The Price of Love

Chapter 12

Alex's PoV

John wraps his arms around me, kissing me. I kiss him back, leaning into him. We've hidden ourselves in a small thicket a few yards away from the camp. Now we can quietly make out in peace and quiet for a few minutes. He puts one hand on the back of my head, forcing the kiss a little deeper. Dopamine and serotonin pump through my blood, accompanied by the still relatively new feeling of sheer love. We pull away after another minute. "I have to go now." I say with a trace of regret in my voice. "I'll be back tonight. I won't get caught, I'm smart. Stay safe, my love." I kiss his cheek fleetingly and turn, walking through the thicket to Albany. Dressed in normal gray-brown clothes, my weapons, jacket, and hat at camp, my gait looser and freer, and my hair out of a ponytail, I should be virtually unrecognizable. That's my hope at least. John says I look completely different, but he's probably biased. So I asked Lafayette. He said that as long as nobody thinks too hard about it, I should be fine. I make my way through the trees, enjoying the smell of earth and green things. After about ten minutes, the trees thin out and I transition from a walk to a jog. Fifteen minutes later, I slip into the streets of Albany and casually look around. It's a bit nicer than Manhattan, cleaner. This is where the families that have a bit of money live. Most of the people here are immigrants from places like France or Greece or Spain. I keep a wary eye on the British soldiers strutting through the streets, pushing past people. I growl under my breath. It takes a lot of willpower to not punch them, not fight back. From what I see, there's a lot of soldiers here. At least in this area. Nobody recognizes me, thank God. I look around, disguising my curiosity. It's interesting to see how much the place has changed in the past few years. It looks pretty much the same, save for the Redcoats and a few store changes, and a bit more housing. I wander the streets, occasionally going into stores so I don't look suspicious. And I do actually end up buying a few small cakes for the men to share. I carry them in a paper bag as I wander around town. It really is quite nice here. Cleaner and  more expensive here. But I don't envy them in the slightest. I like my more modest life. Love it in fact. I wouldn't give anything to change my life. If I'm honest, I pity these people a little. They don't know what it's like to earn money, to work hard for it and the satisfaction we feel when we get it. I stroll around a while longer, taking in the sights of the city. I somehow end up in a bar. The bar is my second natural habitat, the first being the battlefield. Bars are great places to pick up information as well. I walk in and am met with unusual quiet. Meaning it's half as loud as any other bar I've ever visited. I walk in unnoticed, not planning on getting a drink. I'm here for information I can't get anywhere else. Drunk people are freer of lips, so extracting information will be easy. I retreat to a back corner, shrouded in shadows. I listen intently to the great murmur of voices around me. After a few minutes, I grab an empty seat at a table, casually listening to the people who are talking.

"-Hope they'll move on soon." I hear someone say.

"You know the British'll stay here. There's no chance of them moving on!" Someone argues.

"They'll be sorry they messed with us when the army gets here!" I jump in quickly.

"That's right they will!" A third voice says. "Just hope they'll be here soon. I heard a rumor that the battalion and company already here could be joined by a platoon. Think that's too much, even for our soldiers." A battalion and a platoon? We're outnumbered. Not by that much though, depending on how big the platoon is.

"Do you think they'll bring enough soldiers to fight them off?" I ask.

"If any of us have heard any stories that're true, then yes. You think the General will come?" The first man asks.

"I'd bet on it!" The second one says. "I doubt he'd want to miss a battle like this!" I chuckle softly to myself. I'm getting predictable. In a good way though. They're absolutely right, I wouldn't want to miss a battle like this. This'll probably last for quite some time. I just hope we won't need reinforcements.

---

I stick around for a few hours and learn some valuable information. Like their forces are more heavily concentrated here in downtown Albany. Which makes perfect sense, it's the easiest point of attack if you're coming in from Manhattan or neighboring areas. They have storehouses a few miles uptown, well away from the Hudson River that aren't very well guarded. That's priceless intel. We can capture that part of Albany easily and start to reclaim the rest. I quickly made friends with the men at the bar. It's my charisma and charm, wink. Haha, sure. Anyway, as the sun begins to set, I make a final joke, say goodbye, and leave. I walk through the streets for a while, carefully trying to avoid suspicion. My heart rate quickens a little every time a Redcoat's gaze passes over me, but they suspect nothing. After about ten minutes, I casually start walking out of town. Ten meters from the tree line, I break into a run and dash through the trees back to camp. I slow my pace as I near it, wary of startling anyone on guard duty. I slip back into camp without issue. I make my way through the men and tents, searching for Lafayette. I finally find him talking to his second-in-command. "Lafayette!" I call, striding towards him.

"Oui?" He looks up upon hearing his name. "General! Glad tu es retour en toute sécurité."

"Nothing can hurt me Laf, you know that." I laugh. "Has everyone else returned?" He nods.

"Oui. I sent them to tu es tente, they're waiting pour vous là-bas." He responds.

"You didn't have to. But thanks for doing it. If you need me, I'll be hearing their reports." I pat him on the shoulder and start walking to my tent. The squad I sent out this morning is there, silent and standing at attention. I smile dryly. "At ease guys. You people don't understand you don't have to do that." I say with a light chuckle. "Okay, everyone in. Report time!" I cheer, ushering them inside my tent. I sit down in the grass and pull my jacket, which I left here, around my shoulders like a cape. "Start when you're ready, one at a time please. Any small detail, any scrap of information, all are important. Talk as much as you need, I'm here to listen." I cross my legs and hold my chin in my hand, watching the six men intently. It's a bit cramped in here, well more like a lot, but whatever. One by one, the men relay what they've learned. Most are things I already knew, having learned them from the bar, but there are some things that're new. All in all, the mission was a huge success. I dismiss the squad and pull paper, quill, and ink out from my bag. I start quickly scribbling down everything I've learned and forming a plan for the best course of action. At some point, John enters the tent and sits behind me, his head hanging over my shoulder, watching me work. I hum tunelessly as I work, relieving myself of stress I was unaware I was carrying. Writing soothes me, and John's presence helps. Him touching me helps more. I lean slightly into him, smiling when he begins playing with my hair. "John." I murmur when his hands start to roam my body.

"Whaaat?" He says innocently, tracing my abdominal muscles. "I'm not doing anything, my dear boy."

"I believe you are, my dear. I love you too, but I'm trying to work." I say, a small warning edge to my voice. He ignores it and starts nibbling my ear. I grumble under my breath, trying to remain focused on my work.

"Come on darling, you deserve a break." He coaxes. I shake my head. "Please? For me?" He pleads.

"John, I'll kick you out of this tent and you can go sleep in the woods away from me." I threaten, only half serious. He laughs and kisses my temple.

"I love you." He says. I hum and turn my head to deliver a quick kiss to his cheek. He turns his head at the last millisecond, catching the kiss on his lips and quickly deepening it. I quickly pull away, not wanting things to escalate. He whines in protest.

"John Hawkins you knock it off right now or you're sharing a tent with someone else." I snap. He looks at me, hurt and anger flashing in his eyes.

"Fine." He says simply. "Fine." He moves to the other side of the tent. We sit in chilly silence, but at least I can actually get my incredibly important work done.