Disclaimer: I don't own 'Liberty's Kids' or any of it's characters. This story is my sequel to 'Princess Of New York', and I hope you like it as much as you did my first...

LITTLE BLESSINGS

The sun shone high in the late afternoon sky, warming everything it touched. Sarah Hiller sighed as she stirred the stew she was cooking upon the stove, glancing outside every so often. Her dear husband of one year had been gone for some time now, covering a story in New Jersey for their newspaper, The Rising Sun. This was the first time in the year that they had been married that they were separated from each other for a long period of time, and while Mrs. Adams had warned her to be prepared for this, no one could have warned her how lonely it could be. Even with the many letters they had written to each other, nothing could replace the warmth of his touch, the tenderness of his kisses, the kindness and friendship they had always shared, even when they were rival reporters for Dr. Franklin's Pennsylvania Gazette. She missed her dear husband terribly, especially since he had not written to her in weeks. She tried to keep herself busy by going out and getting stories, posting the parts of the stories James had sent her, setting the type and distributing the paper. She even posted up news from France Henri sent her, after she had made sure to write to James and tell him. Moses frequently came over to help her out, often joking about the 'good old days', but it just wasn't the same.She had had a few friends over to talk, or she had gone to their homes, but the emptyness she felt without James was always there. She was so very worried about her dearest, especially since she had recently found out something that affected both her and James and she was eager to tell him. She had not even told her mother this news because she wanted HIM to know this first and foremost. But with her going so long without a letter, she didn't even know when he was coming home, even if she should make more stew. She put the stove out and went to stare out the window again, not being very hungry yet. She longed for her husband and prayed he was safe, whereever he was.

Suddenly she heared a familar sound right outside, a sound she hadn't heared for a long, long time. The sound of a horse riding up to the house..the sound of JAMES'S horse! She turned around and raced for the entrance to the house. As if her wish was granted, there was her dear husband throwing open the door and looking around for her. "Sarah?" he called. His eyes lit up as they met hers, glad and relieved to see her as she was him. "Sarah!" he called as she raced into his arms happily. Throwing his arms around her, he swung her up and spun her around happily before setting her down and kissing her tenderly. The kiss grew and grew and their arms wrapped even tighter around each other. She laid her head on his shoulder as he stroked her hair lovingly. "Oh, Sarah, I missed you so much," he whispered in her ear.

"I missed you as well," she answered. "So much..oh James, what kept you?! I haven't heared from you in weeks!!"

"The story was finished sooner than expected," he began to explain. "I wanted to surprise you..that's why I didn't write. God, I missed you...I missed having you near me..you have no idea how lonely I was.." he captured her lips again in an even deeper kiss. He reached into his pouch and pulled out a poke of sweetments he had gotten for her. "For you," he smiled.

"Yum!" she said happily, taking them and putting them on the table next to her. "Thank you..oh, James I missed you," she threw her arms around him again, hugging him tightly. "I was so lonely without you..so lonely."

"I was as well," James answered, capturing her lips again, kissing her again and again. He stroked her hair loveingly, whispering her name, kissing her all over her face. Gentily he kissed her cheek, her forehead, her nose, her chin..his lips moved down her neck. Sarah smiled as the feeling she had when James kissed that one tender spot on her neck she loved came back....a feeling she had almost forgotten.

"James.." se whispered.

"Sarah.." he answered as he kissed her again. He slowly removed her hair ribbon, letting her long red hair spill down. He buried his hands in it, feeling it, laying his cheek against it. He lifted her face..for a few moments gazing into her eyes before kissing her again..but this time letting it grow and escalate, letting his hands run all over her hair, leting them trail down his wife's back, tenderly rubbing it, whispering her name again and again...."I missed you.." he said. "I love you so much..I love you so much..."

Sarah suddenly pulled away as she realised the door was still wide open! "James..I love you..but the door is wide open! This isn't proper..what if someone sees us?" James smiled at her and closed the door. He leaned against it, making sure it was locked.

"Come here," he whispered, drawing her near. The kisses grew more and more passionate. "You just don't know what it's like..thinking of you all the time..not being able to see you. Even when I was covering the story...you were on my mind. I couldn't wait to get back. It's funny, Sarah..for the first time I didn;t care too much about a story..I just wanted to get home and be with you."

"I felt so empty without you," Sarah confessed. "I know we've ben separated from each other numerous times before..sometimes longer than this..but this time it was so different.."

"I guess because we weren't married then," James said. He drew his wife into his arms and kissed her deeply and pasionately with all the love he had in his heart. Grinning, he swung her into his arms happily and continued kissing her face as he began to carry her upstairs."

"What are you doing?" Sarah asked happily.

"I'm carrying you to bed," James said, kissing her neck.

"What?" James..it's the middle of the afternoon!" Sarah said, but she couldn't help laughing as he swung open the door.

"So?" he asked. As he laid her down upon the bed and kissed her again, trailing his lips to her neck and gentily moving part of her collar to one side to kiss her some more. On impulse she removed the tie in his hair, letting his blond tresses spill down.

"This is really not proper.." Sarah began.

"They don't have to know," he said, pointing to the window. "Sarah..I love you and I missed you so much...it's still early..and I can't wait for tonight. I've spent too much time laying in empty beds in hotels..longing for you near me..wanting to feel you...not being able to..I love you Sarah..please let me love you right now.."

