poor soldiers in Valley Forge, starving and freezing. She hoped with all of her heart that Ben wasn't there, or if he was, she hoped he was at least healthy. A few months back, she had written him the first letter, to which he hadn't replied. "Mail travels slow," everyone told her, and while she knew they were right, she always had a slight fear that something had happened to Ben. As snow and evening fell, she gazed out the window sadly, thinking of him. Over the past year, she had developed a fancy for Ben, an Annabelle Cole kind of fancy, though much more subtle, meaning she didn't try to flirt; because honestly, what interest would an eighteen year old have in a twelve year old? Still, it was nice to admire him from afar. Though this was partly a factor as to why she missed him, it wasn't the main one. The main one was the same as everyone else's: she had come to love him like a family member and naturally worried about him. On top of that, she was the one in the family closest to him, though everyone was in their own way. Though five and a half years apart, Ben and Felicity had always had a special relationship. Now, she was afraid that the war would ruin that. "Lissie!" snapped Nan, shaking her out of her thoughts. "For the third time, will you kindly get your head out of the clouds and help me set the table?" Felicity shook her head as if shaking thoughts of Ben out with it. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she quickly apologized. "I'm coming." Nan rolled her eyes at her sister's absentmindedness but said nothing. They silently laid the plates down in their appropriate places and placed the silverware next to them. Felicity sighed as she glanced at Ben's old place. No plate piled high with food there (for someone who ate so much, it was beyond her why he remained thin). "Nan?" she finally said, breaking the silence. "Do you ever think about Ben sometimes?"

"Occasionally," the nine year old replied, not looking up. "Why?" Felicity shook her head. "I'm just worried about him." Nan looked up. "I'm sure he is fine," she said assuringly. "He is eighteen years old; he can look out for himself."

"But what if he be ill?" said Felicity. "What if he doesn't have enough to eat? He was always thin anyway; what if he is starving? And tis an unusually cold winter as it is; what if he is freezing?"

"Will you relax?" said Nan. "Felicity, you are twelve years old and acting like a mother! Besides, 'twas his choice, and if he be miserable, then he needs to face it and deal with it." Felicity frowned. "How can you be so heartless?" she asked.

"I'm not being heartless," Nan said defensively. "I'm just saying that it was his decision, is all. We all tried to change his mind, but I think he's even more stubborn than you are, if that is even possible. Why are you thinking about him so much?"

"I miss him," answered Felicity. "And I'm worried about him."

"Just relax," said Nan. "Think about Christmas and the celebrations and ooh! Lissie! don't forget Lady Hawthorne's New Year ball that you and Elizabeth (and I!) were invited to!" Ever since the invitation came, Nan had been bouncing off the walls; or at least she would have been if it were not unladylike. It was the girl's first real ball, and Felicity suspected that it would be all she would be talking about for the next six months. "Ben won't be there to escort us," said Felicity glumly. Nan pffed. "Father can do that," she said. "And it wasn't as if Ben loved to dance either." Felicity shrugged. That was true; Ben had two left feet. "Now," said Nan. "Do you know what I do when I worry about someone?"

"What?"

"I keep them in my prayers and finish my dear little sister's mending for her."

Felicity grinned. "Nice try," she said. "But you are finishing your chores on your own."

Christmas drew closer and closer, and more and more baking came with it. Every day, another caller came to say "Merry Christmas!" and settle in for a nice long visit. Depending on who it was, Felicity would either stay and chat politely or escape to Elizabeth's house. The latter usually ended up happening. The girls would sit up in Elizabeth's room and giggle about how perfectly dashing the carpenter's son was or how dreadful Mrs. Tanner's hair looked on Sunday at church. Today, they took over the kitchen (much to the cook's dismay) and made Shrewsbury cakes, a tradition they did every year. In recent years, they had made pies as well, but in the middle of a war, they had to ration their food. So that just left the cakes, but the girls didn't mind. They had fun anyway. "What are you going to wear to the ball?" asked Elizabeth, cracking an egg into the wooden bowl. Felicity shrugged and wiped a strand of hair out of her face. "I don't know," she said. "I hadn't thought of it. Probably the green dress I wear to church sometimes." Elizabeth smiled politely. "Oh, that one is pretty," she said. "But you always wear it, and it is getting a bit old, do you think mayhap your mother-or you, even- could make you a new one?" Felicity shook her head. "It would be nice," she said. "But it just wouldn't work."

