Just so you know, this half of the story is told through Felicity's perspective. Thank you for reading; keep reviewing please!

Part 2

Chapter 11

Once upon a time, in a faraway kingdom, there lived a beautiful princess named Felicity. All right, it wasn't exactly a faraway kingdom, and Felicity wasn't exactly a beautiful princess. She was a normal, sixteen year old girl, the daughter of a storekeeper, not a king, living in Williamsburg, Virginia. As the second part of our story begins, the date is January eighth, 1782. The place: Felicity's bed. The person: Felicity, who was tossing and turning, suffering from insomnia. Meanwhile, her sister Nan slept blissfully next to her. Felicity was sixteen now, seventeen in April. Her hair had darkened to a pretty auburn and just brushed past her ribcage in unruly curls. Everyone said her hair was gorgeous, but she found it rather a nuisance. Not only did it take forever to deal with, it got in her way too. Personally, she would rather cut it to her shoulders, but ladies had long hair, and technically, she was a lady. Her eyes were a pretty shade of green, and childhood freckles still dotted her face. Sommer Sprossen, Ben had once called them. Ah, Ben. She hadn't seen him since he joined the army four long years ago. The war ended back in October, and yet he hadn't come home. Felicity only naturally assumed him dead. After he left, she set aside a special drawer in her dressing table where she kept little things that reminded her of him. She stored all of the letters he had written her, his signal whistle that he gave her the day he left, his Sunday breeches that she had borrowed-without-asking to visit Penny so long ago, and a lock of his hair she had cut when he was fast asleep. That drawer was now a coffin, filled with nothing but memories.

Right now, however, Felicity wasn't thinking about Ben. Truthfully, she had erased him from her mind a while ago. The giddy, girly feelings she once had for him were gone, because after all, he was dead, wasn't he? And it was no use to wait for a dead man. Besides, it wasn't as if she hadn't tried her hand at any other boys. A couple of years ago, she had been courted (unofficially) by Charles Frederick, the son of one of her father's friends. Charles had been the one who had given her her first kiss. And her first heartbreak when he was found kissing Anne Richards behind the blacksmith's shop. She stopped seeing him after that, even though he tried to offer a pathetic excuse for an apology. Oh well. Charles had been handsome, but he really wasn't very nice. At the time, Felicity was just too pleased that someone actually liked her to care. Now, she thanked her lucky stars that she didn't have to deal with him anymore. Then there was Johnny Boyles, but he liked her, not the other way around. She found him sweet enough, but he droned ON and ON about a bunch of nonsense without letting her get a word in. Meanwhile, Elizabeth had her fairy tale romance, courting in secret, her parents forbidding her to see him, then eloping. Well, they didn't really elope, but it sounded better than saying that they got married with everyone there but her family. And besides that, Caleb was handsome and nice. Those kind of men were hard to come by. Felicity had it figured that she was going to die an old maid, living in Nan's guest quarters. Anyway, after the Great Charles Frederick Affair, as it was later christened, she divided her time between chores, Elizabeth, and maybe a ball every now and then. All in all, she was happy. Not bouncing over the moon or anything, just happy. Nothing exciting to stir up her life, and that was just the way she liked it.

She now lay on her back, staring up at the red and white checkered canopy. It was late, nearly midnight. The wind howled furiously outside. She thought of her father. He had left for Yorktown that morning on business and still wasn't back. "I hope he wasn't stopped by the storm," she thought. It was a cold and snowy night, not ideal travel conditions. She thought back to the war, that long war that had been going on since she was ten. She used to think about Ben on nights like this. She always hoped that he was warm enough. Thank goodness all of that was behind them. The most frightening was when the fighting broke out in Williamsburg. Everyone feared for their lives, and with good reason. Many innocent civilians were killed, including one of Father's close friends. The house Elizabeth's family used to live in was burned down, and though it was empty, Elizabeth couldn't help but cry a little. One couldn't go outside without seeing blood and gore splattered on the ground. Much of their time was spent in the cellar, that dank, cold cellar. Mr. Merriman once went out just to get some fresh bread and didn't return for hours. Those hours had been the hardest hours his family had ever waited. William and Mary became a fighting ground. The palace became a hospital. The world had never seemed so dark, and to top it all off, none of the soldiers in Williamsburg were Ben. Then again, he had probably died already. Thankfully, those days were behind them, but those memories would haunt her forever. The day the British surrendered had become one of the happiest days of her life just because nobody had to worry about their loved ones or themselves being killed. It was the happiest day of Elizabeth's life as well, but for a far happier reason. In the history of America, October nineteenth, 1781 would be remembered as the day the British surrendered. For Caleb and Elizabeth McClellan, it would be remembered as their wedding anniversary. Felicity smiled to herself. It still felt funny to say Elizabeth McClellan instead of Elizabeth Cole. It had a nice ring to it, though. It was as she thought of this that she heard something from downstairs. She heard her mother's voice cry out in delight, then her father's voice. "Father's home!" she thought happily. Nan mumbled something about dogs and threw an arm across her. Felicity pushed it off and sat up. She heard another voice, a strange voice, yet one that sounded vaguely familiar. She got up and slid on her slippers, then crept down the dark hallway and down the stairs to investigate.