Sarah looked into his eyes, buring with the familar tenderness, honestly and love....and she smiled as she drew the curtain and reached for him, kissing him deeply as they fell upon the bed.

* * *

Sarah stretched her arms up over her head and opened her eyes. "What time is it?"she thought, still pretty sleepy. "What DAY is it?" She moved a bit in the bed, temporarily stunned to see a bare arm wrapped around her waist..until she remembered who it belonged to. She turned around to gaze upon the sleeping form of her husband. She twirled her wedding band happily. .It had been so long since she had seen him, he even looked hansome while he was sleeping quietly. She tried to sit up while not disturbing him and gasped when she saw the darkness of night peeking out from behind the curtain. Goodness, when did it get so late?! She had a supper to prepare! She attempted to disentangle herself from the bed without waking her beloved. The sheets were all twisted up, one of the pillows had fallen to the ground after hours of lovemaking. She quietly managed to get her legs out of the bed and reached over to find her shift...when she felt two strong bare arms go around her and her husband's tender kisses on her back.

"Where are you going?" he mumbled sleepily.

"Downstairs to prepare supper," Sarah said, smiling.

"Not hungry," James said. "Come here," he gentily drew her back onto the bed. Before she could stop herself Sarah felt herself bring her head back and rest it tenderly against him. He pushed her hair back, all the while whispering her name.

"Mmm...but James, the dinner might be stone cold..and." she said suddenly as an urgent thought came into her head. "And..I must tell you something.."

"Please..let me say something first," James said seriously as he took her face into his hands. "Sarah..I know I've been saying and saying how much I missed you...but I do mean it with all my heart. For so many weeks I've been in one hotel after another, staying with one person after another..and while that always excited me, this time all I could think about was you. Every single night I was reaching for you...thinking you were right next to me..but reminding myself you weren't. I longed to feel your arms..to stroke your hair.,to lay right next to you. It nearly drove me crazy, thinking about you..never being able to come near you." He gazed upon her..the sliver of moonlight shining down upon her. Her hair was all tangled and stood out every which way, her eyes were still a bit sleepy..but the brightest green, her wedding band glistened in the pale light from the window, she looked a bit out of breath..

In other words...she was absolutely beautiful.

"I've seen so many things, and met so many people, Sarah Hiller..and you are the most beautiful one in the entire United States of America. Every single day I'm with you, I wonder how I got so lucky. I love you always, and I'll love you for the rest of my entire life." He reached down and kissed her with all his love. Sarah could feel the familar feeling rise up inside her and wrapped her arms around him again.

"I'll always love you, James Hiller, for the rest of MY entire life," she whispered back. He slowly laid her back down upon the bed and drew her closer to him, kissing her al over her body. She closed her eyes as the love and pleasure began to come back, letting everything else fade away..even her news. She would tell him later. There was no hurry now, she thought as she kised him back. No hurry at all.

* * *

A long while later, Sarah was standing at the stove, finally being able to tear herself away from James long enough to make some more stew and heat it up on their Franklin stove. She touched her stomach as the news she HAD to tell James came back to her. She heared the footsteps of her husband as he came into the kitchen. He took her into his arms and kissed her cheek tenderly. He rested his nose in her hair. "Mmm...smells good, nice and fresh" he teased.

Sarah laughed. "That's my hair, silly," she took a spoon and dipped it into the stew. "Here, James, taste it." he did and smiled.

"Mmmm, that's good. MUCH better than anything the inns served! Anything I can help with?"

"Can you get some bread, please, James?" Sarah asked. James nodded, took out the bread and began to cut it. He set the bread on a dish and carried it to the table, along with some butter. Sarah followed and spooned the stew into two bowls, making sure to give James a much bigger share. James couldn't help but notice this.

"Have some more," he said, ofering her a part of his.

"No thank you, James, you've been traveling quite a long way. I'll have an apple or some cheese later."

"But, you've cooked all this and you're only going to have that? Honest, I'm not THAT hungry, have some more, please, I insist."

"No, James, that is very fattening, you need it more than I do, you travel more. I'll be fine, don't worry."

"I can't help BUT worry about you, Sarah. After all, I don't want you to waste away to nothing," he joked.

Sarah smiled slyly. "Don't worry, James. As a matter of fact, I'll be gaining more wait before either one of us know it!"

James held in a laugh and dipped his spoon into the stew. "Well, I'd like to see how..." suddenly he stopped in midsentence, letting his spoon drop into the stew. He lifted his head and his mouth hung open as a thought came to his mind, a thought that made his insides quiver with excitement and quicken his pulse. Sarah stared back with happiness in her eyes and a huge smile on her face. "S....Sarah..." he whispered, "Are you saying..you..are ..are you..."

Sarah smiled even wider and touched her stomach happily, knowing his was thinking the exact same thing she was. "Yes!"

James practcally leaped out of his chair and held her in his arms. "A...a baby?" he whispered. "A baby?"

Sarah nodded eagerly. "A baby," she answered. "We're having a baby, James! We;re going to have a baby!"

Tears formed in James's eyes as he took her in his arms. "Oh, Sarah.." he whispered with happiness and eagerness as he stroked her arms. He leaned down and kissed her deeply. "A baby.." he said again. "We're having a baby."

"Let's just say you gave me QUITE a going away present before you left on your assignment," she laughed.

James laughed and kissed her again. "A baby..I can't believe it." They shared another long, deep kiss. "I love you," he said. He reached over and touched her stomach. "I love you both."

Sarah smiled. "We love you, too."