Ashen Heart

Escape

I don't think I got much sleep the first night at Mount Vernon, but soon sleep came easier to me and after a week of rest and recuperation I, as well as everyone else was ready to get back on the move. The children had all grown rather close to each other, and George was able to successfully reconnect to his two kids and little Patsy was more than ecstatic to finally have a father in her life. John and I rarely spoke to each other after that first night, even though Frances and Phillip were frequent playmates with each other. Lafayette hadn't been able to keep in one place so he'd gone ahead and scouted the area for Lobster movements and the fastest and safest route to the wharf where he'd confirmed there to be large boats ready to be driven out to sea and beyond

It was early morning when we were ready to move all of us out of Mount Vernon and onto the boat Lafayette had picked out. According to him it was a large houseboat with 3 rooms one housing bunks which presumably would be for kids, a kitchen and pantry, 2 bathrooms, and a lounge area all inside of the actual boat, but it also came with a lounge deck on the second level. It would be a bit cramped, and certainly not as nice as Mount Vernon, but it's not like we'd be living on it, we only needed it take us to the Caribbean which shouldn't take 2 weeks if we maintained a constant speed, assuming we had enough fuel which we should've gathered during our week rest

And by gathered I definitely don't mean stole

Hey man, you'd do the same if you lived during a time like this

The day finally came, and while the children were a mess of excitement for this new adventure, us adults carried a more contained and nervous excitement with us. We were leaving the damn country, and George and his wife were leaving their home. George had told me that Mount Vernon had been in his family for generations, so to just get up and leave suddenly was going to be hard for him. I understood how he felt though, I'd felt it when I'd left my apartment in New York where I'd lived with Eliza and our children in peace before all hell broke loose

The plan went as such, with George, Lafayette, John and I out in front while Aaron and Hercules stayed a few paces back with Martha and the children. We wanted to make sure that if we ran into any Lobsters that the woman and children wouldn't be in the line of fire, but we also needed them to be protected which was why Hercules stayed with them. We told Aaron that was why he was in the back, but really George, Lafayette, and I just needed him out of our way. After all, Burr was the one who fucked over our last important mission and nearly got us all killed

We loaded up everything we could carry, though it was still obvious we'd have to take another trip, possibly even a third. At first George refused to let Martha carry anything heavy, but after snapping at her husband with "If I could carry a child in my stomach for 9 months then I can carry a simple pack" he eventually gave him. It was quite the moment but for the sake of keeping ourselves from being throttled by George, none of us laughed

We were pretty sure that there were no Lobsters on our path but one could never be too careful, especially while travelling with a wife and young children. Young Patsy was only 5 years old, far too young to have to go through anything traumatic, and we all planned to keep it that way. The walk to the docks wasn't very far, meaning that it would only take the full day at most to get everything on and to leave the coast behind. This was it, we were getting out of here once and for all

We left as early as we could, George having to carry a half asleep Patsy who grumbled and whined anytime someone tried to wake her up. Even Martha wasn't successful, so there George was, his tired daughter in his arms as he began to move. George and Martha stayed behind a moment to get one last look at their house, probably to share some last minute words before catching up with the rest of us who let them be. I'm sure we all could relate to their need for a proper goodbye. As I said before, I had to leave the home I shared with Betsy, but John and Aaron had to leave the houses they'd shared with their late wives, Lafayette had already left his home country god knows how long ago, and Hercules had to leave his shop not once, but now twice. Even the children were silent for the walk, but as soon as the docks came into view they quickly burst into fit of energy and excitement

Patsy was awake by the time we arrived and squirmed down from George's arms to join the bubbling excitement from the other children. Even the shy Georges was just as playful as everyone else. George led the way into the boat while Martha explained what their temporary life would hold in a kind and motherly tone so the kid would actually listen to her words and take them in. Thank god we had her with us-

Once the children were settled in Hercules and Aaron stationed themselves out on the main deck while Martha and the kids stayed inside "Hurry back, I don't like just waiting here" Hercules grumbled as the rest of us dropped our things and began our dash back to Mount Vernon to gather the rest of the supplies. It took less time than I had originally calculated and by midday we were all stocked up and ready to shove off. Martha had begun to organize everything with the held of the children and once George, Lafayette, John, and I had returned with everything else it wasn't long till things were packed away. It was more cramped than we thought but with all the children in one room, Aaron, John and I in the lounge and Lafayette, Hercules, George, and Martha sharing the master room we managed

George took to the helm as we gassed up and Lafayette took to the dock to untie us. Looking out onto the water it appeared to be smooth sailing as he navigated away from the wharf and into more open water. Everyone went inside to avoid seasickness and the hot sun bearing overhead while the children stumbled about, giggling and trying to get their balance. All except for Phillip who came and joined me out on the main deck "Is everything ok pops??" he asked as he tugged on my shirt. I was used to boats, after all I'd taken one to New York when I was a young man, so being back on one felt almost refreshing. I looked down at my son and nodded before reaching for the mask covering my face and taking it off, causing Phillip to gasp "Pops it's not safe!!" he said as I shook my head and took a deep breath, inhaling that calming scent of the salty sea air "It's alright son... we'll be safe out here" I said and smiled down at my son who's eyes lit up as he tore the mask off of his face with great enthusiasm

"This is so awesome!!" he said excitedly as he took a deep breath "Is this what it feels like to breath fresh air??" he asked as I held my son close, squeezing him tightly in a fatherly way "It is son... and soon, we won't ever have to wear these masks again. We can finally live a normal life again"