From the banister, she saw her parents, and a man sitting across from them. Felicity frowned. Who was he? Mr. Merriman saw her and smiled. "Lissie!" he said. "What are you doing up?"
"I heard you come in," she explained, coming into the parlor. She glanced at the man. He looked so familiar, yet she couldn't place him. "We have company," said Father. "I see that," she answered, still not averting her eyes from him. The stranger grinned. "Why, Lissie," he said. "Don't you recognize me?" She frowned. How did he know her name? Her nickname at that? She narrowed her eyes. There was something in his eyes, his smile...and suddenly, she knew exactly what business her father had had in Yorktown. Her eyes widened in realization. For a second, she was actually speechless. Finally, she murmured, "Oh God!" Foregoing any acts of lady, she ran to him and threw her arms around him. "Felicity!" Mrs. Merriman scolded. "Your nightgown!" "It's all right," Ben laughed, embracing her kindly. "I don't mind." Felicity buried her face in his shirt. "Oh God," she cried again. "Oh God, Benjamin Davidson, is it really you?"
"Yes, Lissie," he said, holding her closer. "It's me." She didn't mean to, but she felt a few tears fall from her eyes. He let go and frowned. "Are you crying?" he asked. She laughed at herself. "I can't help it," she said. "It really is you!" He smiled and held her close again. "Lissie, Lissie," he said. "Don't cry so. I'm home now." She just nodded against his chest. Then he said, "I'm probably the last person you expected to see."
"The last on earth!" she agreed with a laugh and looking up at him. "Oh Ben, for months now I've thought you were- you were-"
"Dead?" he finished. "You had good reason to."
"I never thought I'd see you again!" she said. "And now I am, and you're alive, and-and-and I'm so happy I can barely speak! Well, I can speak, because I'm doing so right now, but not very well, and-and-oh, forget it. I'm babbling."
"You're tired, Felicity," said Mother. "You should go back to bed."
"But Ben just got back!" she protested. "Ben needs to rest, as you do," said Father. "As all of us do. He will still be here in the morning, and you can catch up then." Ben looked at Felicity, then said, "I think I can stay up a little longer. It has been four years, after all." Mother and Father glanced at each other. Then Father said, "Not too late, Lissie, he's had a long day."
"Yes Father," Felicity agreed. They said goodnight and went upstairs. Now that it was just the two of them, Felicity got a chance to really study Ben. He was a bit taller, and his body had filled out to that of a man's. His voice had gotten a little deeper, but there was something about him that was really different. She frowned, then, upon realizing it, exclaimed, "Your hair!" Indeed, the once reddish-brown hair that had reached his shoulders in his teen years was now not only a darker brown, it had been cut short as well. Actually, it reminded her of how she had always pictured Romeo to look like, which was ironic because over the course of those four years she occasionally thought, "O Benjamin, Benjamin, wherefore art thou Benjamin?"
"I know, I know," he groaned. "Twas all my sister's doing. She cut it when I was fast asleep and sick."
"Why?" she asked. "Did you have lice?" He shook his head. "No," he answered. "Surprisingly." She shyly fingered the short strands. "Well, I like it," she said. "It makes you look more like a man." Then she replayed his words. "And what do you mean sick?" He sighed and sat on the sofa. She sat next to him. "Exactly that," he said. "For starters, I was injured in Yorktown, right before the British surrender-"
"We know," she interrupted. "Your old 'friend', shall we say, Diana, wrote us all about it. What a small world it is, you reuniting with her again! Anyway, she said that you didn't have a good chance of survival, and that's why we assumed you dead when you didn't come home until now. That was very sweet of her to give you all that care and attention! Tis almost fate, it may seem!" A frown crossed his face. "Indeed," he said stiffly. "Anyway, I was shot in my right arm, and no, I have no noble or heroic story as to why I was shot; I simply wasn't paying attention. It was right below my shoulder, and it nearly had to be amputated. Well, obviously it didn't; the doctor was able to save it. Then I fell dangerously ill and was in the hospital until the British surrendered. Then I went home and, it took nearly two weeks for the fever to break. It took almost a month for me to get strong again, and meanwhile my sister was at home and pregnant, so I stayed until the baby was born. That was five days ago, and now I'm here." Felicity was quiet, then said, "Well, that certainly sounds like an...interesting last few months." Ben grinned. "To say the least," he said. Then he added, "It's nice to see you again, Felicity. I've missed you these past few years."
"And I you," she said. "You have no idea how much!" She hugged him again. "Have I changed at all?"
"Have you changed?" he laughed. "Felicity Merriman, have you seen yourself lately? You're a real young lady now! The next thing we know, you'll be married and bouncing a baby on your knee."
"And the same could be said of you," she said. "How old are you now, twenty-two? I hardly recognized you!"
"I noticed," he said.
"Oh well, it doesn't matter," she said. "You're home, safe and sound. Oh Ben, promise you'll never leave again?"
"I'll have to when my apprenticeship is up," he pointed out. She pffed. "That's two years away," she said. "For now, I'm just glad to have you back."
"Tis good to be back," he said. "I didn't think I'd see Williamsburg again."
"Well, you are," she said. "You're back now with me, with us." She pressed herself even closer to him. "Welcome home, my brave soldier."

