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This is my first ever work published, I am no professional writer. It is amazing how things come to be, recently re-discovered this show for the first time in 20+ years, and I was quickly hooked. It actually has changed my life, getting me into fan fic reading for the first time ever, and getting me back into reading in general for the first time in over a decade. I can't believe I wanted to tell this story so bad I wrote the whole thing start to finish in just 6 days. I especially want to thank ChatterQuill for welcoming me to this small but passionate community, and answering some of my questions. I hope this adds to the community, I would love to see it thrive!
I may write more in the future, I'm not sure. Only if I have a story to tell. Feel free to leave any critisisms of my writing, so I can improve. I am no expert. I just hope I at least did the character some justice at least.
This story is post-canon. I have changed only two things, as I felt I had too as the timeline of the show is whack anyway. All of our main cast stays in Philadelphia until the Constitution is signed, and then Sarah's mother arrives after that. I also wanted the characters to age normally, so at the start of this story both James and Sarah are about 21. If you can buy that, everything else I tried to align with canon and history both.
Enjoy!
I do not own Liberty's Kids or their characters.
September 17th, 1787
Sarah Phillips walked down the empty Philadelphia street alone. Deep in thought, she was worried about what the future held for her. Bells still rung loudly from every church in earshot. The new Constitution had just been signed; it was certainly a glorious day for this new country. However, she was disturbed by the conversation she had just had with her friends and mentors about their future plans.
"I just can't believe it" she thought to herself, "It's all going to change. Everything. I mean, I'm so happy to see Henri go to France with Lafayette, and I'm so proud Moses plans to start his own school…"
She lazily kicked a rock down the street as she continued down the street, taking the back way to shop so she could have this moment to herself. "I know James might want to start his own Print shop someday, and Doctor Franklin will continue here, but how am I to leave this all behind? It has been half my life now; these people have become my friends…friends? No, they are my family!"
As she slowly walked, one foot slowly moving in front of the other, she knew the Gazette was only a couple of blocks away, and she already had tarried enough. She had not seen her parents but once since the start of the American Revolution, it almost did not seem fitting to call them family over those she had spent the last several years with. Still, her mother had sent word that she was on her way over to America, and that her father had finally set up an estate for the family in Upstate New York.
"I do miss Mother and Father dearly. But am I to simply start over with them, move away from this? This has become my home!" She rounded the corner and the Gazette came into view just down the street. She felt a pit in her stomach. Her friends, the memories, her childhood and experiences…it was all going to change. Would it be for the better?
As she strode up to the Gazette and passed in front of the main window, she could hear a sudden burst of laughter from inside. She reached for the handle on the front door, it was warm from the sun, but to her it burned hot as her anxiousness swelled within her. She almost dared not to go in, to run away right now, simply because she felt the coming goodbyes would be too painful.
Nevertheless, she took a deep breath, gripped the handle with confidence, and opened the door. Unfolded before her was a scene of spectacle, though not unfamiliar. There was Henri, crumpled in pile next to the printing press, covered nearly head to toe with ink. Moses stood nearby reared back and roaring with laughter at the sight of the scene. Over in a doorway stood Ben Franklin, leaning on his cane and shaking his head with a smirk at the sight of Henri.
Finally, her eyes moved to James Hiller, the young man bent over a nearby chair in laughter, nearly brought to tears by the predicament of his younger colleague. Her eyes rested there for a moment, as memory after memory flashed before her eyes. Their fateful meeting that night aboard the Dartmouth, the midnight rides they had taken from Boston, battles, oh so many battles. Her experiences on the front lines near New York, James and his capture by the Hessians, the bitter cold nights in Valley Forge, the constant sting of loss, betrayals, and spies.
She and James had grown up these past few years, their lives tested in the fire of war. They say in the fire the best friendships are forged, and her relationship with James was no exception. From their first meeting they fought their own little war; supported opposing sides of the war, it seemed inevitable. James was very unkempt, ungentlemanlike, and very bold in his defense of the war against England. Though now she shared his views and support of this new nation of America that she called home, what had always surprised her was how despite their political differences, all their fights and arguments, they were still friends. James certainly took his sweet time to get past his initial reluctance to this young British girl in his house and place of work, but despite their differences, once they became friends, and despite the constant teasing, despite the war, despite the difficulty… he cared deeply about her and her protection.
James looked up from his laughter a moment and saw her standing in the entrance, "Sarah, you should have seen him… Henri, he…he" he burst back into boisterous laughter, he simply could not help himself.
She gave a half-hearted chuckle before quickly pushing past and traversing up the stairs to her room, the others too engrossed in laughter to really notice. "Mother will be here within the week" she thought to herself painfully, "It is so sad to leave this behind, but the war is over, this was supposed to be far more temporary than it has been. They'll be a new adventure in New York for me, there must be." She did not realize she was simply trying to convince herself of that, nor that she was failing in that regard.