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"Young man, you've got some explainin to do" William opened his eyes and stared at the rock on which he sat. He didn't even realize he had been asleep until Rose's loud voice woke him up. he sat up, stretching his lean muscles in the late afternoon sun, rolling the stiffness from them before turning around to face the irate woman standing beside him.

"I've fed her, I've bathed her, and I've helped her climb into bed, and she hasn't even shown a spark of life. You look at her, and she practically hisses at you. What did you do that broke her?!" Rose demanded, her ample breasts heaving beneath her lightweight gown, her hands fisted at her sides. During her time at the camp, she had grown to genuinely respect the young man before her, but now, she was ready to respectfully box his ears until he answered her. "I mean it! I want to know what you did to her" Rose demanded, racking her brain to come up with an explanation that would have made the young woman so miserable.

"If you havent noticed, luv, there is a war going on. She is the enemy." He said smartly.

"Dont you go and get that tone with me, young man." Rose snapped, but then her tone softened. "Your own words betray you. You're accent always gets stronger when you're upset. At least I know that you are miserable too." William stood up stiffly, reaching for his flask to take a drink, now standing only about a foot away from the older woman.

"You're happy I am miserable?" He said, yanking off the lid to the flask and tilting it up to his mouth.

"No, I'm just happy that whatever happened, unlike all of your fellow soliders, you held onto your conscience" she said, reaching her arm out and swatting the flask so that its contents missed Williams mouth and instead splashed over his face. He sputtered and turned angrily to confront her, but she was already halfway back to the camp.

"Some good it does me" he muttered furiously and spat into the dirt.




Elizabeth awoke to soft humming coming from the corner of the tent in which she slept. Despite the overwhelming desire to roll back over and go back to sleep, the cramp in her shoulder required some stretching. When she sat up, she noticed the source of the soothing sound, a figure sitting in the corner, hunched over some garments. As she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, the humming stopped and the figure stood up.

"Its good to see you awake Miss Elizabeth. You've been sleeping like a babe since yesterday afternoon." Rose approached the bed, where Elizabeth recognized the woman from the day before in the muted light of the tent.

"Where are we?" Elizabeth stammered, her voice weak. Her voice sounded distant to her own ears, as she felt her grief settling back over her like a wet blanket over a flame.

"Somewhere east of Leesburg I believe. Or perhaps near Alexandria. I don't rightly know" she said, with something that sounded like a matronly version of a giggle.

"You've been so kind to me" she whispered, confused as to why she was being treated like a lost child rather than a prisoner of war. "But why? I'm from the South." She said blandly, expecting some sort of shock or revulsion. Instead, she was met with a gentle smile.

"So am I. Charleston originally. But what does that have to do with anything?" She said, matter-of-factly. Now come, I-" But her cheerful demeanor vanished when she heard the noises of wagons approaching the camp, and the hollers of men for stretchers.

"Well, it sounds like they've gotten here. Come on sweetheart, lets get you dressed. I took the liberty of cleaning your dress while you slept, so lets get you ready to go out there" Rose stood, grabbing the clean dress from her chair, and reaching out a hand to help Elizabeth to her still unsteady feet. Just as Rose finished tying the back though, the tent flap was brushed aside. William stepped in, ducking under the doorway. When he lifted his head though, he looked startled to see Elizabeth standing there. He turned to Rose instead though.

"You're needed outside" he said, his voice bristling with impatience. He turned to Elizabeth and squared his shoulders. "You too"

"I'm not going anywhere with you" she spat, her eyes flashing venomously. Shaking his head, William stepped forward and grasped her arm.

Elizabeth felt electricity course through her at his touch, and was revulsed by her visceral reaction to his presence. Unable to pull back though, she simply followed, though still resisting his grasp.

William turned back to glare at the young woman, but he felt himself soften towards her once his eyes settled on her face. Despite the anger there, he could still see the vulnerability there, but now mixed with the pain that lay just beneath the surface. Almost unconsciously, his grip loosened, and he slid his hand down her arm to grab her hand.

Though still incensed, Elizabeth could tell the moment that his demeanor changed towards her. When his hand trailed down her arm, she thought he was releasing her. When his hand grabbed hers though, she became truly confused. Rather than fight him further, she meekly followed behind him, into the confusion outside of the tent.

In front, seven wagons were being unloaded of their cargo, human cargo. All around, men cried out in pain, in delirium, and in misery. As soldiers ran past her carrying bandages, water, and makeshift stretchers, Elizabeth was unwittingly pushed forward to the front of the crowd. When the stench of decay and disease reached her nose, she nearly retched, her empty stomach clenching and driving her to turn from the source, desperately seeking solace in the noisy crowd.

When the young woman, his prisoner, turned and collided into his chest, William stood anchored in the spot, blocking her desperate bolt from the scene before them. When she let out a sob into his chest, he gently grasped her shoulders. Intent on pushing her away from him, the moment that his fingers gripped her shaking body, compassion overtook him, and he slid one hand to her back, pulling her towards him, hiding her face in the crook of his arm. In a moment, Rose was by his side. Hearing his name called by Bryant, William grasped Elizabeth gently and shifted her over to Rose's waiting embrace.

When Elizabeth looked up through tearstained eyes, he was gone.





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