She didn't want to leave him; she wanted to sit up with him all night long and hear all of his war stories. Soon, though, she could tell that he was starting to get tired, so they said goodnight. She was too excited to go to sleep, though. Ben was alive! And home! He was really and truly home! And after all those years...she felt like Penelope who had just beheld her Odysseus after twenty years without seeing him. Well, Ben was no Odysseus; he was gone for four years, not twenty, he didn't have a reputation for being the wisest man on earth, as far as she knew he didn't run into a cyclops or witch who turned everyone into animals on his way back, and she and he were not married, nor would they ever be. Still, Felicity liked the analogy. Soon, sleep overcame her, and as she drifted off to the land of dreams, she saw Ben's face, smiling at her as if to say, "I'm here for good. Don't worry." She then fell asleep with a sweet smile on her face, thinking about him.

She made sure to get up early the next morning to help with breakfast, and to see him sooner. The other children were glad to see their father back, and surprised to see Ben. They didn't recognize him at first, then Nan gasped, "Benjamin Davidson!" Only Polly didn't remember him, being that she hadn't even been two when he left. Naturally, everyone wanted to hear his stories until finally Mrs. Merriman said, "That's enough now, let him eat. You'll have plenty of time later to catch up." Throughout breakfast, Nan and her parents made small talk with him, William stared at him admiringly (after all, Ben had been a soldier and twenty-two, which in William's mind deserved the utmost respect), and Polly seemed a bit shy of him. When she did speak, she called him Mr. Davidson. Felicity was quiet throughout the meal, not taking her eyes off of him. In her ecstasy the night before, she had not noticed the change in his appearance. He looked older, not like an old man, but not like the boy he had been. He was handsome, strikingly so. She remembered how she had made him promise to not come home engaged. She was actually a bit surprised that he didn't come home with anyone, fiancé, wife, or just sweetheart. Honestly, she would have expected for something to spark with Diana again. He was definitely handsome enough. His eyes were dark, as was his hair. His skin was tanned from the sun, and she couldn't help but notice his lips. They were full, the kind that made one want to kiss them quickly. She blushed at this thought and shoved it down. The thought of kissing Ben made her feel jittery all over. This wasn't a wealthy gentleman or a foreign prince; this was just Ben, always and forever.

