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Ben slowly turned around, feeling his heart thump against his chest. Sarah Livingston's face was partially covered by darkness. The half of her face that wasn't covered, was a deep shade of red. He knew she must be angry. He also knew he had much to explain, but the sight of Liza before him, crying, made soothing Sarah's righteous anger seem less urgent.

"Sarah-"

"Benjamin, what is the meaning of this? Who is this...man crying in my home? Is this your doing?"

Ben took a deep breath and offered his hand to the trembling Sarah so he could lead her to a seat at the table. She smacked his hand away and marched to the table herself, keeping her shotgun pointed at Liza the whole time. Ben bit back a smile at the two women before him, in awe of their tenacity.

"Sarah, this is my friend, Mr...uhh-

"Lawrence Alcott, ma'am," Liza offered, tipping her tricorn hat in Sarah's direction.

Ben coughed to cover up how close he came to saying Liza's name. "Yes, uhh...Lawrence Alcott. We grew up together in Setauket, Long Island."

Ben watched as Sarah and Liza glanced at each other with interest. Sarah's firm scowl only deepened the longer she looked at Liza. Ben took a deep breath and held back the urge to offer Liza his hand as well. He knew she wouldn't take it anyway.

"I demand to know what this is about," Sarah said after awhile. Ben noticed that her face was no longer red and the trembling in her voice dissipated into subtle annoyance. "Now."

Liza lifted herself up from the floor and smoothed down her strange array of clothing.

"As much as I'd like to admit that Benjamin has any part to play in my being here, I cannot ma'am. I have been observing this cottage for a few weeks now in hopes it would serve as an escape from the army, from which I have just deserted. I was unaware that it was occupied, let alone occupied by a childhood friend. My deepest apologies for invading your home and disrupting your sleep. I assure you, it was unconsciously done."

Ben watched as Liza lowered herself into a deep bow. He had to admit he was impressed by her acting skills, specifically her ability to hold herself as a man. She had perfected the deep tone of a twenty-something year old man and her posture was firm and direct.

"Deserted, you say? Whatever would lead a man such as yourself to perform such a dishonorable act?"

"Fighting for the wrong side is more dishonorable than fleeing, ma'am."

Ben held his breath as he awaited Sarah's response. He knew that she was a Tory and her allegiance was to the Crown, but that hadn't stopped her from saving his life. Sarah had a good heart, but he couldn't say how far that would get Liza.

"And do you find it dishonorable that your fellow men, who call themselves Patriots, are murderous and violent?"

"I find it no more dishonorable than denying a people their right to freedom."

-

Liza glared at Sarah Livingston, a lady so confident that the Crown was somehow the more righteous one in this bloody war. Every vein in her body flowed with rage at the very thought. But she comforted herself with the knowledge that the British would not reign victorious. It was well known throughout the British army that they were facing loses of considerable value. The generals were so insecure that they began to make sloppy choices, which led to more losses. Whenever Liza's regiment would face defeat, the men would drink the night away, giving Liza the opportunity to spend a few moments in solace, relishing in their loss.

But, as with the Patriots, those in support of the Crown would not allow loses to dampen their belief in their cause. Liza could see the fire of belief raging within the eyes of Sarah Livingston and even though she felt angry at seeing it, she could not help but respect it.

"I see that we will not agree on the matter of these colonies," Sarah remarked after awhile. Liza glanced towards Benjamin. His eyes were full of fear and yet there was a twinkle of something behind the fear. Liza recognized it to be pride; pride in watching two women converse about matters they were not normally allowed to openly converse about. This thought filled Liza's chest with warmth. Benjamin, in all of his faults, never prohibited Liza to speak her mind. He valued her opinion, unlike her Uncle Richard and sometimes even Abe.

"No, we will not. But I much respect you, ma'am. You are quite outspoken for a lady."

Sarah glared at Liza and shifted her position so that she was facing Benjamin.

"I want him gone come sun up. If he is not gone, I will alert the authorities. I suggest you make haste lest you want Mr. Alcott to face the British army, and we both know that will not end pleasantly, especially for a deserter."

Benjamin looked at Liza, and the two of them made an unspoken agreement to leave once Ms. Livingston went back to bed.

"Very well. I will return to bed as I have nothing else to say. Do be careful, Benjamin."

Liza watched as Sarah placed one of her hands on Benjamin's shoulder and swore to ruin her if she tried anything else in front of her. The woman finally left the room and closed the bedroom door behind her, leaving Liza and Benjamin in complete silence.

-

Ben wanted nothing more than to reach out and touch Liza's cheek. Looking at her in the moonlight reminded him of her angelic beauty, of her gentle nature. He knew that this beauty was buried underneath so much grief, but he could still sense its presence. Liza was beautiful, even when she wore male clothing and looked as if she had not bathed in many months. Her beauty was in the way she carried herself and in her intelligence and poise. Ben smiled to himself before getting up from the table and forcing himself to grab his rucksack and bloodied clothes from where Sarah had placed them.

"We need a plan of how we are to get out of here," Ben said quietly, wishing the pain on Liza's face would go away. It seemed to be etched onto the very marrow of her cheekbones.

"I will not return to Setauket. I...cannot, that is," Liza whispered.

"We will not be returning to Setauket. I was hoping to take you to camp, introduce you to Washington, and see how we might use you. This war is not over, Liza. It won't be for a year or so yet. You have proved yourself to be a worthy spy and a brilliant soldier. Washington will agree that we could find a place for you within our ranks."

Ben expected Liza to put up a fight, but she simply nodded and slung her own rucksack over her shoulder.

"We should make our way to camp, then. I have much to tell Washington."

-

Liza and Ben had been riding through the woods for what felt like days, although it had only been a few hours. Liza's legs were stiff and sore, and she wanted nothing more than to lie down and forget everything for awhile.

If she were being honest with herself, the thought of meeting General George Washington sent a shiver down her spine. She had much respect for the man, but she was afraid that he would not be able to look at her with anything but hatred after all she had done in the name of revenge. Would he reject her help because she killed so many of his men? Would he lecture her about revenge? These thoughts ran through Liza's mind on repeat throughout the night as her and Ben traveled the New Jersey forest. She made herself think of every worst-case scenario so that she would not be disappointed.

"Do not fret, Liza. Washington will not judge you nor hate you. He understands grief better than anyone."

Liza glanced at Benjamin. His eyes were on the path before him and moonlight dusted his golden brown hair. Liza had the sudden desire to touch it, to feel it between her fingers. But she didn't. She couldn't allow herself to feel anything.

Before Liza knew it, the gentle thud of horse hooves on dirt made her drowsy. Soon, her eyes gave in and fully shut, embracing Liza in a beautiful, quiet black.


A/N: Friends, look who's posting! I have fallen in love with this story all over again, thus the second chapter posted this week. I know that I have fallen away from the show's storyline and that it seems a bit confusing, but I hope that the next chapter clarifies some of the missing holes.

Hope you are all well, staying occupied during quarantine, and are finding joy in daily life. Please let me know if you made any playlists for Sirens!

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