Virginia sighed in relief. "I've been practicing on my own," she confessed, "I messed up on purpose today to get close to you." To prevent him from getting mad at her, she gave him another quick peck.
"She sounds... lovely. I'm sorry for your lose," Lafayette murmured. He pressed a kiss to the top of Aurora's head. "She sounds a lot like you," he confessed with complete honesty.
John just laughed. "We'll, it worked." He agreed, gently pulling her hair back up in case anyone came around.
Aurora didn't answer for a long moment, tears coming to her eyes. "You really believe that?' That was one of the best compliments she could receive.
Virginia leaned into him and captured his lips in another kiss. Her heart thudded in her chest and her knees felt weak under her.
"With all of my heart," Lafayette assured. "You are a very special girl," he continued, "and you're very special to me."
John looped his arms around her, kissing her back gently. For the first time in a few weeks, everything felt right.
Aurora stopped their walking so she could hug him tightly. "You have no idea how much that means to me, or how special you are to me..."
Virginia's mind was at ease for now, but she worried about what would happen when the snow thawed. She was worried about what would happen if she lost John so soon after she had found him. Her brow knitted with worry and she was unable to focus on the kiss.
Lafayette sighed and rested his chin on top of her head as he squeezed her back. "I'm uncertain about how this war will end, but I promise that, no matter what, I will find a way to come back to you alive," he promised. He had a lot of reasons to survive the war, but Aurora was proving to be an increasingly important one.
John pulled away, worried. "Vir...gina, what's wrong?" He wasn't thinking about the war, just her.
Aurora shut her eyes tightly, not wanting to think of losing him. "I-If you think... we could ever want..." with a soft sigh she gave up. "I'll wait for you. As long as it takes."
Virginia just looked at him with troubled eyes. She just wished they had met under different circumstances. She had watched so many of her siblings die before they even got the chance to live, so if anything she should be numb to death, but it still scared her more than anything. "...What if you die...?" she asked so quietly she wasn't even sure she had said it.
Lafayette stroked her back reassuringly. "I won't let this war take me from you," he promised. He pressed another kiss to the top of her head before he spoke again. "And I won't forget about you or stop wanting to be with you, even if it takes us 100 years to win this war."
john stroked her cheek gently, lightly resting his forehead on hers. "I won't. I'm not going to leave you, we'll survive this together, we'll have a future after the war." He promised.
Aurora let out a shaky breath. "And I'll wait for you, even if it takes a hundred years. I'll never move on, I'll wait." She promised him, not releasing her hug.
Virginia kissed him again before pulling back quickly. For now, she let herself believe him, and her fear settled. "A future where we fight to abolish slavery?" she inquired.
Lafayette kissed the top of Aurora's head a couple more times. "Mon cherie, that means the world to me," he confessed. He thought beyond the war again to when he would be able to take Aurora to France.
John nodded, stroking her cheek gently. He didn't want to mention it yet, but maybe he'd even actually court her.
"It means the same to me that you'll wait for me." Aurora whispered.
Virginia couldn't help thinking about their current situation over their idealized future. "We have to be discreet about this as possible," she decided, "any interaction between us has to be hidden or else others might start to pick up on what's happening.
Lafayette stepped back just a little to give himself room to lean down and kiss Aurora again. Absently, in the back of his mind, he thought about how this might look to anyone that might come down the road.
John nodded in agreement. "Nobody may know." He murmured.
Aurora didn't care what it looked like as she kissed him back happily.
Virginia stepped back to pick up her discarded uniform jacket. Then, she shrugged it on. "I should go, before anyone gets suspicious," she decided. But first, she leaned in to give John one last kiss.
After a moment, Lafayette pulled away. "As much as I would love to stand here and kiss you all day, I have to get you home eventually, so we should get on with our walk," he said, offering Aurora his arm again.
John nodded,cupping her cheek as they kissed. "Yes, of course...." he murmured.
Aurora smiled, taking his arm gently. "If you insist, monsieur." She teased gently.
Virginia reluctantly pulled herself away from John. "Until we meet again," she said before she left him. She was so dazed that she barely remembered to go back for her musket.
Lafayette began to walk again, taking in the glittering, frosty scenery. "The winter is certainly peaceful, oui?" he asked, looking over at Aurora. Since he had arrived in America, the winter had come to mean a reprieve from the horror show of the war.
John watched her go, a bit in shock still. Bit he knew he'd keep her secret.
Aurora smiled and nodded. "It is." For her it has come to mean Lafayette. He was safe and with her.
Virginia immediately went back to her tent. She laid her musket down and then flopped down on her cot. She would need to sleep a good long while to process what had just happened to her.
As they neared the camp, Lafayette was grateful that things were quiet and calm for once. The camp in all of its chaos wasn't something he wanted Aurora to have to see. "It seems that things are quiet for now," he commented.
John slowly began to head back for camp. Already he missed her.
Aurora nodded slightly. "I'm glad, you all deserve a but of a rest.
Virginia sat up on her cot and stared at her tent flap. Already, she missed John, but distance was necessary, it was what kept them safe. She would have a chance to see him again.
Lafayette hummed his agreement. The last few weeks of the warmer months had been hectic to say the least and now that he had time to spend with Aurora, he was going to savor it. As they crested, the tallest hill in the camp, the one where General Washington's tent was, the ground began to get a bit more slippery. Lafayette removed his arm from Aurora's grasp and wrapped it around her waist to steady her.
John slowly returned to his tent. He wished it was acceptable for her to be here, for them to be together.
Aurora was grateful that he did, fashion didn't not mean function. Her shoes began to slip she she slowed them to try and keep from slipping.