Everyone who knew him was glad to see Ben. The next day, Felicity ran to Elizabeth's house to tell her the good news. Elizabeth didn't believe her at first. "Prove it," she said. "I won't believe it until I see it."
"Aren't you quite the doubting Thomas," Felicity joked. "But Elizabeth, I swear to you on my life, Ben Davidson is alive and well and working in his rightful place in my father's store!"
"But the war ended three months ago!" said Elizabeth. "Why didn't he come home then?"
"Because he was in Yorktown when it ended and was dangerously sick," Felicity answered. "So he recovered there until now. He just got home the night before last."
"And why wasn't he working yesterday?" Elizabeth retorted. "I stopped by to pick up some more ginger and it was only William and your father there."
"Father gave him the day off because he had just gotten home," said Felicity. "But he is working now, and he is safe and alive, and, and, well, just see for yourself."
"Lissie, I've got dinner on!" protested Elizabeth. "I've no time now, I'm sorry. And I still don't believe you."
"Then come and see," Felicity urged. "Dinner can wait."
"No, Lissie," said Elizabeth, but Felicity was already dragging her out the door.

Five minutes later, they stood at the entrance of the store. "Felicity, honestly," said Elizabeth. "Can't this wait?"
"Not unless you believe me," Felicity shot back. "Now do you?"
"No."
"Then come on!" She dragged her inside and pointed at the counter. "Lissie, really," groaned Elizabeth, then she followed her friend's gaze. She frowned. "Is it-is that-" Felicity grinned and nodded. "I told you so," she said smugly. Elizabeth gaped. "He's-he's-" she stammered. Ben looked over at them, and Felicity dragged Elizabeth over. "Elizabeth didn't believe me when I told her you had come home," she told him. "Will you please tell her otherwise?" "That's all right," said Elizabeth quickly. "I can see that it is indeed you." Ben smiled politely. "How do you do, Miss Elizabeth?" he asked. "You've certainly grown."
"I am married," she informed him.
"I know," he said. "Felicity told me. Congratulations, by the way."
"Thank you," she said. "You look...well. And how are you?"
"Very well, thank you," he replied. "Happy to be alive." She smiled a little. "I imagine," she said. "Have you any idea how worried Felicity was about you while you were gone? Everyday, Ben this, Ben that! I was surprised that she didn't disguise herself as a boy and join the army with you!" Felicity felt herself turn bright red. Ben gave her a sideways glance. "So I've heard," he said. An awkward silence followed. Then Elizabeth said, "Well, you have grown up so much that I don't know if I should call you Ben or Mr. Davidson." Ben smiled a little. "And the same could be said of you, Elizabeth," he said. "Or Mrs. McClellan." Elizabeth giggled a little, and Felicity cringed. "Well, Elizabeth, I have proved to you that Ben has really come home," she said to cut off her girlish giggling. "And now you have to get back to making dinner."
"Oh, dinner can wait," said Elizabeth, not taking her eyes off Ben. "No," Felicity hissed. "It can't." Elizabeth looked at her. "Yes," she said. "It can." Ben cleared his throat. "That's all right," he said. "I've still got some work to do." "And so do we," said Felicity. "We don't want to leave Caleb with no dinner tonight, do we?" Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "Certainly not," she said. She bobbed a curtsy. "It was lovely to see you again, Ben. I am so glad you came home safely."
"It was nice to see you too, Miss Elizabeth," he said. "And once again, congratulations on your marriage." She smiled again. "Thank you," she said. "Goodbye."
"I'll see you at home," Felicity said to Ben, then grabbed Elizabeth's arm and pulled her along with her out the door.