"Why not?" asked Elizabeth. "It worked when we were nine and invited to the dance lesson."

"We weren't in a war then," pointed out Felicity. "Fabric is more expensive, and business is poor. I would be lucky if I had some new lace to trim it with. Tis no use in even asking." Elizabeth sighed. "That war," she said. "Has ruined everything." "Oh, Lizzy," chided Felicity. "Not getting a new dress is not the end of the world." Elizabeth shook her head. "It's not just that," she said. "The war is crippling our pocketbooks, it's physically crippling young men every day, it's taken Ben away from you, and it's taken my father away from me. I haven't seen him in nearly two years when he left for New York. My mother is starting to consider moving us up there to be with him." Felicity stopped stirring the batter. "No!" she gasped. "Oh Elizabeth, you can't go to New York! Do you know how lonely I would be?"

"Don't worry," Elizabeth assured her. "Tis just in the back of her mind in case things get really bad. Right now, the war has been a good distance from Williamsburg. I think we're safe."

"Let's hope it stays that way," said Felicity. "Now, shall I go fetch some holly to stick in the basket when we finish these?" Elizabeth nodded. "That would look lovely," she said.

As Felicity gathered some sprigs of holly, she thought back to their conversation. The war had torn people apart from both sides. She herself had to give up her father occasionally when he would go off with the Commissary to deliver supplies for the soldiers. It was a dangerous job (though not quite as dangerous as actual combat), and gave her an extra person to worry about. Not only that, but when he was gone, that left Marcus unofficially in charge of the store, which could raise some controversy because he was a slave. Felicity and William spent much of their time helping him now that Ben was gone, yet Mr. Merriman was considering hiring another apprentice. As far as business went, it was a good idea, but Felicity didn't like it because it seemed to replace Ben. Then again, maybe it would be nice to have a new face in the house. From Elizabeth's perspective, she and her mother were slightly frowned upon for being loyalists. She hadn't seen her father in nearly two years, and when Annabelle moved back to England, she would probably never see her again; this wasn't really the war's doing, though. It was Annabelle's. Nonetheless, Felicity knew that Elizabeth would miss her sister. Annabelle had matured in the last few years, and while Felicity still didn't like her, Elizabeth could tolerate her better and was glad to see the Annabelle indeed had a brain that she could use more than for hopeless flirting. Felicity now sighed. Times were changing, that much was obvious. And if there was one person who hated change, it was her.

Christmas Eve, also known as the longest day in a child's calendar, soon came. Usually, Felicity enjoyed this day with its preparations and good cheer, but this year, everything was off. For starters, she woke up too late, Nan had caught a cold and stayed in bed, and Mrs. Merriman had a throbbing headache. Things continued to go downhill all day. Instead of snowing gently, the heavens spit down freezing rain, making it too dangerous to go anywhere. This meant no church service that evening, which was one of Felicity's favorite parts of the whole holiday. The worst was that afternoon when Father said that there would be no Christmas turkey this year. Felicity poked herself with her needle when he said this. "What?" she asked. "Why not?"

"Not in wartime," said Mr. Merriman sadly. "Tis too expensive."

"Besides," added Mrs. Merriman. "Our soldiers need it more than we do. And we will still have the ham."

"But the turkey is the key part of Christmas dinner!" protested Felicity.

"Not some years when we have goose instead," pointed out Nan. Felicity glared at her. "You aren't helping."

"I'm sorry, Lissie," said Father. "That's just the way things are right now."

"It will still be a merry Christmas," said Mother optimistically. "Even without turkey."

"It's not just the turkey!" exclaimed Felicity. "The whole holiday will be ruined! No big Christmas dinner, no church service this evening-"

"There will be tomorrow morning," pointed out Nan.

"You still aren't helping," snapped Felicity. "And worst of all, Ben isn't here with us!" A look of understanding crossed her mother's face. "I see," she said. "That's what this is all about."