Once outside, Elizabeth turned to Felicity, eyes wide. "Oh my goodness!" she half whispered. "Felicity Merriman! You didn't mention how handsome he's gotten!"
"Handsome?" asked Felicity. "Well, yes, I suppose he is good-looking."
"Good-looking?" exclaimed Elizabeth. "Why, he's like a prince out of a fairy tale!"
"I wouldn't go that far, Elizabeth," Felicity laughed. "I would," said Elizabeth, trying to pop her head back in to get another glimpse of him. Felicity pulled her back. "Elizabeth!" she scolded. "You're married!"
"I'm still allowed to find other men handsome, aren't I?" she said. "As long as I don't act upon that. Not that I would."
"Just don't giggle," said Felicity. "You sound like a thirteen-year-old."
"I'm sorry," Elizabeth apologized. "Tis a bad habit, like you biting your nails. Anyway, oh Felicity, those eyes! Those lips! How can one not* find him handsome? He will be married in no time flat! Well, once he figures out that all of the girls hanging around the store are trying to get his attention."
"Elizabeth," said Felicity. "The only girls who come in are you, me, Nan, and Polly. The rest are just girls running errands for their mothers. And you shouldn't let Caleb hear you say that, either. He will get jealous." Elizabeth grinned. "I said Ben was handsome," she said. "But my Caleb is still the fairest of them all." Felicity laughed. "And speaking of which," she said. "You need to get home before his dinner goes up in smoke!"

The whole "just Ben, always and forever" thing started to change. Over the first few weeks he was home, Felicity started to notice a change in him. He was more quiet than usual, for one thing. True, Ben had always been a man of few words, but now he seemed even more so. She never had time to talk to him, and when she did, he gave short, abrupt answers. He went to work and was pleasant with customers, but once at home went his own way and she really didn't see him much except at mealtimes. She couldn't help but notice that he didn't smile as much, he didn't laugh very often, and he never whistled anymore. He seemed older, much older than just twenty-two. Colder, somehow, bitter. One day, close to Valentine's Day, Felicity sat in her father's store, helping them close up for the night. Drowning troubles in rock candy was more like it. Mr. Merriman was working in the back, Ben was writing something in one of the ledger books, and Marcus was sweeping. "The older I get," Felicity rambled in between bites of candy. "The more I can't stand Valentine's Day. It's only a day when couples get to rub it in that they're so 'madly in love' and make single people feel bad that they have no one."
"Drowning your troubles in candy won't help," said Ben, not looking up. "It will only give you an upset stomach and rot your teeth, not to mention mess up the books." Felicity stopped eating. "Couples just annoy me in general," she said, continuing her monologue. "They are forever hugging and kissing and staring at each other so pathetically, and Valentine's Day just makes it worse. Love is a beautiful thing, but not overly expressed. When I fall in love-if I fall in love-I'll try to be practical about it."
"Somehow, I don't think 'practical' and 'Felicity' go together very well," Marcus teased. Felicity grinned. "Well, maybe not," she agreed. "But I won't constantly kiss him or anything, and never in public. There is much more to love than kissing and touching. I'd much rather have a love that's deep and soulful, not shallow and 'romantic'. Wouldn't you, Ben?"
"No," he replied flatly, dipping his pen in the inkwell. "I find love foolish and a waste of time."
"I don't," she said. "Not if it's real, which I've yet to experience. I know what the shallow kind feels like. You probably do too, what with Diana a couple of years ago." He looked up, and his face clouded over. "Like I said," he said. "Foolish and a waste of time."
"Not necessarily," she said. She smiled. "She used to make you so happy back then. I still remember when you whispered to me that you kissed her. You sounded so proud! I remember-"
"Felicity, I'm busy, he interrupted. "And your constant chatter is distracting." She frowned. What had gotten into him? "Fine," she said coldly. She caught Marcus's eye, and he shrugged. "I don't know," his face said. "Here, Marcus," she offered. "I'll finish sweeping and you can dust."
"Very well," he agreed, giving her the broom. She started sweeping the floor, then looked back at Ben, still bent over the ledger. "Unless the swish of the broom annoys you," she said coolly. Ben frowned and opened his mouth as if to speak, then closed it and resumed his writing. Felicity frowned as well and turned back to her sweeping. The three worked in silence until it was time to go home.

After this and other incidents of this sort, the change in Ben became more and more apparent. He was pleasant with customers and Mother and Father, he was gentle with the children, and he was polite enough to Felicity, but there was a stiffness to him that hadn't been there before. He didn't interact with them much anymore, despite Felicity's best efforts. He had changed, and not necessarily for the better. "How about that?" thought Felicity. "You wait four years for someone to come home, and when he does, he's old and boring. And now I'm stuck with him for another two years."