"Ben will be back eventually, Felicity," said Father. "It will still be a happy Christmas."

"We don't know that!" she cried. "We don't know that he will come home! Right now, he could be dead for all we know!"

"Ben is dead?" asked wide-eyed William.

"No, of course he isn't, dear," said Mrs. Merriman soothingly, shooting her oldest daughter The Glare. "Ben will be back. And Felicity, you're being silly. I know tis not our traditional Christmas, but that doesn't mean it will be bad either. Just accept it and try to be merry." Felicity frowned. "Fine," she finally said. "But I still don't like it."

"No one does," said Father. "But that's just the way things are right now. Things will get better, you'll see."

"When I'm thirty," thought Felicity glumly.

It continued to rain all night, and Felicity woke up the next morning in a bad mood. "Oh yes," she reminded herself. "Today is Christmas." She sulked getting dressed, and she sulked through breakfast. It wasn't until in church that morning that she started to perk up. Out of all the stories in the Bible, the Christmas story was her favorite. Now, hearing the Reverend recite it, it gave her a happy feeling. She liked to imagine little baby Jesus, so tiny in His manger, and Mary and Joseph proudly showing Him to the shepherds and later the wise men, all who prayed and offered their gifts to the holy child. As the organ started to play for the last hymn, Felicity realized that it didn't matter that it was raining outside. It didn't matter that they didn't have the money for lavish Christmas dinners and parties. It didn't even matter that Ben wasn't with them. It was still Christmas, the most joyful day of the year. That much would never change.

That afternoon turned out better than expected. It started out with Felicity, her mother, and Rose doing the cooking when there was a knock on the door. Nan opened it to reveal Mr. and Mrs. Fitchett. "Merry Christmas!" both said in unison. Mrs. Merriman smiled. "Merry Christmas!" she said. "What a lovely surprise!" Mrs. Fittchet presented her with a pie. "It's apple," she said. "I thought that since we all have limited Christmas dinners this year, we should at least share what we have with each other."

"Oh my!" gasped Mother. "It smells delicious! Thank you ever so much!" She handed Felicity the pie to put in the kitchen. "Please, if you aren't othereise engaged, won't you stay for Christmas dinner? We'd love the company." Mrs. Fittchet smiled.

"Oh, Martha, we'd be delighted to!" she said. "Wouldn't we, Roger?"

"Yes," agreed Mr. Fitchett. "That's very kind of you, Mrs. Merriman. Are you sure it isn't any trouble? We'd hate to be a bother."

"Tis no trouble at all," Mrs. Merriman assured them. " Please, come in. Tis cold out there. Felicity, take their wraps. Nan, set some extra plates around the table. Oh goodness! Edward!" And so resumed the normal, hectic preparations for Christmas dinner.

Throughout the afternoon, many more friends stopped by to say merry Christmas, most of them giving some sort of dish they had made. Half of them ended up staying for dinner, a feast made up of everyone's contributions. Mrs. Cole even gave a perfectly plump goose, which stuffed them all. The house was full of happiness and laughter all through the afternoon and late into the evening. At one point, Mr. Fitchett brought out his fiddle, and Mother sat at the spinet. The two provided music, and the rest danced and danced to their hearts' content. They all sang carols like "Hark the Harold Angels Sing" and "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen." It was a merry Christmas, perhaps the merriest Felicity had ever seen. The only thing she would have changed was to have Mr. Cole there for Elizabeth and to have Ben there. She hoped that he was having a merry Christmas, wherever he was. "God bless you, Ben," she thought as she started to doze off by the fire while the adults chatted in the other room. "I hope that next Christmas we will be together again."

The ball was a few days later, and though dressed in her old green dress, Felicity felt beautiful. As the snow gently fell, the clock struck midnight, and 1777 turned into 1778. "Happy New Year!"s rang everywhere. Felicity felt happy and optimistic. Closing her eyes, she made one wish for the new year: that 1778 would bring peace and Ben home to them. "Happy new year, Ben," she thought. "I hope this year keeps you safe and healthy, and brings you all the luck and happiness in the world."